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Gender Studies

GEEK GIRLS

By Gina Hara

Nerdy women - the "hidden half" of fan culture - open up about their lives in the world of conventions, video games, and other rife-with-misogyny pop culture touchstones. While geek communities have recently risen to prominence, very little attention is paid to geek women. Filmmaker Gina Hara, struggling with her own geek identity, explores the issue with a cast of women who live geek life up to the hilt: A feminist geek blogger, a convention-trotting cosplayer, a professional gamer, a video-game designer, and a NASA engineer. Through their personal experiences in the rich cultural explosion of nerdom, GEEK GIRLS shows both the exhilaration of newfound community and the ennui of being ostracized. These women, striving in their respective professions and passions, face the cyberbullying, harassment, and sexism that permeate the culture and the industry at large. A rich conversation-starter for any class on Pop Culture and Feminism.

DVD (Color) / 2017 / 83 minutes

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GIRLS' WAR

By Mylene Sauloy

As the forces of ISIS and Assad tear through villages and society in Syria and Northern Iraq, a group of brave and idealistic women are taking up arms against them - and winning inspiring victories. Members of "The Free Women's Party" come from Paris, Turkish Kurdistan, and other parts of the world. Their dream: To create a Democratic Syria, and a society based on gender equality. Guns in hand, these women are carrying on a movement with roots that run 40 years deep in the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey. GIRL'S WAR honors the legacy of Sakine Cansiz,co-founder of the PKK who was assassinated in Paris in 2013, and reflects on the sacrifices made by all of the women in the movement, who have endured jail, rape, war, and persecution in their quest to liberate their lives and sisters from male dominance. With scenes of solidarity, strength, and love amongst these brave women soldiers, GIRL'S WAR is a surprising story of Middle Eastern feminism on the front lines.

DVD (Color, English, French, Turkish) / 2016 / 53 minutes

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HEATHER BOOTH: CHANGING THE WORLD

By Lilly Rivlin

Heather Booth is the most influential person you never heard of. The newest film by critically acclaimed filmmaker Lilly Rivlin, HEATHER BOOTH: CHANGING THE WORLD is an urgent response to the recent change in administration. At a time when many are wondering how to make their voices heard, when civil and women's rights are under attack, this empowering documentary is an inspiring look at how social change happens.

Heather Booth, a renowned organizer and activist, began her remarkable career at the height of the Civil Rights movement. Through her life and work this inspiring film explores many of the most pivotal moments in progressive movements that altered our history over the last fifty years: from her involvement with Fannie Lou Hamer and the Freedom Summer Project, to her founding of the JANE Underground in 1964, to her personal relationships with respected leaders such as Julian Bond and Senator Elizabeth Warren.

HEATHER BOOTH: CHANGING THE WORLD blends interviews, from close friends, clients, political colleagues and current Midwest Academy students to explore Heather's legacy in progressive politics and organizing. Anyone who has been confused or disheartened by the recent election needs to see this film.

DVD (Color, Black and White) / 2016 / 62 minutes

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MEN: A LOVE STORY

By Mimi Chakarova

After spending nearly a decade as a journalist documenting young women sold as slaves into the sex trade, award winning filmmaker Mimi Chakarova (THE PRICE OF SEX) sets out on a journey across the United States to explore how men feel about women and love. Piecing together a rich tapestry of vignettes, woven from stories shared by men of different races, ages, and socio-economic backgrounds, Chakarova weaves a stunningly honest and unapologetic portrayal of masculinity in America. With a diverse set of subjects from tiny blues bars of the Deep South to hedge funds of Manhattan and from ranchers in New Mexico to farmers in the Midwest, MEN: A LOVE STORY is a poignant and at times unforgettable dark comedy that reveals a deeper multilayered understanding of maleness, sexuality and gender performance in America today.

