Playwright puts gay rights in spotlight

Imagine staring down the barrel of injustice because your lifestyle instantly sets you apart.
Or just see Tim Miller’s performance at Rodey Theatre and hear about his firsthand experiences.

In “Glory Box,” Miller reflects on his personal episodes as they relate to situations gay, lesbian and bisexual people find themselves in. It also touches on immigration issues, as his Australian partner Alistair is grappling to stay in the country.

Miller’s piece strives to convey that there is still light at the end of the tunnel, despite the nation’s restrictive laws.
“A glory box is a hope chest, what a young woman would put things in to prepare herself for marriage,” Miller said. “So the piece’s title really is about having hope and imagining our country becoming less bigoted, about gay people finally being treated as citizens.”
Miller said he has had a number of distressing experiences as a result of his sexual orientation and has seen the same thing happening to many others.

“Most people give up on the United States,” he said. “They just say, ‘We’ve been watching this country try to do the right thing for over a decade, and they never seem to be able to.’ Most people I know have just given up on the United States and immigrate to Canada or another country where their partner is from where they can be treated like a human being.”

Though the subject matter is serious, Miller infuses his performance with humor. His stories are unique, but by making them relatable to a general audience, he said he engenders a sense of understanding.

“It’s really full of humor and humanity. People can connect with it and allow empathy to develop,” he said. “It’s kind of a wild, funny, charged journey. It’s a piece of theater full of human heart and what it’s like to be alive.”

Since “Glory Box” premiered 10 years ago, Miller said the country has gone from no marriage equality to allowing gay marriage in five states and the District of Columbia. He said younger members of society can change their beliefs.

The fate of Miller, his partner and many others will remain uncertain until the country’s opposing sides reconcile their difference of opinions, he said. Until then, Miller’s contemplations of the future yield mixed results.

“There’s competing visions, of course, one of literally having him torn from my arms at an airport, because it’s happened to people I know, by a U.S. immigrations officer,” he said. “I am by nature a more hopeful person, so I do imagine a country that is more equal and more respectful, when there won’t be grotesque injustice, when we would be treated just like the other loving couples on our street.”