“I hope that audiences learn that we are all created perfectly just the way we are. I hope that it reaches those who need healing from the damage they’ve incurred because of the churches – and that it also reaches those who need a change of heart.”
Religious beliefs are extremely powerful. They can motivate people to do just about anything. They can inspire people to be more caring and compassionate of others and to become a better person. They can also cause people to do vile, unspeakable things. Wars have been fought, terrorist acts committed, and millions of people killed, all in the name of religion. Many religions teach that homosexuality is one of the most egregious sins, often stating that those who engage in homosexual activity should be put to death. This has caused immense difficulty for many in the LGBTQ+ community to accept who they are, tragically leaving some so alone and overwhelmed with self-hate that they turn to self-destructive behavior that too often ends in suicide.
Del Shores knows from personal experience the struggles and challenges of being raised in a religious family and being gay. His father was a Southern Baptist preacher so religion played a major role in his childhood, not just in his family but in the rural Texas town where he lived. He felt conflicted, filled with self-hate and fear because of what he was taught and who he was inside. He tried to live the life he was taught he should have. He married a woman and they had two daughters. But there came a point where he could no longer pretend to be something he wasn’t, he had to be true to himself. Coming out was one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do.
Shores clearly saw the paradox of love, which is the foundation of most religions, and hate, which many churches teach, after the death of Matthew Shepard. ”I was reading an article in Newsweek about the murderers and there was a picture that haunted me. It was a picture of Jesus in one of the killer’s homes. I wondered if they had been taught to hate in pews. Then all the damage was unleashed and anger fueled my play. I had to tell my story.” Southern Baptist Sissies was the play Shores wrote, poignantly telling the story of four gay men who grew up in the Southern Baptist church and their journey of learning to love themselves. For many, the experience of seeing the play, or the filmed version of the play, is cathartic and healing.
Watch on YouTube: Southern Baptist Sissies | Full Movie | Drama | LGBTQIA+
Southern Baptist Sissies is just one of several plays and movies that Del Shores has written that address many of the issues involving religion and the LGBTQ+ community. His works are funny and entertaining but offer important messages of love, acceptance, and equality not just for the LGBTQ+ community, their family and friends, but also for society as a whole. Through his works, Shores reminds us all that the real message we should live by is love. Seeing the positive impact his stories have had, Shores has established the Del Shores Foundation to help other LGBTQ+ writers tell their stories.
“Del Shores changed my life. It’s that simple. As an actor he guided me to take risks to tell the story to the best of my ability. As a producer he taught me to create your own opportunities. As a person he inspired me to use my voice to make the world a little bit better. There are great artists and great activists.
Del Shores is the rare proof that it is possible to be both.”Emerson Collins: Actor/Producer