DVD (Color) / 2016 / 80 minutes

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PRIDE DENIED: HOMONATIONALISM & THE FUTURE OF QUEER POLITICS

Pride Denied tells the story of how corporate sponsors coopted the concept of LGBTQ pride, turning it into a feel-good brand and blunting its radical political edge. The film locates the origins of pride in sites of grassroots resistance and revolt, going back to the anti-police Stonewall uprising led by queer and trans people of color in 1969. It then traces how the deeply political roots of pride morphed into the depoliticized big-business PRIDE spectacles of today -- multimillion-dollar events designed to project an image of tolerance and equality rather than calling attention to the relationship between normative identity, power, and sexual repression. The film also offers a stunning case study in the politics of "pinkwashing," detailing how the government of Israel has used its purported tolerance of gay rights to deflect attention away from its systematic repression of Palestinian human rights. Drawing on the insights of activists, artists, and educators, Pride Denied makes a compelling case for returning to the progressive political activism and grassroots community support that characterized the early LGBT rights movement.

Featuring Jasbir Puar, Dean Spade, Christina Hanhardt, and others.

DVD (With English Subtitles) / 2016 / 61 minutes

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REVIVAL, THE: WOMEN AND THE WORD

By Sekiya Dorsett

THE REVIVAL: WOMEN AND THE WORD chronicles the US tour of a group of Black lesbian poets and musicians, who become present-day stewards of a historical movement to build community among queer women of color. Their journey to strengthen their community is enriched by insightful interviews with leading Black feminist thinkers and historians, including Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Nikki Finney, and Alexis Deveaux. As the group tours the country, the film reveals their aspirations and triumphs, as well as the unique identity challenges they face encompassing gender, race, and sexuality. This is a rarely seen look into a special sisterhood - one where marginalized voices are both heard and respected.

DVD (Color, Closed Captioned) / 2016 / 82 minutes

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REVOLUTION IN FOUR SEASONS, A

By Jessie Deeter

This seminal film tells the story of two women with opposing political views fighting for their different versions of a democratic future for Tunisia, the country that sparked the Arab Spring. Over the course of Tunisia's critical post-revolution years, we follow journalist Emna Ben Jemaa, who envisions a country governed by free speech and without the corruption of the former regime. In contrast, Jawhara Ettis of the Islamist party Ennahda works towards a Tunisia guided by Islamic principles. On a public level, both women must navigate how females are treated in their society, while in their own homes they must make difficult choices to balance their public political roles with marriage and motherhood. Both know the stakes are high. The ever-present threat of Islamic extremists means their fragile political process could break down and all they've worked for could be lost. This timely and insightful documentary traces their paths from public figures in the Arab Spring to opponents in its wake, and the common obstacles they face as outspoken women.

DVD (English, French, Arabic, Color, Closed Captioned) / 2016 / 90 minutes

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DEEP RUN

By Hillevi Loven, Susan Sarandon

DEEP RUN is a powerful verite portrait of trans life in rural North Carolina. Exiled by her family and rejected by an ex-partner, 17-year-old Spazz has no one to lean on for support. But when Spazz falls in love again and summons up the courage to become Cole, a strong-willed trans-man, his candid humor and steadfast, all-inclusive Christian beliefs counter the bigotry he experiences daily.

This deeply personal documentary reveals rebirth and courage within America's deeply conservative Bible Belt as Cole struggles to find a church that will affirm his identity and the couple's relationship. With a small group of supportive friends, relatives, and his girlfriend, Ashley, Cole's search for love and belonging leads him to a radical revision of what faith and church can be. An intimate study of young outsiders in an insular Christian community, DEEP RUN explores the intersection of modern identity and faith in the American South. Essential viewing for LGBTQIA Audiences, Queer and Gender studies classes.

DVD (Color) / 2015 / 75 minutes

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EMPATHY GAP, THE: MASCULINITY AND THE COURAGE TO CHANGE

In The Bro Code and Generation M, filmmaker Thomas Keith examined how American culture bombards young men with sexist and misogynistic messages. In The Empathy Gap, he looks more closely at the ways these messages short-circuit men's ability to empathize with women, respect them as equals, and take feminism seriously. Keith begins by exploring some of the key messages about manhood that boys absorb from the culture -- that they should acquire material wealth, meet conflict with aggression, harden themselves, suppress all human emotion except anger, and view women primarily as sexual objects -- then argues that these messages not only devalue women but also undercut men's innate capacity for caring and empathy. Along the way, he draws fascinating parallels between sexism and racism, spelling out how each is rooted in cultural norms that discourage empathy, and shows how men who break with these norms live happier and healthier lives.

