Valentines Special from Bernard Welt @ Dennis Cooper’s Blog

Prayers for Bobby  is a television movie that premiered on the Lifetime network on January 24, 2009. The film is based on the book by the same name by Leroy F. Aarons, which is based on the true story of the life and legacy of Bobby Griffith, a young gay man who killed himself due to his mother’s and community’s religious intolerance.

In Prayers for Bobby, Mary Griffith is a devout Christian who raises her children with the conservative teachings of the Presbyterian Church. However, when her son Bobby confides to his older brother he may be gay, life changes for the entire family after Mary learns about his secret. While Bobby’s father and siblings slowly come to terms with his homosexuality, Mary believes God can cure him of what she considers his "sin" and desperately tries to ‘cure’ him of his homosexuality. She takes him to a psychiatrist and persuades Bobby to pray harder and seek solace in church activities in hopes of changing him. Desperate for his mother’s approval, Bobby does what is asked of him, but through it all, the church’s apparent disapproval of homosexuality causes him to grow increasingly withdrawn and depressed.

Guilty over the pain he is causing his mother, Bobby moves away, yet hopes that some day she will accept him. His subsequent depression and self-loathng intensifies as he blames himself for not being the "perfect" son, and he jumps off a freeway bridge into the path of an oncoming truck, killing him instantly.

Faced with their tragedy, Mary begins to question herself and her church’s interpretation of Scripture. Through her long and emotional journey, Mary slowly reaches out to the gay community and discovers unexpected support from a very unlikely source. She becomes acquainted with a local gay reverend, who convinces her to attend a meeting of PFLAG. It is there that she realizes that she knew Bobby was different from conception, and that God did not heal him because there was nothing wrong with him. She becomes an advocate for gay rights and eventually gives a speech in a town council meeting in support of a local "gay day". She urges people to think before they say amen to ignorance and hate because "a child is listening". The measure is rejected, but she and her family travel to San Francisco with fellow PFLAG members and march in a gay pride parade, during which she sees another young man just like Bobby observing the parade. She walks over and hugs him, finally coming to terms with her son’s death and vowing to work hard for the rights of gay and lesbian individuals.

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Sources: Wikipedia & Dennis Cooper