Patrice: The Movie, currently streaming on Hulu, tells the story of Patrice Jetter and Garry Wickham, a disabled couple whose desire to get married is impeded by government bureaucracy.
Disabled people risk losing not only their benefits but their Medicaid if they tie the knot, or even live together, and both Patrice and Garry are fighting to see that change.
Patrice is an outspoken activist for the rights of the disabled, and she tells ABC Audio there’s a simple reason why she speaks out.
“Because what’s happening is an injustice to not just me and my friends, but an injustice to everyone with a disability all over the country,” she says. “Somebody has to be willing to not be afraid to speak up.”
While Patrice and Garry haven’t gotten married, they did celebrate their love with commitment ceremony, which Patrice says was “the happiest day of my life.”
“It was like the next best thing to getting legally married,” she shares. Garry adds, “The day was something I had completely dreamed of that I never thought would happen for me.”
The film’s director, Tom Passon, says he hopes the film brings awareness to the marriage penalty, sharing, “We’re really hoping that this film can help be that national conversation so that something can finally change after all these years.”
For Patrice, she’s hoping viewers who watch the movie will be inspired to speak out and lend their support, while Garry hopes viewers will simply realize disabled people are just like everyone else.
“We’re no different. We want the same wants, we want the same things,” he says. “And you know, we want to be able to do the same things you do, only we do them differently.”
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