Features Jennifer Siebel-Newsom, Tony Porter, Michael Messner, Derrick Jensen, Kevin Powell, J.W. Wiley, Charlotte Watson, Eddie Moore Jr., C.J. Pascoe, Julia T. Wood, and others.

DVD (With English Subtitles) / 2015 / 70 minutes

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GUYLAND: WHERE BOYS BECOME MEN

In this powerful new film based on his bestselling book, sociologist Michael Kimmel maps the troubling social world where boys become men -- a new stage of development he calls "Guyland." Arguing that the traditional adult signposts and cultural signals that once helped boys navigate their way to manhood are no longer clear, Kimmel provides an astonishing glimpse into a world where more and more young men are trying desperately to prove their masculinity to other young men -- with frequently disastrous consequences for young women and other young men.

Guyland offers a way for all of us -- parents, young men and women, community members, and professors and administrators -- to envision new ways to support young men as they navigate this often perilous world.

DVD (With English Subtitles) / 2015 / 35 minutes

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ILLUSIONISTS, THE: A FILM ABOUT THE GLOBALIZATION OF BEAUTY

The Illusionists examines how global advertising firms, mass media conglomerates, and the beauty, fashion, and cosmetic surgery industries are changing the way people around the world define beauty and see themselves. Taking us from the halls of Harvard to the galleries of the Louvre Museum, from a cosmetic surgeon's office in Beirut to the heart of Tokyo's Electric Town, the film explores how these industries saturate our lives with narrow, Westernized, consumer-driven images of beauty that show little to no respect for biological realities or cultural differences.

The Illusionists features prominent sociologists, politicians, magazine editors, scientists, artists, and activists in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, including: Susie Orbach, Jean Kilbourne, Gail Dines, Susan Linn, Laura Mulvey, Harrison Pope, Nadine Moawad, Ruchi Anand, Paola Audrey Ndengue, Tetsuya Ando, and Jason Karlin.

DVD (With English Subtitles) / 2015 / 54 minutes

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JUST GENDER (PRESENTATION EDITION)

Explore the common myths and misunderstandings about transgendered people, as well as the confusion between sexual orientation and gender identity as reflected in the rigid binary view of the world generally held by society. Just Gender also touches on the discrimination, hardships and brutality resulting from those misconceptions and prejudices, including the numerous deaths caused by hate each year. Through the stories of transgender individuals and their spouses, friends, and allies, this comprehensive documentary explores the confusion, isolation, and fear felt by many transgender persons. It also reveals their growing awareness and acceptance, and ultimately their joy and comfort in blossoming as transgendered persons.

DVD (Region 1) / 2015 / 55 minutes

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SAME DIFFERENCE, THE

By Nneka Onuorah

THE SAME DIFFERENCE is a compelling documentary about lesbians who discriminate against other lesbians based on gender roles. Director Nneka Onuorah takes an in-depth look at the internalized hetero-normative gender roles that have become all too familiar within the African American lesbian and bisexual community. Onuorah shows how these behaviors reproduce the homophobic oppression and masculine privilege of the straight world, while looking for solutions in compelling discussions with community members. Self-identified studs - and the women who love them - discuss hypocrisy in terms of gender roles, performative expectations, and the silent disciplining that occurs between community members. This film features many queer celebrities, including actress Felicia "Snoop" Pearson from the critically acclaimed HBO drama The Wire, and Lea DeLaria from Netflix's Orange Is the New Black, living daily with opinions about how identity should be portrayed. Onuorah's engaging documentary shines a light on the relationships and experiences within the queer black female community, intersecting race, gender and sexuality. Required viewing for Women's, Gender and Queer Studies.

