If you’ve ever gone to a Pride event, perhaps you’ve come across or even gotten a hug from someone wearing a “Free Mom Hugs” shirt. Some of these mothers are also part of the group called Mama Bears — people connected throughout the whole country through private Facebook groups. They call themselves Mama Bears not just because they spread love, but fight ferociously to make the world a better and safer place for all LGBTQ+ people.
A new documentary called Mama Bears follows three conservative Christian families throughout their journeys to unlearn homophobia and transphobia to become advocates for their LGBTQ+ children. It also explores the complexity of the dangers LGBTQ+ children face trying to live openly.
"What we're hoping to inspire [with this film] is conversation, is people being able to be a bit more open to this topic and really see these beautiful human faces," says Mama Bears producer Laura Tatham.
She notes the film's director and producer Daresha Kyi was compelled to learn more about the Mama Bears after learning about them through a different film they were working on at the time. Kyi reached out to the group's administrator to see if any of the mothers were interested in talking about their journeys.
"A few days later [Daresha] probably got 25 very long, very beautiful, very heartfelt letters from different moms and in the group ... and we started deciding which moms do we want to talk to a little bit more," says Tatham.
The film follows Sara Cunningham and Kimberly Shappley, two "mama bears" whose love for their LGBTQ+ children transformed them from not accepting their LGBTQ+ children to becoming fierce advocates for the entire queer community. Also included in the film is Tammi Terrell Morris, a young Black lesbian struggling with her self-acceptance and navigating a relationship with her devout Christian mother. These experiences show why groups like the Mama Bears are so important to those who don't have the same familial support.
Tatham does note that this film is full of contradictions, but these reflect the complex feelings and moments it took to get these mothers to change. Unfortunately, it often takes something as severe as a child being at high risk of suicide to turn parents around, and Tatham says it's a harsh reality that doesn't always work.
"We presented these women where they are now, but they talk very frankly about where they were," she notes. "A lot of these times these contradictions and some of the, you know, denial of their children is really what pushes them to become such fierce advocates now."
While love and community is found in Mama Bears, Tatham also notes that these mothers are looking for the connection they once had in a religious sect that no longer wants them because of their acceptance and advocacy of their LGBTQ+ children.
"For a lot of these women, they live in a town or community that doesn't have a very accepting or affirming presence. So when something like this happens they can feel a bit isolated so it's quite good to have this group online ... [it's] very much so a chosen family," she says.
Tatham hopes that this sense of chosen family and community can spread with each new place the documentary is shown in. She says a big part of the Mama Bears upcoming journey will be an impact campaign to have community screenings in places where anti-LGBTQ+ or anti-trans initiatives are going to be up for a vote.
"So we're really trying to pivot in on those bills to make sure that this film, this message is able to connect larger groups of people to this fight. So that's one thing, we're really hoping this film can change some hearts and minds," says Tatham.
You can see Mama Bears at the Oriental Theatre June 11 as a part of their Pride Month Programming presented by Milwaukee Film’s GenreQueer Program.
