The people featured in the film are by no means a representative or random sample.
“It shows them that they can fit in, and it shows them that you don’t have to literally fit in to be loved and valued and have a good life.” “It might give some encouragement to young people who are worried that they don’t fit in,” he said. Tobias said he believes films like “Between the Shades” should be required viewing for young people so students who are afraid to go on their own would have a chance to watch without judgment. It consists of a variety of people simply telling their own stories and talking about growing up, coming out and living life somewhere on the spectrum of human sexuality.
#Am i gay or straight quiz for kids movie
Despite its name, a play on the popular book and movie “50 Shades of Grey,” the film is not about sex and includes only passing references to sexual encounters. The documentary is providing important visibility and in a way inviting people to step into someone’s shoes and have this conversation.”įor parents struggling to talk to their kids about sexual identity, “Between the Shades” might be a good place to start. “It’s important that we have that conversation in every possible space. “Identity is something that can take your whole lifetime to figure out,” he said. Parker Jordan, a Columbia University graduate student and co-founder of the School of Social Work’s Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Caucus, said his group is planning to hold a screening of the film soon. “What a lot of us have learned as we’ve grown older is that love is love, and people come in all kinds of variations, and most people are wonderful even if they aren’t exactly average or what used to be called normal.” “When my generation was growing up, there were boys and girls, and anything other than that was very nervous-making and a big problem,” Mr. “Those often are the places that really need the understanding,” she said.Īndrew Tobias, a well-known author of investment guides as well as the memoir “The Best Little Boy in the World,” said he participated in the film because he believed it had the potential to “help open some hearts and minds.” Salvino said she was particularly encouraged that many schools and libraries in the Midwest were making the film available. Salvino partnered with a distributor, Passion River Films, and the film has since been licensed for use in more than 200 universities and public libraries. “There are kids growing up in small towns and large towns who may not know a lesbian or gay person and may not have a role model.” “Every festival I attended, the first comment was to say, ‘How do we get it in the school system?’” she said. Salvino said she began to think about the role the film might play in education when she was on the film festival circuit and was consistently asked about sharing the message with young people. youth are twice as likely as their straight peers to say they’ve been assaulted. youth say their community is not accepting of gay people. A recent Human Rights Campaign report found that more than 40 percent of L.G.B.T.
youth, they are almost five times as likely to have attempted suicide compared to straight kids. According to the Trevor project, which provides crisis intervention services to L.G.B.T. Yet even as communities are electing gay politicians, life remains challenging for young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or many of the other labels people use to describe their orientation. And Pete Buttigieg, the openly gay mayor of South Bend, Ind., has emerged as a viable presidential candidate. In last fall’s midterm elections, more than 150 openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people were elected, more than in any previous election. But it’s a conversation that feels right for the times in which we live.
Since watching the film, I’ve asked the question “How gay are you?” or “How straight are you?” to many of my friends, starting some interesting dinner conversations.