Groundspark

As a documentary filmmaker, it is so rewarding when your work is used in communities affected by the very issues your films raise. Every year we hear from school staff, community leaders, religious groups, youth and parents about the ways that GroundSpark films help local efforts to reduce prejudice, increase empathy, and open hearts and minds. We wanted to share one story that exemplifies a growing trend across the country in which school districts are being required to act in response to lawsuits from students claiming unchecked anti-gay harassment and gender bias.

In 2009, the Vallejo City Unified School District in northern CA settled a lawsuit with Rochelle Hamilton, a high school student who was harassed by teachers and students because she was an out lesbian. As part of the settlement, the district was required to provide mandatory training for teachers, staff and students about preventing and identifying anti-gay harassment and discrimination.

We were thrilled to learn that, to fulfill these requirements, school officials, like many others around the country, have chosen to use The Respect For All Project films and curriculum guides as a central part of their anti-bias training for both adults and youth. As a result, every school in the district will own and use copies of That’s a Family!, Let’s Get Real and Straightlaced. In addition, It’s Elementary-Talking About Gay Issues in School will be used in teacher/staff trainings .

Sharon Rose Babot, Coordinator of Instructional Services is leading the Vallejo school district’s efforts to ensure that their schools are safe and inclusive for all students including LGBTQ identified students. Through GroundSpark’s Technical Assistance and Training program Sharon found support and guidance to help her develop and organize district-wide teacher/staff trainings. Sharon shared with us that she found our films and accompanying guides to be particularly useful, “ because the films are in ‘student voices,’ their impact and message are much more powerful than an adult giving information about law, issues, etc. around LGBTQ awareness.” She thanked The Respect for All Project for “providing us with the tools and the curriculum guides that will allow us to present powerful and thought provoking information around respectful interaction with all human beings.”

In Vallejo, teacher/staff trainings have already begun, and schools are expected to implement programs for students this fall. In the future, we hope that more districts and schools will join those in the know and act before lawsuits are filed, as a way to prepare and educate their communities about LGBTQ harassment and prejudice.

A few months ago, