"Not Alone": A Story of Boundless Parental Love and Acceptance of LGBTQ+ Children

International Movement of Parents and Loved Ones of LGBTQ+ People "Plus Voice" released a documentary "Not Alone" — a powerful, honest, and unexpectedly heartwarming story about how moms and dads from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova marched together for the first time in a single contingent at Berlin Pride, carrying the slogan: "Parents and Children: We're Proud of Each Other". The filmmakers spoke about this "Not Alone" Doberman.media magazine.

The movie *Not Alone* It was filmed during Berlin Pride in July 2024, when parents from various CIS countries came together to cook borscht, design posters, and march through the streets of Berlin. The film’s title comes from a song the parents wrote for Pride, with the main chorus going: "Moms and dads, lesbians, queer people, trans kids, gay people—you are not alone"", where the phrase "You're not alone" is echoed in every language, from Armenian to Ukrainian, emphasizing unity and support.

^{Photos from the set of the film *Not Alone*. Courtesy of the film's creators}

Director of the film "Not Alone" — project designer "The Fairy" and "A Visit to Altufyevo", whose films always focus on what hurts. She admits: "I made this film as a message to my mom, in the hope that it might be the first step toward acceptance." And if, after watching it, even one mother cries—not out of fear, but out of understanding—then it was worth it.

Pavel Loparev is a man who has spent many years on the front lines, in places where most people prefer to look away. The film's producer "Not Alone", creator of the cult documentary series "Children 404", founder of “Illuminator”—a resource for parents of queer children—and creator of animated films about how love survives in the midst of a cultural storm. If queer teenagers in Russia ever felt, even for a moment, that they weren’t alone—it was most likely thanks to him.

Stories of Acceptance and Overcoming Challenges

The film is a candid account of a parent’s boundless love and the journey toward accepting their LGBTQ+ children. The parents candidly share their initial reactions to their children’s coming-outs and describe how they gradually came to realize that their children need support.

“Not Alone” is the third film in the “Plus Voices” documentary series. The first was “Why Do You Need These Pride Parades?,” in which Natasha Kilber, an activist and the mother of a gay son, attended her first Pride parade. The second film, “Your Son and Grandson,” focuses on a family from Chisinau with a transgender teenager.

• A meta-study by Cornell University It highlights the importance of parents accepting their queer children: this directly affects their physical and mental health. Another study показывает, что принятие сильно зависит от идентичности ребёнка и страны, в которой проживает семья. Если в Испании уровень принятия квир-детей достигает 89%, то в США он составляет от 66% для гомосексуальных людей до 57% для трансгендерных. Аналогичных исследований в отношении стран СНГ нет.
• “Plus Voice” is an international movement of parents and loved ones supporting LGBTQ+ people. It brings together both large, registered organizations and small parent-led initiatives from various countries, including “Parents for Equality” (Armenia), “Amazing Moms” (Belarus), “Open Parents” (Germany), “Parents for Parents” (Georgia), Medusa (Kyrgyzstan), “Mothers for LGBTQ+ Children” (Lithuania), BEE Parents GENDERDOC-M (Moldova), “We, Parents” (Poland), “Center-T” (Russia), “Parents’ Club” (Russia), and TERGO (Ukraine). The movement was created to provide mutual support, especially “in such divisive times.” The movement’s primary working language is Russian, but its voices are also heard in English, Armenian, Belarusian, Georgian, Kyrgyz, Lithuanian, German, Polish, Romanian, and Ukrainian.