FILM: Dir. Brendan Fay • 2012• USA • 56mins
Sat. 17th Nov / QFT / 3-5pm / £5
Taking A Chance On God chronicles the extraordinary life and legacy of 85 year old John McNeill, gay Catholic priest, founder of the LGBT spiritual movement, and pioneering voice of gay liberation. Refusing to betray his own conscience, McNeill stood up to the man who became Pope Benedict XVI and would not be silenced.
The Film depicts McNeill’s remarkable journey: growing up in Buffalo, escaping death as a POW in Nazi Germany, falling in love with his husband, writing groundbreaking books, coming out on national television, calling for compassion and justice during the AIDS crisis, and celebrating the unique spiritual gifts of LGBT people. Theologians, journalists, activists, and LGBT religious figures, including openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, movingly testify to McNeill’s influence and importance.
The EQUAL MARRIAGE NI campaign group is delighted to welcome New York based film director Brendan Fay to Belfast, to talk about his film and to lead a discussion on the way forward for Marriage Equality in Northern Ireland. Originially from Ireland, Brendan has been involved in the movement for marriage equality since 1998, co-founding the Civil Marriage Trail Project, which brings gay and lesbian couples across borders to Canada for legal same-sex marriages. He is founder and co-chair of New York’s inclusive St. Patrick’s Parade, lectures on spirituality, sexuality and justice at churches, colleges, community groups, rallies and retreats, has testified in Washington, DC and New York, and has been arrested in defense of civil and human rights.
