About Bobby Griffith

If you haven't heard of Bobby Griffith, or his mother Mary, then you should. Bobby was a young man of twenty who ended his life August 27, 1983. That's four days after my 18th birthday. Bobby had spent the previous four years trying desperately to get his by-the-Book mother, Mary, to accept him for who he was - a gay man.

Mary tried just as desperately to get Bobby to pray to God to cure him of this sin. Bobby tries to please his mother, but the constant barrage of being told that he's going to Hell becomes too much for him to bear.

Lifetime Television recently released their film, based on the book Prayers for Bobby. The book includes excerpts from the diary Bobby kept, writing about his feelings about being gay and how it hurt him to know his mother couldn't accept him. It stars Sigourney Weaver as Mary Griffith in a performance that proves that Siggy's still got it. I hope she gets nominated at least for an Emmy for this role.

You can order the book from Amazon, or purchase the digital movie from Apple's iTunes store.






Share this with family and friends who need to understand that being gay is not a sin or a sickness. It's who we are. In the words of Mary Griffith, "Before you echo Amen in your home or place of worship, think and remember. A child is listening."