Michael Gough's searing and excellent documentary Add the Words,which recently screened at Outfest 2015 in Los Angeles, tracks the efforts of a group of Idaho activists who protest the state legislature's refusal to add LGBT protections to their discrimination laws, despite 81% approval from the populace. For eight years Nicole LaFavor, Idaho's first openly gay legislator, has asked for the words "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to be added to the state's Human Rights Act and has been told, "We can't this year because of the political climate. But behave, and we will get to it next year." Shocking and gut-wrenching footage of this group's courageous acts of civil disobedience in the capitol building are laced between talking head testimonials, relating the ways in which the state's discrimination has directly hurt its citizens.
While most LGBT audiences have heard stories like these by the hundreds, their telling here is no less compelling and no less heart breaking. We may have learned about the power of the silent protest during the Civil Rights era, but seeing it in action today rather than in archival footage from decades ago is provocative stuff. And documenting this moment in history so skillfully has a power that can be another vital weapon as the battle for equality forges on.
Add the Words is screening free on Outfest Online. Download the app on Google Play or iTunes, or visit OutfestOnline.com today and be a part of the festival anytime and from anywhere in the United States.
