Released on December 6, 2023, We Live Here: The Midwest, is a new documentary that covers queer experiences in the heart of America and what the LGBTQ+ community faces in this part of the country.
The documentary features five queer and trans families across Iowa, Ohio, Kansas, Nebraska, and Minnesota, states where the LBGTQ+ community still experiences levels of hostility and unfriendliness from their family and neighbors.
Producers Melinda Maerker and David Clayton Miller aimed to combat the discrimination found in the Midwest by highlighting these courageous families and the adversity they have faced. Miller discussed the challenges he had making this film, specifically how finding willing and brave families was difficult. Many of the interviewees feared discrimination from their community and their employers.
Maerker says she strategically chose the Midwest “because it’s the heartland of family values,” however, these family values seem to have taken on a more right-wing, conservative trope. We Live Here works to show that LBGTQ+ families can exist in the same space and be included in the same demographic as those who possess these strong ‘family values.'” Maerker goes on to emphasize that, “If you really look at what family values are supposed to mean, it’s caring about other people, protecting your neighbors, and being kind; why shouldn’t that also apply to LGBTQ folks?”
It’s not officially green lit for a second film, but Miller has mentioned his desire to pursue an additional film covering LBGTQ+ families in the South. We Live Here is important in establishing queer recognition across the entire country, and works to eliminate the stereotype that the majority of queer individuals reside in more coastal and urban areas. This documentary is a big step towards sharing the stories of queer endurance with the greater populace and removing the LBGTQ+ Midwestern community from the shadows.