DVD (Color) / 2015 / 78 minutes

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THIS KIND OF LOVE

By Jeanne Hallacy

This Kind of Love follows Burmese human rights and LGBT activist, Aung Myo Min, as he returns home after 24 years in exile. Set against Myanmar's historical transition from half a century of brutal military rule, Myo shares his vision for equality for all - from children to transgender people to ethnic nationalities with his countrymen, to be part of his homeland's emergence from the darkness of dictatorship. Myo's story celebrates his belief that community and inclusion are fundamental to creating meaningful political and social change in Burma/Myanmar.

DVD (Color, Burmese and English with English subtitles) / 2015 / 43 minutes

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VISIBLE SILENCE

By Ruth Gumnit

Visible Silence is a rare glimpse into the unspoken lives of Thai toms, dees and lesbians striving for recognition, authenticity, and acceptance in a traditional Buddhist society. It is an intimate story of self and family, love and sexuality, and self-determination where conformity is prized. The film highlights the experience of masculine women (toms) who visibly transgress gender norms, yet are bound to remain silent about who they really are. Visible Silence gives voice to their unspoken truths.

DVD (Color, Thai and English with English, Thai, or Traditional Chinese subtitles) / 2015 / 43 minutes

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VOICES OF MUSLIM WOMEN FROM THE US SOUTH

By Maha Marouan and Rachel Raimist

When one thinks of the American Deep South, the image of veiled Muslim students strolling the University of Alabama campus is the last thing that comes to mind. VOICES OF MUSLIM WOMEN FROM THE US SOUTH is a documentary that explores the Muslim culture through the lens of five University of Alabama Muslim students. The film tackles how Muslim women carve a space for self-expression in the Deep South and how they negotiate their identities in a predominantly Christian society that often has unflattering views about Islam and Muslims. Through interviews with students and faculty at Alabama, this film examines representations and issues of agency by asking: How do Muslim female students carve a space in a culture that thinks of Muslims as terrorists and Muslim women as backward?

DVD (Color) / 2015 / 32 minutes

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ALL OF ME

By Alexandra Lescaze

A story of love, loss and last resorts

Through the personal stories of three severely obese women who choose weight-loss surgery, All of Me shines a fresh light on the causes, challenges, and intense psychological struggles surrounding obesity in our society, as well as our attitudes and prejudices towards the obese.

The "girls", as they call themselves, have been friends for years, having met through the Size Acceptance Movement. They've unsuccessfully tried every diet and pill in an effort to lose weight. Getting older and facing more health and mobility challenges, they choose gastric band or gastric bypass surgery as a last resort.

With searing honesty, the girls take us through their struggles before and after surgery, including a host of issues and consequences, some they expected, some they feared, and some they never could have imagined. They have varied post-op experiences, but one reality is true for all of them -- the surgery means the loss of their primary coping strategy (eating). And trying to shed hundreds of pounds changes everything in their lives -- their health, their self-images, their marriages, and even their friendships.

These women's stories represent the more than 200,000 Americans a year who choose weight-loss surgery, 80% of them women, as well as the millions of Americans who struggle with obesity and weight loss. Our society's standard diet and exercise talking points do not compute for many of those needing to lose a significant amount of weight.

All of Me provides a unique and thoughtful look at a community of people that is often vilified, the butt of jokes, or quite simply ignored in our society, and encourages viewers to examine their own prejudices and complicated relationships with food, fat, and their bodies.

DVD (Region 1, Closed Captioned) / 2014 / (College - Adult) / 53 minutes

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FACING FEAR

Directed by Jason Cohen

A former neo-Nazi skinhead and the gay victim of his hate crime meet by chance 25 years later, are reconciled and collaborate in educational presentations.

In this Academy Award-nominated short documentary, worlds collide when a former neo-Nazi skinhead and the gay victim of his hate crime attack meet by chance 25 years after the incident that dramatically shaped both of their lives. Together, they embark on a journey of forgiveness that challenges both to grapple with their beliefs and fears, eventually leading to an improbable collaboration...and friendship.

FACING FEAR retraces the haunting accounts of the attack and the startling revelation that brought these men together again. Delving deep into their backgrounds, the roots of the ideologies that shape how they handle the reconciliation process are exposed. Self-doubt, anger and fear are just a few of the emotions they struggle through as they come to terms with their unimaginable situation.

