out in the silence
Out in the Silence captures the remarkable chain of events that unfold when the announcement of filmmaker Joe Wilson’s wedding to another man ignites a firestorm of controversy in his small Pennsylvania hometown.
Drawn back by a plea for help from the mother of a gay teen being tormented at school, Wilson’s journey dramatically illustrates the universal challenges of being an outsider in a conservative environment and the transformation that is possible when those who have long been constrained by a traditional code of silence summon the courage to break it.
Directed and produced by Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer. Funded by the Sundance Institute and Pennsylvania Public Broadcast Network.
Premiere: Human Rights Watch International Film Festival at Lincoln Center. Broadcast: PBS/America Reframed. Awards: 11 Jury and Audience Awards.
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In 2010, the Out In The Silence team embarked on statewide conversation tours with grassroots advocates in Arizona, California, Maine, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming, and in small towns and rural communities in several other states. Among the most impactful was the Rural Oregon Out In The Silence Tour, organized by the Rural Organizing Project and Basic Rights Oregon.
A few of the highlights are preserved here:
OUT IN THE SILENCE filmmakers come to rural Oregon
Rural Oregon OUT IN THE SILENCE Tour
Discussion Guide for Organizers
Out in the Silence Rural Oregon Tour gaining Momentum!