Short Bus: A Sense Of Community And Belonging

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie Short Bus and found it to be an honest representation of how we are all broken in some way and struggling to heal, or at least come to terms with our brokenness. I personally believe that as a society, we have lost a sense of community and belonging, and this loss contributes significantly to our collective angst. Short Bus (the club) provides the sense of community that is missing for the characters in this story. We are social creatures, striving to find our tribe in a time where we are told that we need to be individuals. We have an inborn need to belong to something greater than ourselves in a time where conformity is seen as blasé and uniqueness and originality is the aspiration.

Our case study focused
on James and Jamie. I found myself connecting deeply with James but not so much with Jamie. I could relate to James, his depression, his pain, he just seemed very real to me. I found the all of the characters to be special in their own way and I think if this was a real group of people I would very much like to be part of their community; not for the sexual scene but more for the realness and vulnerability they seem to share. The most moving scene in the movie for me was the conversation between the ex-mayor (Ed Koch?) and Ceth. There were so many layers to that scene, it just touched me on a deep level. I found tears streaming down my face and not know exactly why. The entire movie was a masterpiece of subtly. I am finding myself recommending it to others.

I learned that I am comfortable with what a lot of the world finds very uncomfortable. I see the love and care between two people as the most beautiful expression we are capable of and it doesn't matter who those people are - we are all human. Isn't that enough of a label? I found myself drawn to the idea of sexual freedom, being able to express myself freely and without fear. This idea is very appealing but I then found myself immediately fearful of disease, infection, and all the negative things than can come with multiple partners. Sad. Sad that sex is dangerous. Sad that sex can make you ill. Kill you.

I will be doing my internship at Two Spirit Health Services this fall. Two Spirit is a non-profit community health center providing services to the LGBT community in Central Florida. As a non-gay man who will be counseling the LGBT community I am tasked with becoming as culturally competent as possible regarding the LGBT community. Short Bus has provided one view/perspective into the LGBT culture. The film reminds me that we are all broken and we all share the same common wish to be happy. Every person has the same motivation, the same desire, the same wish to be happy. In this, we are all connected.