{"id":1006,"date":"2012-09-01T16:45:24","date_gmt":"2012-09-01T20:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.glso.org\/enews\/?p=1006"},"modified":"2012-10-02T19:55:34","modified_gmt":"2012-10-02T23:55:34","slug":"straightlaced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glso.org\/enews\/2012\/09\/straightlaced\/","title":{"rendered":"Straightlaced"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Straightlaced, How Gender\u2019s Got Us All Tied Up<\/em>, a documentary by Debra Chasnoff, shows on Saturday, September 22 at 10 am at\u00a0the Kentucky Theater\u00a0 in downtown Lexington.
\nThis film includes stories from fifty U.S. high school students who speak frankly and powerfully about their experiences with gender, gender identity and sexual orientation.\u00a0 While most of the youth interviewed do identify as male or female, they talk about how social norms limit their choices.\u00a0 Some express a felt need to be vigilant, to make sure their clothes, behavior and attitudes fit inside the male or female gender box.
\nOthers share how their gender identity doesn\u2019t conform to social expectations. For example, Verde shares, \u201cI\u2019m not just female. You know, my body may be, and other people may think that\u2019s how I identify . . . [but] it doesn\u2019t match.\u201d Sky adds, \u201cMy experience is that there\u2019s not two genders; there\u2019s really a spectrum. There\u2019s everything from boy and girl, to transgender to, uh, tomboy. And part of growing up is finding out where you fit on that spectrum.\u201d
\nThe second part of the movie addresses the intersection of gender and sexuality as youth explore their feelings about sexuality, homophobia, and transphobia. Briseida talks about her struggle to regain a \u201csense of self\u201d after coming out as a lesbian: \u201cYou know how people say that you\u2019re hiding in the closet?\u201d she notes. \u201cIt\u2019s not a closet . . . it\u2019s sort of like a prison.\u201d
\nA young man, who does not seem to identify as gay, poignantly notes that \u201chaving your sexuality questioned is a very powerful tool in controlling someone . . . it\u2019s so easy to control somebody by questioning something that they don\u2019t know, by making fun of something they can\u2019t help.\u201d Fortunately, many of these teens talk about how support from friends, and less often teachers, can make a difference. Rey, who identifies as transgender and transitioned during high school, notes, \u201cI\u2019m definitely thankful for my friends. They\u2019re my support system. They\u2019ve stuck with me through the whole way.\u201d
\nPerhaps most striking for educators are the moments when youth speak of their experiences with school-based adults. Lance, who eventually filed a lawsuit to protect other students from the anti-gay harassment he experienced, reflects, \u201cI had a group of teachers on campus that I was comfortable talking with. They would listen and they were sympathetic, but none of them stepped up as an advocate for me . . . none of them stepped up to make sure I was gonna be safe.\u201d
\nStraightlaced is a compelling film that offers a unique view into the lives of adolescents across America. Young people need our support and our help to create schools where bullying and harassment are not tolerated and where real dialogue can occur.\u00a0 If you want to contribute to school safety, consider financially supporting or volunteering time with the Gay Lesbian Service Organization. We have been working with teens for twelve years.<\/p>\n

Our Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) for youth is working to support school GSAs.\u00a0 For information contact Mary Crone at mary@glso.org<\/a> or visit our website at www.lexgsa.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Straightlaced, How Gender\u2019s Got Us All Tied Up, a documentary by Debra Chasnoff, shows on Saturday, September 22 at 10 am at\u00a0the Kentucky Theater\u00a0 in downtown Lexington. This film includes stories from fifty U.S. high school students who speak frankly…<\/p>\n

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