LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Not On My T.V. If Right Wins |
A growing number of right-wing Christian groups are pressuring public television stations not to air a documentary about lesbian and gay issues scheduled to air on many stations this June. The award-winning documentary, "Its Elementary: Talking about Gay Issues in School," shows teachers addressing lesbian and gay issues with their students in six public and independent schools across the U.S. Featuring disarming verite footage of children in K-8 classrooms, the lessons are inspiring examples of how to prevent prejudice and harmful stereotypes. Several notoriously anti-gay organizations, including the American Family Association and Coral Ridge Ministries, are warning their members about the films content and urging them to do what they can to stop it from airing. One mass mailing written by Dr. D. James Kennedy of the Coral Ridge Ministries exclaims, "THIS IS CHILD ABUSE!... we need to call a halt to the recruiting of children for the homosexual lifestyle... Its Elementary is harmful. It must not air." The American Family Association is taking a different approach by actively raising money to distribute their own video about Its Elementary, "Suffer the Children," which they say "exposes how this powerful pro-homosexual propaganda film is targeting our children." "I can only hope that public television stations will not give into these organizations call for censorship," said the films Academy Award-winning Director, Debra Chasnoff. "This film can help prevent violence, support families and promote social equality. A wide audience deserves a chance to see the film and judge it for themselves." With the recent killings of gay men Matthew Shepard and Billy Jack Gaither and the vicious attack on high school student Adam Colton, there is growing awareness about the need for early education to prevent discrimination and violence. "Schools cannot be neutral when were dealing with human dignity and human rights," said Bob Chase, President of the National Education Association. "Im not talking about tolerance. Im talking about acceptance. Its Elementary is a great resource for parents, teachers, and community leaders working to teach respect and responsibility to Americas children." Co-produced by Chasnoff and Helen S. Cohen, Its Elementary has been shown at nearly 500 teacher training programs, plus hundreds of schools, churches and synagogues. It has been endorsed and distributed by numerous mainstream education networks, including the National Educational Association and the American School Counselors Association, and major funding for distribution was provided by the Ford Foundation. Last November, Chicago Public Schools announced a bold and precedent-setting initiative to use the film for staff development and training in every school in the district. "This film is about more than gay and lesbian issues," said Mary Morten, Director of the Advisory Council on Gay and Lesbian Issues of Chicagos Commission on Human Relations. "It is about respect, acceptance and understanding, which is why we feel all of our teachers should see it." This is not the first time Chasnoff has made a film to raise public awareness about a controversial topic. An earlier documentary, Deadly Deception: General Electric, Nuclear Weapons, and Our Environment, won the 1991 Academy Award for Best Docu-mentary Short Subject. Its Elementary has also won dozens of awards, including the CINE Golden Eagle Award for Best Educational Film, Silver Apple (National Educational Media Network), and the Silver Spire (San Francisco International Film Festival). |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 9, No. 3, April 9, 1999 |