DVD / 2013 / (Grades 9-12, College, Adult) / 23 minutes

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SALMA

By Kim Longinotto

When Salma, a young Muslim girl in a south Indian village, was 13 years old, her family locked her up for 25 years, forbidding her to study and forcing her into marriage. During that time, words were Salma's salvation. She began covertly composing poems on scraps of paper and, through an intricate system, was able to sneak them out of the house, eventually getting them into the hands of a publisher. Against the odds, Salma became the most famous Tamil poet: the first step to discovering her own freedom and challenging the traditions and code of conduct in her village.

As with her other work (PINK SARIS, ROUGH AUNTIES, SISTERS IN LAW), master documentarian Kim Longinotto trains her camera on an iconoclastic woman. Salma's extraordinary story is one of courage and resilience. Salma has hopes for a different life for the next generation of girls, but as she witnesses, familial ties run deep, and change happens very slowly. SALMA helps us understand why the goal of global education of girls is one the most critical areas of empowerment and development of women worldwide.

DVD (Tamil, Color) / 2013 / 89 minutes

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VALENTINE ROAD

Directed by Marta Cunningham

In 2008, eighth-grader Brandon McInerney shot classmate Larry King at point blank range. Unraveling this tragedy, the film reveals the heartbreaking circumstances that led to the shocking crime as well as the aftermath.

On February 12, 2008, in an Oxnard, California, classroom, 14-year-old Brandon McInerney shot classmate Larry King twice; Larry died of the wounds two days later. Larry (Leticia), a gender-variant youth of color, had liked to wear makeup and heels to school, and had publicly announced a crush on McInerney. For this reason, some of McInerney's defenders say the victim had "embarrassed" the shooter--and was therefore at least partly to blame for his own murder.

VALENTINE ROAD is about an outrageous crime and an even more outrageous defense of it, but the film goes much deeper than mere outrage. In the end, it's the story of two victims of homophobia. Larry was killed because of it, but Brandon's life was horribly twisted by it as well. And it's the story of a community's response--sometimes inspirational and sometimes cruel--to a terrible tragedy.

Filmmaker Marta Cunningham deftly looks beyond the sensational aspects of the murder, introducing us to Larry's friends, teachers and guardians, as well as Brandon's loved ones--both children had led difficult lives. In examining Brandon's prosecution and defense, the documentary poses difficult questions about punishing juveniles for serious crimes, while exposing society's pervasive and deadly intolerance of young people who don't conform to its gender "norms."

VALENTINE ROAD brilliantly focuses on how bigotry and prejudice are community-wide problems, rather than only the acts of individuals. It asks how schools can respond to the the full complexity of students' lives, and support students in crisis before tragedy strikes.

DVD / 2013 / (Grades 8-12, College, Adult) / 88 minutes

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DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND

Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend tells the inspiring story of Nicole Sherry McFadyen, one of only two women in history to be named Head Groundskeeper of a Major League Baseball team. Beginning with her first internship, the film shows how McFadyen rose through the ranks to become a leading innovator in the field and ultimately take the prestigious head job at storied Camden Yards in Baltimore.

DVD (With English Subtitles) / 2011 / 25 minutes

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LIFE 8: SCENT OF THE STREETS

Nigeria has had some success in getting more women into government and business. But what about in the crowded and often violent slums of Lagos?

Nigeria has had some success in getting more women into government and business. But what about at street level--in the crowded and often violent slums of the capital, Lagos? Every big city has gangs of young people on the margins; in Lagos, it's the "Area Boys", gangs of youths who "control" the neighborhood who know how to play rough and dirty to survive. So what's an "Area Girl"? Is she tough and "cool" too, or just a young woman without a job? With 10 brothers and sisters, Onyinye left school at the age of 12. Now she shoulders the responsibility for caring for her siblings by working on the street. But Onyinye wants a legitimate career--and dreams of becoming a catwalk model.

