Frameline's Youth in Motion program has released an anti-bullying, gender expansive and racially inclusive film collection to make schools safer for LGBTQ youth.
A primer for students, teachers, administrators and parents, Expanding Gender: Youth Out Front explores the varied identities of trans and gender expansive youth and young adults through four documentaries that allow these individuals to amplify their voices by sharing their own stories. The collection of LGBTQ-themed documentaries is provided free to Gay-Straight Alliances at schools across the U.S. to assist in their efforts to combat bullying and transphobia. The 40-page curriculum and action guide delves further into the films and provides students, educators, and parents the tools they need to talk about gender identity. All films in this collection are closed captioned.
Frameline's goal is to prioritize and highlight stories focused on people of color, trans and gender expansive youth, and other underrepresented individuals within the broader LGBTQ community. National Outreach partners include GSA Network, GLSEN, Gender Spectrum and GLAAD. Alexis Whitham, Frameline’s Director of Distribution & Educational Programming, states that:
It has been truly amazing to watch mainstream American culture and media begin to embrace trans and gender expansive narratives in the past few years. This collection of short films truly puts Youth Out Front, allowing a diverse set of young people to tell their own stories.
GLAAD's support for encouraging participation in the Youth in Motion educational series during this new school year reinforces the global work already in place for #SpiritDay on October 20 ... a day when millions globally go purple taking a stand against bullying and to show their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) youth. TAKE THE PLEDGE and join us on Thursday, October 20, 2016 to support LGBTQ youth!
GLAAD also believes that accelerating acceptance of LGBTQ individuals begins with amplifying the voices of this diverse community ... and that begins with the most vulnerable among us: our youth. According to Nick Adams, Director of Programs, Transgender Media:
By providing schools with media content and curricula, like those distributed through Frameline, young transgender and gender non-conforming students can see themselves represented and reflected on screen and in classrooms - and that is powerful and affirming. It also sends a strong message to every teacher and student that transgender and gender non-conforming individuals belong, and are welcome to be in school and learn as their authentic selves.
Some of the short films in the collection include:
Tomgirl (Jeremy Asher Lynch) ... Jake, a gender non-conforming seven year-old, invites us into his world to explore the transforming power of love and support on our children.
A Place in the Middle (Dean Hamer & Joe Wilson) ... The true-life story of a girl who aspires to lead her school's all-male hula troupe, and an inspiring teacher who uses traditional Hawaiian culture to empower her.
Passing (J. Mitchel Reed & Lucah Rosenberg-Lee) ... It examines experiences of racism and sexism today, through the eyes of 3 transmen of color, and how each man perceives his own journey with gender after many years of being presumed as a cisgender man.
Frameline's Youth in Motion has been providing free film collections, curricula, and accompanying interactive tools to schools and GSA's since 2008, impacting tens of thousands of students each year. It currently has over 900 participating schools across 50 states and the District of Columbia. Previous years' collections include: Visibility through Activism: The Legacy of Vito Russo (a co-founder of GLAAD); Telling Our Stories; and In the Family: Marriage Equality and LGBT Equality.
Celebrating its 40th year, Frameline's mission is to change the world through the power of queer cinema. As the world's leading LGBTQ media arts non-profit, Frameline's programs connect filmmakers to audiences in the Bay Area and around the world.
