MOBILE, Alabama - A Midtown Mobile church is planning a fundraiser to help a lesbian couple with legal expenses in an adoption-related suit against the state.
Open Table, a United Church of Christ congregation, will screen the film "Cloudburst" on Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Ben May Library's Bernheim Hall in downtown Mobile. The event entitled "Love Will Win Movie Premiere" begins at 3:30 p.m. Proceeds from a suggested donation of $10 a person will be given to Mobile couple Cari Searcy and Kimberly McKeand, said Pastor Ellen Sims.
Searcy is suing the state in federal court over a judge's refusal to grant second-parent adoption of 8-year-old Khaya, which Searcy and McKeand have raised from birth. If Searcy were a man, the petition would likely be granted, but her request has been denied on the basis of Alabama's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. The couple was legally married in California in 2008, but their union is not recognized here.
"This is helping them defray some mounting legal costs," Sims said. "We find them really courageous in their pursuit."
Searcy and McKeand will be present at the screening, she said. The legal case is being handled by attorneys Christine Hernandez and David Kennedy.
Open Table is donating the costs for rental of the venue and the film, and is handling publicity in conjunction with local gay rights organization Wave of Hope. Sims said that Searcy and McKeand are not members of the church, but are "friends of the congregation."
"Cloudburst" is a 2011 comedy/drama in which a lesbian couple escape from a nursing home and travel to Canada to get married. It stars Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker, and has won more than 30 awards. Sims said the film includes some profanity and is intended for an adult audience.
Open Table maintains office and worship space at All Saints Episcopal Church at Government and Ann streets.
"Part of our commitment to social justice and being engaged in our community includes a welcoming response to everyone ... including the LGBT community," Sims said.
Here is the trailer for the 2011 film "Cloudburst."