"So…we went out that night, and we've been together ever since," beams Justin, a Mississippi hairstylist whose relationship with Eddie, his partner in business and romance, lights up the digital documentary A Mississippi Love Story. Produced by Fisher Productions, LLC, the documentary brings to life the reality of living as a gay couple in the Deep South—in a state that, currently, does not recognize same-sex marriage.
A Mississippi Love Story comes on the heels of GLAAD's Southern Stories Summer Tour, and continues the work of bringing LGBT visibility to the southern United States. On June 13th, Unity Mississippi, a non-profit out of Jackson dedicated to promoting "unity among the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) and Heterosexual communities," partnered with GLAAD for a special screening of the L Word Mississippi: Hate the Sin, which earned the 2015 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary.
Unity Mississippi is now promoting A Mississippi Love Story in anticipation of the SCOTUS decision on marriage equality. In this short documentary, Justin and Eddie create a life together in the face of discrimination in Jackson, MS, and we see how the couple must fly to California for their matrimony. However, much of that could change within the next few days.
A Mississippi Love Story from Fisher Productions, LLC on Vimeo.
During the film, Eddie speaks to his connection to the South despite the odds being stacked against the LGBT community: "Unless you've spent any time here and gotten to know the people in Mississippi, you can't understand why anyone would choose to stay." To Eddie and Justin—two gay men—Mississippi is home, and in this place they call home, they deserve to feel safe and recognized in their commitment and love for each other.
The official Southern Summer Stories Tour is over, but the work of accelerating acceptance in the South is just beginning. There are many more stories and movements to come to end the numerous forms of discrimination that exist in this region of the United States.
You can watch the entirety of A Mississippi Love Storyhere for free! And be sure to check out The L Word Mississippi: Hate the Sin on Showtime.
A Mississippi Love Story premiered in 2014, and was awarded "Best Mississippi Short Documentary" at the Oxford (MS) Film Festival this February.