NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—On Thursday, October 19, the State Theater of New Jersey will be hosting an exclusive screening of a documentary focused on families with  lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, and queer (LBGTQ) members called “Families Like Yours.”

The screening will start at 7pm and is a free and ticketed event, with general admission seating.

“We and our LGBTQ outreach partners are very excited to bring this screening to the State Theater,” said Kelly Blithe, the theater’s Director of Communications. “This screening is an NJ exclusive, and we hope that people will come out and see something that they haven’t seen before, and that they can’t see anywhere else.”

The documentary originated in Argentina in 2012, as an independently-produced film, Familias por Igual.  Directed by Rodolfo Moro and produced by Marco Duszczak, it follows the lives of six families headed by same-sex couples.

The stories included provide perspectives of both parents and children within LBGTQ families and aim to end discrimination by helping others understand that LGBTQ families have the capacity to provide love and affection just like any other family.

This film follows the same structure as the one produced in Argentina and includes families who chose to have children through both surrogacy and adoption.

“The chance to show this documentary in the US has been a wonderful opportunity,” Moro told New Brunswick Today in a Skype interview. “We are educating society and showing them that we are just like every other family. It doesn’t matter where we talk about it, whether we are in the US or Argentina, or Europe, family is a global topic.”

The film’s creation, which has been approximately a four -year process, has been sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb, the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and Wells Fargo.

Since its US debut this past July in NYC, “Families Like Yours” has since been screened at festivals across the US including the Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and the OUTshine Film Festival, both based in Florida. It will soon be appearing at Sundance.

“We are very interested in getting this film into festivals because we made it so it could be viewed by different people and different groups, not just the LBGTQ community,” Moro said. “We want to show this to the rest of the world and continue educating people on LGBTQ issues and topics. We want to use it as an education tool to teach young children, to teach the next generation.”

Organizers at the State Theater agree with this sentiment and hope that the screening will cater to the diverse New Brunswick community and promote awareness.

“I hope that it will open people’s minds,” said Blithe. “These are real life stories. This is the modern American family. The title says it all.”

“These families are just like yours. They go through the same trials and tribulations. They change diapers, go to soccer practice, participate in child rearing. They provide the same love, compassion and sacrifice. This documentary is putting that on film and showing it.”

For Moro, he sees this documentary as a first step in a slow process of educating others.

“It’s great to have this film screened in the US because I think there is still a lot of homophobic issues in different countries, especially if you watch the news. There are a lot of people who are trying to limit this, that don’t want to talk about the different forms of love. If you have love, you can have a family, it doesn’t matter who you are. The process of this film makes that social.”

To reserve tickets, visit the State Theater website at stnj.org or call Guest Services at (732)-246-7469Â