Philadelphia is one of my favorite films. Although it is a sad story, and emotionally taxing to watch, I am inspired by its core message of tolerance and justice. It stars Tom Hanks as Andrew Beckett, a gay attorney suffering from AIDS, who conceals his orientation from the partners of his preeminent law firm in Philadelphia. As his disease strengthens, Beckett begins showing visible symptoms: a purple lesion on his forehead, weight loss, and fatigue. When the formerly friendly partners haphazardly fire him, Beckett seeks legal aide from Joe Miller, a lawyer who openly admits his own prejudice against gay men. Miller accepts the case and throughout the progression of his victorious court battle, sheds his own layers of homophobia as he comes to respect and admire his client.
In case I did not already have enough intimidation reigning down from dogmatic Catholic rhetoric and its purveyors, watching Philadelphia instilled in me a fear of acting on my same-sex attractions. In it I heard voices portraying HIV and AIDS as a form of punishment for gays, one that was well deserved; people inflicted with AIDS were treated similarly to those with leprosy in Jesus' time. I saw the bonds of friendship between Andrew Beckett and his superiors crumble under the weight of their prejudices when they discover his affliction and subsequently assume his sexual orientation. However, I also observed the heart and mind of Joe Miller open up as he got to know his client personally, eventually empathizing with Andrew's hardships. Suddenly he saw Andrew as a cherished individual, not just "a homosexual" or "someone with AIDS." I am encouraged by this transformation; it fuels my confidence as an LGBT advocate.
Watching Philadelphia allows me to reflect on the progress that has been made in the LGBT movement. I am inspired by the notion that humanity may finally be loosening its discriminatory castigation of queer folk after an entire existence's worth of persecution. I take confidence in the hurdles that have been overcome in the twenty years since Philadelphia was released. There is much more to accomplish in LGBT acceptance and I believe that to do this work is to follow Christ's message of love and inclusion.
Onward,
Sean Patrick Coady
Associate Director