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Politics have a way of draining the soul out of “controversial” issues, especially for those who have no stake in those issues. The award-winning documentary “For My Wife,” takes us on a journey with Charlene Strong as she embraces the role of activist for Domestic Partnership rights, after the passing of her wife of nine years, Kate Fleming.
“For My Wife,” written and directed by David Rothmiller and produced by LD Thompson, brings us into the world, the heart and the mind of Charlene Strong, a woman whose world changed forever when she lost her partner, who died after being trapped in a flooded basement. We are enveloped as Strong recalls the events leading up to her wife’s death and equally enveloped as she recalls the defeating experience of having been denied access to Kate during her final moments.
Kate’s funeral arrangements proved to be another set of obstacles for Strong. Facing the deepest kind of sorrow Strong was also facing indignities that a heterosexual partner would have been spared.
Answering a call inspired by love for her late spouse and outrage, Strong was compelled to give a congressional testimony, one that was crucial in enacting Domestic Partnership rights in Washington State. Charlene Strong continues to tell her story in hopes of extending those rights toward total equality. So much progress has been made thanks to Strong’s strength, but the tragic event that has set all these changes in motion stays with her as she learns to live in her drastically-altered new world.
This is what “For My Wife,” accomplishes—it drowns out the noise. It drowns out the fears that the sanctity of marriage is at risk. It drowns out the comparisons of homosexuality to incest and bestiality. These things are stifled by the poem Kate wrote for Charlene on her birthday, by the pictures of the married couple with their pets, in the quaint, warm haven they build together throughout their nine years of marriage. This is the image of love and commitment that everyone strives for.
They say Charlene Strong put a face to the cause. For Strong and so many others who understand all too well the implications of non-equality—family security, health insurance, etc., the issue isn’t political. It’s only about living. After watching this inspirational example, this harrowing testament to a true appreciation for life, it is hard to think of this movement as a political one.
Sanela Djokovic is a writer living in the Bronx
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