DVD / 2010 / (Grades 10-12, College, Adult) / 27 minutes

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LIFE 8: SORIE K AND THE MDGS

Blind musician, Sorie Kondi, from Sierra Leone looks at what's happening with girls' education in his country 10 years after civil war.

Musician Sorie Kondi, blind from birth, has been called Sierra Leone's Stevie Wonder, but he's still trying to make it as a world musician. Sorie worries about the future of his 14-year-old daughter, Zeinab. He manages to make enough as a busker to pay for her education, but keeping Zeinab out of trouble is more difficult. She lives with her cousins, who have all had to leave school early because of pregnancy. Life asked Sorie to help us make a road movie looking at what's happening with girls' education around the country 10 years after civil war.

DVD / 2010 / (Grades 10-12, College, Adult) / 27 minutes

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TEA & JUSTICE: NYPD'S 1ST ASIAN WOMEN OFFICERS

By Ermena Vinluan

Tea & Justice chronicles the experiences of three women who joined the New York Police Department during the 1980s - the first Asian women to become members of a force that was largely white and predominantly male. In this award-winning documentary, Officer Trish Ormsby and Detectives Agnes Chan and Christine Leung share their fascinating stories about careers and personal lives, as well as satisfactions and risks on the job, the stereotypes they defied, and how they persevered.

Intrigued by the image of Asian women in a non-traditional profession, filmmaker Ermena Vinluan explores her own mixed feelings about cops while honoring the challenges Ormsby, Chan and Leung embraced, and the far-reaching changes they helped bring about. Interviews with ordinary New Yorkers, leading advocates of law enforcement reform, and anti-police abuse activists consider proposed changes in police culture and explain how women's preventive policing style, based on communication, contrasts with more reactive, physically forceful methods used by men. Humorous cartoons, lively graphics depicting cultural icons of strong Asian women, and original music enhance this nuanced study of race, gender, and power.

DVD (Color) / 2010 / 55 minutes

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MOTHERHOOD MANIFESTO, THE

Looks at the obstacles facing working mothers and families and the employer and public policy changes needed to restore work-life balance.

Did you know that...

Only four countries in the world- Lesotho, Swaziland, Papua New Guinea and the United States-fail to provide paid maternity leave to all workers? Canada now guarantees a full year of paid parental leave and California recently became the first state in the U.S. to provide such paid leave? Businesses that create flexible work environments find that productivity goes up, they attract more talent, turnover is reduced and their bottom line is improved?

Moving personal stories combined with humorous animation, expert commentary and hilarious old film clips tell the tale of what happens to working mothers and their families in America. See how enlightened employers and public policy can make paid family leave, flexible working hours, part-time parity, universal healthcare, excellent childcare, after-school programs and realistic living wages a reality for American families.

The film is based on the book The Motherhood Manifesto by Joan Blades and Kristin Rowe- Finkbeiner.

DVD (Color, Closed Captioned, With Guide) / 2006 / (Grades 7-12, College, Adult) / 58 minutes

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BOYS TO MEN?

In this moving follow-up to the critically-acclaimed Hoop Dreams, award-winning filmmaker Frederick Marx continues his exploration of the lives of ordinary young men and the extraordinary challenges they face. Boys to Men? - the second in a proposed trilogy about masculinity in America- trains its focus on the pressures and expectations faced by a diverse group of young urban males. The DVD consists of four films. Are You Listening? Features several teenage boys from different ethnic, racial, and class backgrounds offering fascinating insights into their own experiences and the meaning of manhood in America. Three additional pieces - Spencer, Cisco, and Al-Tran - give insight into the lives of three 15-year-old boys as they navigate the daily challenges of school, family, and American society.

DVD (With English Subtitles) / 2004 / 143 minutes

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TO EMPOWER WOMEN: THE BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION

By Margot Smith

From the largest gathering of women in history emerge images of an awe-inspiring global movement of women working to improve their communities. The Beijing Conference produced the strongest consensus on women's equality, empowerment and justice ever endorsed by governments. Narrated by Bella Abzug.

To Empower Women is a moving tribute to the multitude of actions women everywhere are taking right now.

