OUT FOR THE LONG RUN
Wednesday, June 29 • 6:00pm

An award-winning and timely documentary, OUT FOR THE LONG RUN looks at the lives of openly gay high school and college age athletes. The film's focus is on a handful of openly gay high school and college athletes as they navigate the turbulent waters of their uncertain world.

Utilizing footage shot and video diaries kept throughout the year, you'll see a new generation of courage in what could be the most homophobic place on a high school campus: the locker room.

At a time where young gay men and women are literally being bullied to death, this film's poignant message is, there is hope.


ATHLETES PROFILED

You’ll meet Austin Snyder, a long distance runner and a senior at Berkeley High School. He’s been out since he was a freshman and he’s a world-class runner with plenty of potential. His story is one of dedication and tenacity as he battles injuries and self doubt on his way to the national championships. Oh, and meets the young man he’s formed a long distance relationship… finally.

Liz Davenport is a high school senior who has played sports most of her life. But after a year of ridicule from both students and administrators at her rural Maine school, she leaves her chosen sport, Soccer, as well as her school. Her future is uncertain, but she’s still out, proud and working with other young people struggling with their own sexuality.

You’ll also meet these out college athletes:

Lucas Goodman: Freshman rower for MIT. His is the story of the ideal when it comes to acceptance and respect from his family, team and coaches. MIT’s rowing team is notoriously adequate until Lucas joins the team and inspires his boat to be the best that they can be.

Brenner Green: Freshman long distance runner who enjoys a terrific relationship with everyone - except his own father who still struggles with his son’s sexual identity.

In addition to our currently active students, we’re enlisting the help of Olympic Gold Medalists Greg Louganis and Holly Metcalf to talk about their experiences as gay student athletes to help us understand how far we’ve come. Former LA Dodger, Billy Bean gives us a reality check as to what openly gay athletes might expect should they aspire to a career in college and professional team sports.

Finally, we’ve brought on Pat Griffin, an educator, a coach and a former athlete herself. Working with her organization, It Takes a Team, she’ll show us how a little education can go a long way toward tolerance and acceptance in rural high school athletics.

(2011) USA, 87 minutes

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