Prayers for Bobby exposes the real-life consequences of intolerance.

by Jonathan Higbee

“It’s never too late to right an injustice,” says Mary Griffith. For the better part of the past 25 years Griffith has fought for gay rights, with those words serving as her motivation. With the upcoming Lifetime original movie Prayers for Bobby — a film recounting the suicide of her gay son, Bobby, and her posthumous acceptance of his sexuality — Griffith hopes to provoke a discussion of the myriad injustices the nation’s LGBT youth face.

Yet Griffith hasn’t always been a staunch hetero ally, peacefully fighting in the queer corner.

Portrayed in the film by the Oscar-nominated Sigourney Weaver, the mother of three turned to her religion when faced with her teenage son’s homosexuality. Immediately upon Bobby’s coming out, the strict Presbyterian family of Walnut Creek, Calif., attempted to cure his sexual orientation through prayer, Bible verse assaults and relentless reminders of his perceived abominable sin. After finding refuge in Portland’s gay scene—where he met and forged a kinship with David, played by Guiding Light's Scott Bailey—and experiencing a respite from what Griffith herself now refers to as dehumanizing slander, Bobby once again slipped into a void of internalized self-hatred, culminating in suicide on August 27, 1983.

Bobby’s death became a catalyst for transformation. Mourning the devastating loss, Griffith set out on a quest towards accepting her son, beginning with guidance from the Metropolitan Community Church, and later, attending local meetings of Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). In time, the struggling mother began to see her religion’s condemnation of homosexuality—of Bobby—as ignorance. Unable to let her son’s death be in vain, Griffith soon took her undying maternal love to the next level and began vigorously campaigning for the rights and well-being of LGBT youth.

Drawing from Bobby’s tortured journals and Griffith’s emotional recounts, the family’s story was first retold by the late Leroy Aarons in a 1995 book of the same title. Producers of Lifetime’s version worked with Griffith and Aarons for more than a decade on the film adaptation. “I was told this is one of the books kids give families when they come out,” Weaver says. “How wonderful we can put this in another form.”

Weaver says she is aware of the alarming statistics showing suicides among gay youth at rates nearly four times their heterosexual counterparts (Massachusetts 2006 Youth Risk Survey). The tragic epidemic, and the chance of, as Weaver says, “saving even one family from what [the Griffiths] went through,” is what drew the noted actress to her first role in a made-for-television picture. “All of us are driven by this commitment to Bobby, getting this story told, getting it done,” she adds.

If Ryan Kelley, who portrays Bobby Griffith in the film, is any indication, telling the riveting story through the medium of television may serve to enlighten audiences. Kelley, who also starred in the heavily lauded Mean Creek, admits he wasn’t largely aware of the plague of gay youth suicides afflicting the nation.

“I knew there was an issue, but being involved, being on set and learning more, definitely opened up my eyes,” notes Kelley. The 22-year-old actor says that since filming Prayers for Bobby, his eyes and ears have tuned into homophobic slang and ignorant remarks around him, a persistent hum of harmful epithets that he’d like the film to call attention to. When asked what he hopes audiences take away from the movie, he pauses a moment before responding, passion embedded in his tone: “I hope people stop and think before they open their mouths. If one person walks away changed, I’d be happy.”

The Trevor Project, an organization long devoted to LGBT youth, hopes audiences will be changed by the film as well. Just last month, the organization celebrated Weaver’s history of working to broaden equality by honoring her with the Trevor Life Award. When speaking of the honor, Weaver perhaps demonstrates why she had earned the organization’s acknowledgement. “I hope that films such as Prayers for Bobby will send messages of acceptance and compassion to all people, and compel them to create safer, all-encompassing environments for our young people,” she says.

Despite the awards, the novels and the scripts, the big-name actors and the premieres, Griffith doesn’t lose track of why she is here. Admitting that it’s never easy to relive the tragedy, Griffith understands the importance of sharing her story with wider audiences, perhaps considering it her duty. “I believe it’s going to help a lot of kids, and hopefully adults as well, and that’s what’s going to make it worthwhile for me to keep doing this,” expresses Griffith, her voice raw, yet determined. “It just has to be out there.”

The Deails

Prayers for Bobby Jan. 24
9 p.m.
Lifetime