What happens when a conservative Christian mom believes being gay is a sin—but the person she loves most in the world is gay?
Trailer for “Mama Bears”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- Kimberly Shappley changed course after hearing her 4-year-old child, Kai, pray to die. She later went from Tea Party Republican to an award-winning LGBTQ+ activist.
- Sara Cunningham once pushed her gay son, Parker, to deny who he was. She later started Free Mom Hugs, a national movement supporting LGBTQ+ people.
- The “Mama Bears” grew from about 2,000 moms in 2017 to more than 32,000. Many came from conservative Christian families and were willing to risk losing churches, friends, and family to support their kids.
Watch “Mama Bears”
You can watch “Mama Bears” on Kanopy and PBS. Check the latest streaming options here.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 90/100
- IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 89/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: Daresha Kyi directed this doc and really leans into the people behind the movement.
Other Unique Stuff
- The name “Mama Bears” is that these moms can be warm and loving toward their children while becoming ferocious when those kids are threatened or rejected.
- The movement connects mothers scattered across the country through private Facebook groups, giving women in conservative communities a place to talk to other parents going through the same thing.
Wrap Up:
What I liked about “Mama Bears” is that these moms are choosing what they’re willing to lose for their own kids. Kimberly hearing 4-year-old Kai pray to die makes that choice painfully real.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc