Creating a School Environment Free of Prejudice, Homophobia and Bullying

[Ian David]

Creating a School Environment Free of Prejudice, Homophobia and Bullying
GLSEN Conference, Documentary Hope to Show What Having a Safe School Actually Means for Students

GroundSpark, the Boston chapter of GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network), and Tufts University will sponsor on Saturday, March 29 the New England premiere of “It’s STILL Elementary,” the documentary follow-up to the groundbreaking 1996 film, “It’s Elementary — Talking About Gay Issues in School.”

That film, produced by Academy Award-winning documentarian Debra Chasnoff and Helen S. Cohen, “helped spark a movement to make schools safer places for all children to discuss lesbian and gay people in age-appropriate ways,” said Chasnoff, who is now executive director and senior producer at GroundSpark.

“It’s Elementary” took cameras into classrooms across the U.S. to look at whether and how gay issues should be discussed in schools. It features elementary and middle schools where (mainly heterosexual) teachers challenged the status quo and incorporated gay issues in the curriculum. Rather than focusing on the debate between adults, the film followed school children, starting as young as first grade. The follow-up documentary shows us where these kids are now.

“‘It’s STILL Elementary’ proves how having that conversation benefits all students in every classroom,” said Chasnoff, “and the accompanying organizing and teaching guide provides invaluable support to teachers, parents, and university educators to put what the film advocates into action.”

More:
http://www.innewsweekly.com/innews/?class_code=Ne&article_code=5146