Documentaries concerning youth homophobia/being gay?

[CapnHook]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 10:32am

I'm looking for documentaries available on DVD concerning being gay/homophobia in youth societies, specifically high school.

Suggestions appreciated! Thanks!

[romantico]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 10:51am

Only one i can think of is 'The Bible Tells Me So' which is EXCELLENT.

http://www.amazon.com/Bible-Tells-Me-So/dp/B000YHQNCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1209912778&sr=1-1


Other than that, I can not think of any.

However, if you want to really challenge the minds of young gays coming to term with their sexuality I highly recommend you show this classic clip to them from the WEST WING. Its just BRILLIANT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-zhNiGlogQ

[CapnHook]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 11:01am

I'm not so much looking for themes of "coming to terms with" but moreso of being afraid to come out of the closet in a homophobic soecity, how gays are treated in public schools, etc.

You know, the whole:

A same-sex couple going to prom and getting thrown out;
Being beaten-up after school every day;
Making others uncomfortable in the locker room;
All of that good stuff.

Films work too, but mostly I am looking for documentaries.

[otis33]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 12:59pm

There's a Canadian film called "Prom Queen; the Mark Hall Story". It's based on a true story. There is also a documentary version which I saw on tv one afternoon, but not sure of the name or if it's available - but I know it's out there.

[nitsua]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 1:04pm

I never get tired of watching that West Wing clip.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 1:31pm

Wow, that West Wing clip is great!!

Here is what is on my Netflix Queue so far:

Prom Queen (that Marc Hall story, thanks otis33!)
Red Without Blue
Tying the Knot
For The Bible Tells Me So
I Can't Marry You

Hopefully there will be stuff in there that I can use for my research. Keep the suggestions coming!

[Laviebohemeb]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 1:56pm

umm... i dont know. check out advocate.com and sites like that

[Namaste]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 2:13pm

What about Fish can't Fly?

[DMsquared2]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 3:31pm

Red Without Blue is excellent!

Tarnation is an amazing movie but I don't think it's appropriate for most high school students.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 5:57pm

TREMBLING BEFORE G-D, a doc about gay/lesbian Hassidic/Orthodox Jews coming to terms with their sexuality/faith.

[Namaste]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 5:58pm

Is it a comedy?

[StageManager2]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 6:05pm

You can watch the trailer at this link:

http://www.trailerfan.com/movie/trembling_before_g_d-2001/trailer

[Namaste]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 6:16pm

Well, after watching the trailer my thoughts are that I'm sure it's interesting and heart-breaking for some, but I can't watch another movie like this.

If I see anymore "gay guy in conflict with his religion and its elders" movies I'm going to scream!
Updated On: 5/4/08 at 06:16 PM

[StageManager2]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 6:24pm

Heh, I first read that as "... I'm going to cream!"

But that trailer is not a good one. It's not just one guy but several people, men and women. And it's about them trying to reconcile their sexuality with their religious beliefs.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 6:29pm

There was an After School Special (remember them?) called "What If I'm Gay?" about a zillion years ago. I don't remember much about it, except the high school guy got busted getting it on in a shack or a restroom or something on the side of the road when he was out jogging.

[Namaste]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 6:31pm

Are you sure it was an ASS? (Hey! Look what I did.)

[tazber]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 7:09pm

I'm still getting royalties for that one Phyllis.

[colleen_lee]

Posted: 5/4/08 at 7:49pm

This is from MTV's "True Life." The young man lives a "double life" playing the straight boy for his friends and family but hitting the gay clubs on the d/l.

How anyone could know this boy and not know he is gay is absolutely beyond me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb5euAn1rh0

[Marianne2]

Posted: 5/8/08 at 10:27am

This isn't a documentary, but ther was a cable tv movie made based on the book "The Laramie Project," which was about the Matthew Shephard story. I had to read the play in a class last year, and it was really good. Oh yeah, and the movie has the same title as the book.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 5/8/08 at 9:42pm

Thanks, I added Laramie Project to my queue. Let's hope I like it better than the stage play.

I watched PROM QUEEN which was the first to arrive from Netflix and while I like the true story, I didn't think it was a particulary well-written film. And unfortunately, I cannot use any of it for the presentation I am going to make from my research. But thank you to whoever mentioned checking out the film!

[otis33]

Posted: 5/8/08 at 10:02pm

I mentioned Prom Queen - you're welcome. I thought it was a sweet film, but I agree about the writing.
There is a documentary with the actual kids - somewhere. Were there any DVD extras? Maybe it was a docu-featurette in the extras. Wish I could remember. But - I do remember the actual story being much more interesting than the film. I also remember the real kids being not quite as pretty as they were in the film. Though when the story of my life gets made into a movie, I expect to be played by someone hot.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/8/08 at 10:12pm

Paris Is Burning

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 5/9/08 at 12:05am

It's not only about kids who are GLBT, but it talks about the pros and cons of growing up online including some specifics for the GLBT community.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/

And this researcher who contributed would be a great resource.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/interviews/pascoe.html

Updated On: 5/9/08 at 12:05 AM

[CapnHook]

Posted: 5/9/08 at 12:17am

Thanks, I added PARIS IS BURNING and FRONTLINE: GROWING UP ONLINE to my Netflix queue.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 5/11/08 at 2:44pm

I just watched FAT GIRLS and RED WITHOUT BLUE.

FAT GIRLS provided nothing I can use. I found it to be cute, but nothing to go out of your way to see. A mild film. Story needed more development.

RED WITHOUT BLUE, on the other hand, is a remarkable story in a very interesting documentary. Not so much what I'm looking for - they merely mentioned their troubles in society as it wasn't the focus of the film. Still, great story and I hope Mark and Clair have found happiness. :)