Ryan, left, and Rob Robertson in For They Know Not What They Do (The Robertson Family/Tribeca Film Festival)

The Tribeca Film Festival returns with documentaries reflecting the political and social tensions of modern-day America. Among the entries are films focusing on the nation’s LGBTQ community; in particular, the recent attacks on their rights. How they choose to respond is the point of one especially compelling feature.

The Supreme Court’s ruling to legalize same-sex marriage in 2015 seems like a distant memory in For They Know Not What They Do, a potent examination of Christianity’s troubled history with the gay and transgender community. Director Daniel Karslake and his various interviewees chart the rise in hostilities by the religious right, who have gone beyond preaching homophobia from the pulpit to pushing for legislation that would effectively legalize discrimination and all while shielding themselves behind the First Amendment.

Karslake examines the toll this culture war has taken on families through four very different but equally devout sets of parents, who discuss how they were roiled by their children coming out as gay and/or transgender. Their reactions ranged from questioning their son or daughter’s newfound sexual or gender identity to more extreme moves, such as pushing the child into conversion therapy. The film shines a light on the very real damage resulting from their responses, but it also takes care to depict the parents as otherwise well-meaning.

The film contrasts horrific events such as the Pulse nightclub shooting of 2016—which specifically targeted the gay community and left 49 dead—with genuinely inspiring episodes proving that to a degree, the country has come far in accepting gay and transgender people. Ultimately, Karslake makes a strong case that the bonds of family and community have the capacity to rise above hate, but at the same time, his film provides a wake-up call that the LGBTQ community is under fierce attack.

The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir joins the tour in Gay Chorus Deep South (Tribeca Film Festival)

Another documentary that takes on the anti-LGBTQ climate that emerged post-2016 is the rousing Gay Chorus Deep South, which follows the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus as they venture into the five U.S. states synonymous with discrimination against homosexuals. As many of the chorus members hail from the South, they know that the most effective way to change minds is through churches, so they plan to perform religious music at houses of worship. Yet despite believing their mission to be an important one, many in the group feel ambivalent about returning to where they once experienced persecution.

Over the course of the weeklong tour, we hear no shortage of painful stories, but there are also opportunities for the chorus members to try and mend relationships with family they’ve long been estranged from, as well as to forge new bonds with total strangers. The latter includes a number of locals across different spectrums of age and sexual identity as the stereotype of the socially conservative Southerner is turned onto its head. In addition, other social justice-themed choruses eventually join them during the tour, leading to stirring moments linking the fight for equal rights for the LGBTQ community with the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Director David Charles Rodrigues captures the dynamic and the genuinely uplifting sound of multiple voices in unison. What makes the film especially compelling, though, are the all-too-human narratives involving those who were at one time badly victimized because of their sexual orientation; they want to forgive, but may never be able to. The courage they show by venturing to where they believe they are not wanted is part of what makes this film so inspiring.

Katie Fahey speaks to supporters outside the Michigan Supreme Court in Slay the Dragon (Sam Russell/Tribeca Film Festival)

Dealing with politics directly, the sobering Slay the Dragon links events as disparate as the 2014 water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and the controversial North Carolina “bathroom bill” of 2016. What they have in common, according to directors Barak Goodman and Chris Durrance, are Republican governors who, shortly after taking office in 2010, reshaped their voting districts to marginalize Democratic voters. The officials used an age-old process, gerrymandering, along with advanced statistical software to carve up election maps in such a way that Democrats fell short, even if they won the popular vote.

The film slams Republicans hard for what it views as a cynical strategy: opting to undermine democracy once it became clear that the party could not win elections fairly. It’s convincing in that regard, thanks to a significant amount of data and anecdotal evidence, as well as an interview with the actual political operative behind the plan, Chris Jankowski, who coolly lays it out for viewers. But the film does more than just shine a light on how Republicans have successfully subverted the will of the people; it’s also a rousing underdog story about a millennial and Michigander, Katie Fahey, who gradually builds a grassroots movement with the goal of passing a ballot initiative to bring redistricting out from behind closed doors.

Slay the Dragon doesn’t just rely on the pluck of Fahey and her fellow activists, as the narrative eventually splits into multiple story lines, all of which center on ordinary people fighting back against disenfranchisement, whether that’s by protesting in the streets en masse or taking their battle to the courts. However, the film does tend to hit audiences over the head about how gerrymandering leads to extreme policies, repeating the message over and over, but that doesn’t lessen the overall sense of urgency. As we are reminded, the next wave of redistricting is scheduled to take place soon, after the 2020 elections.