For Such A Time As This, my documentary profile of the openly lesbian rural Georgia Baptist preacher, Genie Hargrove, premieres tonight at 9 p.m. at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.
My partner, Doug Keith, and I interviewed Genie for StoryCorps last February. That interview (scroll down) became the basis for the video profile. In it, Genie tells the story of her 2004 ordination as the minister of her Southern Baptist church. The church, at the end of a winding dirt road in the poorest county in the state, was founded in 1791.
You may remember that 2004 was also the year in which 76% of Georgia voters approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Local opposition to her ordination threatened the church, but today she and her congregation continue to thrive.
The video also contains footage of Genie officiating at our 2009 Renewing Our Commitment ceremony. I’ve been submitting it to festivals around the country, with an emphasis on the South, where Genie’s story will resonate the strongest.
For Such A Time As This will be premiered tonight at QFest, Houston’s LGBTQ film festival. If you’re in town, please come see it. I am especially pleased that it will be featured as a special presentation kicking off the Girl Shorts program.
The trailer is above. The full web version is here.