"If schools are serious about preparing students for the future, we have to help them handle the diversity that exists in our communities. By addressing gay issues, we will help to prevent violence and foster equality. ITS ELEMENTARY is a moving portrait of how it can be done."
Carolyn Sheldon President, American School Counselor Association
But to CWA, the documentary is part of a "militant homosexual propaganda effort" that is "recruiting a new generation to become homosexuals." ITS ELEMENTARY should be censored, fumes CWA in its fundraising letter to hundreds of thousands of parents, characterizing the film as an "abomination" and an "unspeakable evil" that shows "just how low homosexual extremists will stoop to ensnare children." CWAs campaign comes on the heels of similar attacks by Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, and the Phyllis Schlafley Report.
Chasnoff and Cohen, who are themselves mothers of grade-school children and active members of their own PTAs, say the hysteria of the attack on ITS ELEMENTARY points to the need for thoughtful discussion before schools are divided by controversy and hate campaigns. "We, too, are concerned women!" says Director Debra Chasnoff. "And the feedback we have been getting from educators and parents across the country is that, in fact, ITS ELEMENTARY is a highly effective resource for helping schools prevent violence, support all families, and affirm all children so that they can thrive academically."
"Having concrete examples of how to accomplish this daunting task was helpful. The childrens voices were beautiful and should make most adults feel silly about their learned behaviors."
Marge Thompson Second grade teacher
In response to CWAs censorship campaign, the film makers, in conjunction with the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, the organization working to end anti-gay prejudice in schools, are offering a complimentary copy of ITS ELEMENTARY to any public school board member or school district superintendent so they can judge the message of the documentary for themselves. "Weve repeatedly seen how our film has helped open up the dialogue in hundreds of school communities on an issue that most adults arent sure how to address," says Producer Helen Cohen. "Administrators and teachers are clamoring for educational resources. Wed hate for any school district to miss out on this opportunity because of the vicious rhetoric from religious conservatives. We invite educational policy makers to look at ITS ELEMENTARY first before succumbing to censorship."
For more information on ITS ELEMENTARY, or to obtain a preview copy, contact Ariella Ben-Dov, (415) 641-4616.
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9/19/97 Issue. Copyright 1997 by CAMP Rehoboth, Inc. All rights reserved.