Educational Media Reviews Online

Human Relations Media has created a visually and technically crisp introduction to the process of coming out as it relates to teenagers, with a particular emphasis on preventing bullying. The film succeeds in introducing issues faced by both LGBTQ students and their allies, and should be commended for also addressing students who are entirely new to LGBTQ issues and terminology.

The film’s main strength is its representation of a variety of ethnicities and gender expressions in the four students profiled (one gay, one lesbian, one ally, and one transgender). However, a bisexual student should have been included as there are unique issues surrounding coming out as a bisexual teenager. Particularly relevant to current events is the segment on Dominique, an ally whose 11 year old brother committed suicide after being perceived as gay and bullied. The reviewer was impressed with the balance struck between pride in identity (one student comments that “the same way that I’m proud to be Hispanic, I’m proud to be a lesbian”) and empowering students to decide when to come out, even if it means not coming out because their safety is at risk.

The accompanying Teacher’s Resource Book bridges the gap between such a short, broad introduction and the viewers’ world. It provides learning objectives, pre/post tests, and a variety of activities on such topics as the history of the LGBT rights movement and the It Gets Better Project. Also included are fact sheets outlining statistics as of 2009 and a book list.

The length of the program (23 minutes) is appropriate for sparking discussion and yet not losing the interest of a teenaged audience, but it is not an in-depth exploration LGBTQ issues. Though the distributor recommends the program for grade 7 through college, this reviewer does not recommend it for college audiences. The subject matter is entirely focused on high school, and the term “teen” is used throughout, which will distract college-age audiences.

Highly Recommended