When filmmaker Joe Wilson placed an announcement of his same-sex wedding in the newspaper of his small Pennsylvania hometown (which he had left 25 years earlier), he inadvertently ignited a firestorm of controversy. A typical response in a letter to the paper: “I was sick to my stomach when I saw the announcement.”
But he also received a different kind of communication: a letter from a mother of a gay teen being tormented at school. After Wilson was drawn back home by that plea for help, he and others in the town were forced to confront the universal challenges of being outsiders in a conservative environment. Their journey dramatically illustrates the transformation that is possible when those who have long been constrained by a traditional code of silence summon the courage to break it.
Out in the Silence aims to expand public awareness about the difficulties experienced by gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in rural areas and small towns. This gripping documentary follows the unfolding of a remarkable chain of events in that small U.S. town, challenging viewers to rethink their values and work to close the gaps that divide our communities.

Awards:

Audience Award, Hardacre Film Festival, Tipton, Iowa, 2009; Alternative Spirit Award, Rhode Island International Film Festival, 2009; Best Documentary, Out Takes, New Zealand

Sponsored by OSSTF Equity and Diversity Committee (Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation); PCVS GSA (Gay Straight Alliance); Affirm United; Peterborough PRIDE