DVD (Region 1) / 1997 / (Grades 9-Adult) / 28 minutes

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BECOMING MORE VISIBLE

By Pamela French
Are you Male or Female? For the four fearless young transgender adults featured in the film this is not a simple question. These four defy societal norms to be their true selves and become more visible. No transition is easy, but for some it is easier than for others.

Sean is a trans male comedian from a small affluent town in upstate New York. Katherine is a Bangladeshi trans girl from a family steeped in their cultural traditions. Olivia had to leave her family in Atlanta and enter the shelter system in order to be the woman she knows she is. The unforgettable Morgin is a fully transitioned woman pursuing her musical ambitions and attempting to make her way in the world.

BECOMING MORE VISIBLE shines a humanizing light on their different stories, both their struggles and their triumphs, and showcases the importance of having a steady support system. The film also briefly goes over the physical process some of them decide to take in transitioning.

BECOMING MORE VISIBLE seeks to help ignite the awareness and understanding needed to put an end to the discrimination of transgender young adults worldwide - to encourage society to see these young people for who they are today, not how they were born or choose to identify.

DVD (Region 1, Closed Captioned) / (Grades 9-Adult) / 73 minutes

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PINK BOY

By Eric Rockey

Pink Boy is a verite-style documentary profiling the challenges of raising a young gender non-conforming boy growing up in a conservative area of rural Florida.

Six-year old Jeffrey likes nothing better than to put on a gown and dance for his two lesbian moms, who adopted him expecting they would raise a boy. Mom BJ successfully avoided dresses and girls' toys her entire life and admits she initially had a hard time when her son expressed feminine interests.

"Pink boys" have their unique challenges: they do not neatly fit into a single gender box, and instead create a space between genders, which this film explores. They like to dress in girl's clothing and play with girl toys, but still identify as boys. These children often face widespread ignorance and shaming, sometimes from their own families. They often live with daily threats of bullying and violence and are at high risk for depression and suicide as they reach their teens.

Pink Boy's verite-style allows the viewer to experience life through Jeffrey's eyes. Thanks to supportive parents, we see Jeffrey confidently move between masculine and feminine in dress-up time at school, a rodeo in Georgia, and the ultimate holiday for a pink boy, Halloween. As Jeffrey increasingly wishes to be publicly identified as a girl called Jessie, his parents must learn both to accept and to navigate when it is safe for him in an often hostile environment.

DVD (Region 1, Closed Captioned) / (Grades 10-Adult) / 45 minutes

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POLITICAL ANIMALS

By Jonah Markowitz and Tracy Wares

Political Animals chronicles the ground-breaking LGBT civil rights victories of the first four openly gay elected California state legislators -- all women -- who took the fight for equality from the streets and into the halls of government.

Documenting the tough struggles they endured, the film highlights their pioneering success and hard-fought political victories that helped pave the way for significant change at the national level, including marriage equality.

Before Sheila Kuehl's run for office, no out gay person had even won a primary in a state-wide election in California. A former child TV star who later became a Harvard-trained lawyer, Kuehl made history as the first openly gay member of the state legislature. Jackie Goldberg was a leader in the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley before she became a teacher and the first openly lesbian member of the LA City Council. Carole Migden was a feminist activist who worked with Harvey Milk, and after his assassination was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Raised Irish-Catholic, Christine Kehoe cut her political teeth opposing a statewide ballot initiative that would have quarantined people with HIV.

As the films shows, once in office, these articulate and determined women became true political animals, working tirelessly over many years to overcome entrenched opposition and pass historic legislation for LGBT equality. Bills they authored and fought for included the first domestic partnership registry enacted by a state legislature, the first anti-bullying bill protecting gay students, and others. The film features excerpts from some of the lengthy, heated debates over their proposed legislation, including the insults they endured.

More than just a film profiling pioneering legislators for LGBT rights, the film highlights the unique and inspiring political impact of four women, as well as the critical importance of individuals taking any campaign for social causes into local, state and national legislatures to fight for and enact laws that insure real, lasting change.

DVD (Region 1, Closed Captioned) / (Grades 9-Adult) / 139 minutes

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