In celebration of LGBTQ History Month, student club HASOGI and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee have worked together to plan a showing of “An Act of Love,” which will be shown to students this Saturday in the Center for the Arts. 

HASOGI stands for Hill Advocates for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and is a club that aims to educate students and raise awareness on issues that affect the LGBTQ community. Last year, they also ran a showing of “An Act of Love,” and, after students voiced a multitude of positive opinions, the club decided to show it again, this time with the opportunity for Rev. Frank Schaefer to speak to the students.

“The students really felt like it was a powerful movie, and they wanted to talk to Rev. Schaefer about it, and so HASOGI wanted to re-show it this year because they knew that he would be able to talk to the students,” said Lauren Hoyt, faculty adviser to HASOGI.

The movie is about Rev. Schaefer, who was put on trial in the Methodist church for officiating the wedding of his gay son. After he refused to take a vow to never again officiate a same-sex wedding, Rev. Schaefer was defrocked in December 2013. The movie then follows Rev. Schaefer and his family as they navigate the struggle of LGBTQ inclusion within the Methodist community. 

“I think that especially in a place like Hill, where there is a significant population here of students and faculty who have strongly held religious beliefs, that we can talk about and think about the ways in which those two things, both being within the LGBTQ community, and being religious and Christian, can exist at the same time,” Hoyt said. 

Students will have the option to sign up for the movie showing through the weekend activity sign up, and there will also be a Zoom discussion on Oct. 23 where Rev. Schaefer will personally speak. The talk with Rev. Schaefer will count for the autumn spiritual life requirement as well.