A crowdfunding campaign has been launched by Marshall, the author of The Promise of Silence, in order to adapt the book for the big screen.
The book, which is now available for purchase on Amazon, examines what it means to be a gay man in Catholic Ireland.
In it, Marshall details his relationship with his parents and his experience of homophobic violence that followed him throughout every stage of his life.
Marshall told GCN about the reaction the book prompted in Ireland’s LGBT+ community:
“Readers that have taken the emotional journey into The Promise of Silence have been profoundly touched because my story reflects the life of every homosexual.
“All homosexuals can relate to the brutality of gay bashing, the sufferance of homophobia, the solitude of being in the closet, the fear of social judgement, the emotional act of coming out and the injustices of homosexual discrimination.”
Marshall continued:
“I battled for my freedom in the belief that no homosexual should ever taste the sufferance that destroyed me. I now battle for the freedom of others, but I certainly cannot battle alone.”
The author also spoke to GCN about his hesitation in working with a large production company and his desire to produce the film independently:
“Social homophobia and the brutality of the Catholic Church towards gays are controversial subjects to touch, but our vision is to portray the raw truth of homosexuality without any filter. Working with a production studio would definitely kill the liberty and creativity to do this, independently.”
As a result, Marshall is relying on a crowdfunding campaign in order to make the film a reality.
Marshall commented on the need for a documentary film to address the everyday struggles that LGBT+ people continue to face on a daily basis:
“It’s 2019, but homosexuals are still persecuted. So many have shared the story of the homosexual battle with me and reading their sufferance fills me with profound emotion.”
To donate to Marshall’s fundraising campaign, check out his PayPal account here.
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