Coming Home: The Story of Coming Out to Those Who Loved Us First. Executive Produced by Ashley Crary - Video

Flashback to 1998...I had just started graduate school at the USC School of Communications in Broadcast Journalism. I had also just jumped out of the closet and proudly wore my newfound gayness for all to see. Certainly, being gay in Los Angeles in the late 1990s was far safer and more "tolerated" than in the rest of the country, but outside West Hollywood, it was still touch and go. I was the only out queer person in my program and was hyper-conscious about not pushing it too far. Still, I took every opportunity I had to produce, write, and report on gay issues. From the AIDS crisis and Don't Ask, Don't Tell, to PFLAG and queer movie reviews, my niche revolved around GLBTQ happenings. For my graduate project, I upped the stakes and made a very personal film about my own coming out experience and that of five other brave souls.

Big Caveat... This was decades before anyone could shoot 4K video on a 4K iPhone. We used very clunky, heavy SVHS cameras. I had no crew and one light. I bartered services, called in favors, and hustled like hell to get it all done. It was all pretty radical. Coming Home: The Story of Coming Out to Those Who Loved Us First premiered in the Spring of 2000 to a wonderful, supportive crowd at USC. It was one of the best nights of my life. The film went on to screen at several film festivals, including the Cork, Ireland International Film Festival, Ojai, and Pittsburgh festivals.

Press Release:
"I'm gay." Saying those words to oneself is an essential aspect of the coming out process, but telling mom, dad, and grandparents can challenge even the most understanding parents. These three words can instantly shatter an image, an expectation, or a dream that most parents envision for their children.

This documentary follows five individuals on their paths to self-discovery, the moment they told their family or their family discovered their truth and how coming out forever changed their relationship. Spoiler Alert: Some parents showed unconditional love, while others were sent to conversion therapy. Coming Home provides the viewer with a front-row seat to the intimate, liberating, challenging, and even sometimes comical path a queer person faces when coming out.