Prayers for Bobby

A conservative Presbyterian mother reaches out to the gay community for support after driving her homosexual son to suicide in this made-for-television movie adapted from Leroy Aaron's 1995 novel. Bobby Griffith (Ryan Kelley) hails from a devoutly Christian family. Lately Bobby's been questioning his own sexuality, and upon confiding this information to his older brother, the news quickly circulates to their parents and other siblings. While Bobby's father and siblings resolve to stand by him despite their opposition to his startling revelation, his mother Mary (Sigourney Weaver) believes that her son is committing a sin, and encourages him to change his ways with the help of the church. Despondent over his experiences in the church, Bobby decides that his best option is to move out of the family home, all the while hoping that his mother will find a means of accepting him for who he is. But Mary is staunch in her position, and when Bobby realizes he'll never live up to his mother's expectations he takes his own life. Devastated, Mary seeks consolation from her pastor but fails to find the answers she's looking for. In time, Mary begins a dialogue with the gay community, and discovers that sometimes support can come from the places we least expect.