Oct 30, 2009  |  By: Amy Cavanaugh  | COMMENTS     

Elbridge James, director of the Maryland Black Family Alliance, has one of the most memorable lines in “Maryland Voices of Equality.”

“Civil unions don’t get us to a place we need to be,” he says. “We need civil marriage.”

James joins pastors, politicians and students in the film to voice support for same-sex marriage and fairness toward gay Marylanders. The movie premiered last week at Coppin State University in Baltimore.

Produced by the MBFA and directed by Kalima Young of Kubla Khan Productions, the film considers the role of gay blacks in the civil rights movement and why LGBT rights should be a legislative priority.

In the film, Lea Gilmore, MBFA’s program director, cites her faith as a reason to fight for equality.

“I don’t believe in equality despite my faith — I believe in equality because of my faith,” she says. “I’m a Christian who believes in love and acceptance, and I’m tired of having to apologize and say, ‘Oh, I’m not that type of Christian.’”

Gilmore said the MBFA, founded two years ago, has become especially active in the last 18 months. The group includes prominent straight, black Marylanders who support black Maryland families, including those headed by same-sex couples.

She told the Blade that the group decided to make “Maryland Voices of Equality” in large part because the mainstream media presents “so many negative comments about how the African-American community doesn’t support LGBT civil rights.”

“We wanted to be very public and create something to let people know that not all African Americans feel this way,” she said. “Many of us are fighting and standing next to our brothers and sisters to ensure that these rights come forth.”

Gilmore said that more 150 people — far more than expected — attended the premiere.

“We expected a naysayer, since there’s always one, but the feedback was overwhelmingly positive and thankful,” she said. “So many people came up to say, ‘Thank you for doing this,’ and folks want us to show it in political science classes and at churches.”

Gilmore said the Arcus Foundation, which funds LGBT projects, bankrolled the project for a year to help get it off the ground, and MBFA helped the effort by working closely with Equality Maryland and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Gilmore said Young, as the film’s director, brought “so much energy, knowledge and intelligence” to the project.

Young, a lesbian, said that the MBFA initially contacted her to see if she was interested in making the film. Her production company, Kubla Khan Productions, is based in Baltimore and makes LGBT films. Her creative partner is A.J. Hyde, who is gay.

“They wanted us to interview members of the Maryland Black Family Alliance and asked if we could weave together a narrative of discussions of black gay rights issues and black civil rights issues to show the commonalities,” she said. “Interviews were shot in the winter and spring, and I interviewed 18 to 20 straight allies who told their stories.”

Young, who teaches gay and lesbian studies at Towson University, said “Maryland Voices of Equality” was the first formal documentary she was given the opportunity to produce. She hopes the film will have a strong impact on black Marylanders.

“I’m hoping this gives people an opportunity to begin a dialogue that we’re not currently having in the black community,” she said. “I hope that it will, for any gay person living in an area where there aren’t a lot of venues or other gay people, to let them see that there are straight black allies out there for them.

“As a gay and lesbian studies teacher, I am hopeful that it will shed light on the impact that gay people had on African-American civil rights, since we’ve been involved since the beginning. We’ve got to know our history, since our history won’t be handed to us in a classroom.”

Gilmore said she also hopes the film “brings a new voice to this movement to gain equality and justice for our LGBT brothers and sisters.”

“So often it seems that black folks are painted with the brush of intolerance, and we are re-branding our voices as those of acceptance and tolerance,” she said. “We can’t rest until all of us share the same rights we deserve as Americans.”

There are no immediate plans to again screen “Maryland Voices of Equality,” but the film can be seen online at marylandbfa.org.