‘Patrice: The Movie’

Strong women, no matter their life circumstances, find a way to be heard. I read a review this morning that said if you want something to feel good about, watch this documentary. It’s why I blog….it feels good!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm-MBpejGdc.  A documentary rom-com about the next phase of marriage equality – disability. Streaming Sept 30th only on Hulu.

“Patrice: The Movie” Follows Couple Who Want to Get Married, But Risk Losing Disability Benefits . Patrice: The Movie is a documentary romantic comedy about the next frontier of marriage equality — disability. Patrice Jetter has finally found the love of her life, Garry Wickham, who is also disabled.

They want nothing more than to get married, but if they do — or even if they just move in together — the government benefits they need to survive would be cut. Despite the scrutiny they’re under, they decide to plan a commitment ceremony that could risk their entire future.

A New Jersey woman’s fight for disability rights in the center of a powerful new documentary out on Hulu this month.

Patrice Jetter, a school crossing guard, wants to marry and live with her partner Garry Wickham, who is also disabled. But, as the couple finds out, there’s a catch: two people receiving Social Security disability benefits or Medicaid lose their financial support if they get married or live together. 

I want to get married,” Jetter tells a crowd in the trailer. “I want to be able to live in the same house as my spouse.”

The film interweaves vérité with recreated scenes from Patrice’s past. We see the struggles Patrice endured to get the house, the job, and the life that she’s now fighting to keep. Patrice designed the sets for the recreations — which include her art — co-wrote the scripts and stars a cast of children with Patrice as the only adult, portraying herself at every age.

“Everyone wants to find love. It’s not an easy thing in this world. If you are lucky enough to find the person you want to be with, but if you’re disabled and collect Social Security or Medicaid benefits, you have to choose between being with your partner and your own survival. Not only can’t you get married, but you can’t even live with your partner. And so the fight for true marriage equality in this country is not over,” said Passon.

“We’re so grateful that Patrice trusted us to share her story with the world. As a disabled person navigating this system, Patrice’s story is unfortunately very common. We’re telling a very ordinary story but through the lens of a person who is, herself, completely extraordinary. She is a true Renaissance woman. We can’t wait for the world to meet Patrice.”

Garry says, “They can stop us from getting married, They can stop us from living together, but they’re never going to stop us from loving each other.”

“If you are lucky enough to find the person you want to be with, but if you’re disabled and collect Social Security or Medicaid benefits, you have to choose between being with your partner and your own survival,” filmmaker Ted Passion, who has known Patrice for 30 years, said in a press release. “Not only can’t you get married, but you can’t even live with your partner. And so the fight for true marriage equality in this country is not over.”

But despite the scrutiny the couple faces, they forge ahead with a commitment ceremony, per the film’s synopsis. But while trying to find the money for the ceremony, Patrice’s wheelchair-accessible van “breaks down and without it, she is forced to quit the job she spent years fighting for.”
“She has to figure out the impossible task of how to replace her van when she can’t have more than $2,000 in her bank account as a condition of the disability benefits she relies on,” according to the film’s description. “Patrice’s story is unfortunately very common. We’re telling a very ordinary story but through the lens of a person who is, herself, completely extraordinary.”

I’ve written blog stories on those fighting for their rights regardless of the disability faced. From autism to sports and the arts, so many have provided inspirations to all humanity. My blog is sprinkled with it. Exposure to the less fortunate that learn to navigate a not so accepting public is why these stories are important.