Editor’s note: Because Delfin Bautista and Ryan Vollrath do not identify with one gender, the non-gendered pronoun “they” is used.
The LGBT Center will present the movie Jihad for Love as part of the celebration of October, LGBT History Month.
“Every week, we wanted to show a film that was different and showed different sides of sexuality,” said Delfin Bautista, director of the LGBT Center. Jihad for Love is a 2007 documentary that centers on gay, lesbian and transgender people who are also Muslim.“I think students should go to broaden their perspective of the world,” Bautista said.
Bautista said the message of the movie is one of hope.
“This movie shows that it is not all doom and gloom. The story is one of beauty, power, resilience,” Bautista said. Showing the intersection of religion and sexuality is an important one, said Ryan Vollrath, a senior studying history and psychology.
“They are both identities that are very real to the human experience and tend to conflict, especially in Western culture,” Vollrath said.
Vollrath said they believe that this is an important topic to explore.
“The intersection is important,” Vollrath said. (The movie) focuses on Islam and Islam is, in my opinion, often demonized and misunderstood in our culture.”
Bautista said programming such as this is part of an effort to make the LGBT Center one that is inclusive for all.
“When I came here, some students said they felt there was a stigma that the LGBT Center was just for gay white males,” Bautista said. “We are working to change that by using diverse faces on our campaigns and doing intentionally inclusive programming like this one.”
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