Connected through private Facebook groups across the country, over 30,000 mothers in America — many from conservative, Christian backgrounds — fully accept their LGBTQ+ children and call themselves "mama bears" for their warm, fuzzy love and ferocious fight to make the world kinder and safer for all LGBTQ+ people. The film explores the journeys of two mama bears and a young lesbian whose struggle for self-acceptance exemplifies why the mama bears movement is vitally important.
Once Kimberly Shappley accepted her transgender daughter, Kai, she transformed from a Tea Party Republican to an award-winning "LGBTQ Activist of the Year" as she joined forces with the ACLU and Equality Texas to battle the anti-trans bathroom bill that would prevent her child from using the girls' bathroom in their small Texas hometown. Sara Cunningham went from repeatedly forcing her gay son to deny his sexuality to becoming a founder of Free Mom Hugs, a national movement of mothers offering love, acceptance, and hugs to the LGBTQ+ community. Tammi Terrell Morris, a lesbian whose struggle with self-acceptance led her to marry a man in the hopes of earning the promise of heaven, learns to live her truth through the support of the mama bears.
In growing into their roles as fully supportive mothers, many mama bears meet stiff resistance from their families, friends, and communities, sometimes losing entire support networks as they strive to give their children the best lives possible. Each of the women featured in the film, after initially struggling to reconcile their deep faith with their children's gender identities and sexual orientations, finds a firm basis in Christianity and scripture to fully support their children. Shot in a poetically intimate style, Mama Bears combines a wide array of material, such as social media posts, home movies, personal journals, and interviews to compellingly explore the complex intersections of politics, religion, faith, and true, unconditional love.
"The three families in Mama Bears provide a kaleidoscopic lens for understanding the tensions between faith, gender, and sexuality... Thoughtful." — The Hollywood Reporter
"A breath of fresh air at a time when it can feel especially hard for trans kids and their parents to breathe. Mama Bears is a story of the transformative power of unconditional love we should all be reminded of, especially in dark times... A powerful film, full of humanity and heart, but sadly many of the people who need to see it most won't. Those who do are in for a powerful and beautiful experience." — The Advocate
"Mama Bears is a vibrant documentary with a clear point of view and would work well in a high school or college setting. Segments of the film could be shown to illustrate specific points and would make sense outside of the context of the whole film. This film is recommended." — Educational Media Reviews Online
"Kyi takes care to show us different stories driven by compassion and hope for the possibility of holding both faith and acceptance together in one's heart... An inspirational documentary fit for LGBTQ film programming and screenings for church settings and activist groups. Recommended." — Video Librarian
"Poignant and ultimately inspiring" — Eat Drink Films
"Inspirational, heart-tugging film... the [minds] it does affect are crucial as the movement it chronicles only continues to grow." — Culture Vulture
"A timely, powerful take of Christian parents and LGBTQ kids. This powerful and infuriating documentary puts a human face on what is too often treated as a culture war abstraction. It's a film that should be seen by people who want to understand these issues as something more than an axis of hateful culture war posturing." — Tilt
"Rivetingly emotional, with several moments that will draw tears from even the most cynical. There is something undeniably beautiful about the strength of these women to dig deep and pull something new out." — Cinapse
"Beautifully moving film that shows how challenging it can be to confront your own beliefs but the beauty that can come from evolving in those beliefs and embracing those we love as they live their truth. I hope that this documentary can serve as a birdge between communities of faith and those in the LGBTQ community." — Cinema Sentries
"Both a heartbreaking and uplifting portrait of families who have had their lives thrown into turmoil on a personal and increasingly, on a legislative level. Mama Bears has the potential to be a spark that ignites conversation and real change in how LGBTQ kids, and especially trans youth, are seen by not only their families but their communities... A beautiful film that shows that love, especially a mother's love, can move mountains." — In Their Own League
"The thing that makes [Kyi's] documentary so gripping yet full of love is how open and raw it is." — Elements of Madness
"Thought-provoking. What Kyi beautifully captures through these two Mama Bears is the profound impact one can have when one chooses love instead of hate. Mama Bears is a touching documentary that explores the complex intersection of politics, religion and unconditional love." — Mr. Will Wong
