Lesbian Couples Fight The Courts For Their Children In "Alabama Bound"
On May 3 Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed a bill into law that would allow faith-based adoption and foster care agencies to refuse service to same-sex families based on the agency’s religious beliefs.
Rep. Patricia Todd, the only openly gay Alabama state legislator from Birmingham, added that the legislation is “a direct attack against my community.”
“What your vote says to me—if you vote for this bill—is that Patricia Todd is not qualified to be a fit parent… based on the fact that I love a woman, and it’s not based on what is the best placement for the child,” explained Todd.
Todd is featured in a new documentary, Alabama Bound, which follows three lesbian families over the past decade as they fight the courts for their children in the Yellowhammer state while the national conversation was focused on marriage equality.
"When I started this film, my goal was for America to see that conservative states needed Federal protection to secure minority human rights," said the film's co-director Carolyn Sherer. "Now, I think these stories illustrate what could happen to Americans everywhere when the lines between church and state are unclear. We refer to this new concern as the potential 'Alabamafication of America,' and it does keep me awake at night."
Alabama is one of the 28 states in the U.S. where LGBT citizens can lose their jobs, be refused housing or public accommodations because of their sexuality.
Alabama Bound, which began as a photography exhibition by Sherer, will have its world premiere on June 17 at San Francisco's Frameline Film Festival.
"I am overjoyed to share the remarkable women whose fight we captured, and I hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as I did," added co-director Lara Embry.
Watch the trailer for the new documentary below and for more information check out the film's website.
