RELATED: Respect needed in debate

South-west residents will get an insight into the marriage equality debate from the perspective of children with a movie screening in Warrnambool this week. 

The award-winning documentary Gayby Baby was released in September and has stirred nation-wide discussion about marriage equality.

It has been controversially banned from screening in schools of some states.

Barb Glare from the Warrnambool Breastfeeding Centre said the response to the film’s upcoming screening had been positive.  

“You’d think Warrnambool would be conservative but we treat families as families,” she said. 

“We have an educated parent cohort in Warrnambool and we just felt it was a good opportunity to show the film and offer information to people.”

Following the lives of four families united by children with same-sex parents, the documentary gently provokes thoughts surrounding notions of class, gender, sexuality and religion. 

The film highlights the ethical message that families with homosexual parents deserve respect like any other.

“There are similarities and differences in everyone’s lives and it’s just about realising that we’re all in this together,” Ms Glare said. 

Gayby Baby will screen at the Capitol Cinema on February 18 at 6pm as part of the Bandari Project and on February 21 at 2pm in a Warrnambool Breast Feeding Centre initiative.