'From This Day Forward' film to be shown Feb. 24
The 2015 documentary "From This Day Forward" at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, 102 S. Second St.
It is a moving portrayal of an American family coping with the most intimate of transformations. When filmmaker Sharon Shattuck's artist father came out as transgender and changed her name to Trisha, her transition was difficult for her straight-identified, physician wife, Marcia, to accept. Having married and fallen in love with a man, Marcia found herself doubting whether she could love Trisha as a woman. And, as a heterosexual woman, she felt that the idea of walking down the street, holding hands with a woman, would paint a false picture of her own identity. At the time, with Sharon in her preteen years and focused on developing her own sense of self, her parents' relationship seemed a mystery.
After announcing that they would get a divorce, Marcia and Trisha found themselves heartbroken and decided that they loved each other too much to separate. Committed to staying together as a family, they then began a careful balancing act that would test their love for one another, and ultimately prove even more challenging than expected.
As Sharon approaches her own wedding day, she begins asking the questions she couldn't ask as a child: Why did her father choose to transition when she and her sister were so young? How - and why - did her parents decide to stay together? As the film evolves into a conversation about love and acceptance in a modern American family, it raises questions relevant to all of us: As individuals, how do we adapt to sustain long-term love and relationships? Where do sexuality and gender intersect? And how do families stay together, when external forces are pulling them apart?
This showing is sponsored by Interweave, a local group of LGBTQ members, friends and allies who meet once a month to have time together for discussions and special events. It is part of the church's annual events leading up to the Interweave church service on Sunday, March 5.
The community is invited to view and discuss documentaries examining timely issues important to social justice at 7 p.m. on the fourth Friday of each month. No admission is charged. Refreshments are served.
The Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, established in 1842 and the oldest church in Geneva, is a diverse, welcoming community that endeavors to make its covenant a living reality. It provides religious education and opportunities for spiritual growth. They encourage individual and mutual responsibility as together they work to be a liberal religious voice in the community and a force for compassionate social justice. For information, visit uusg.org.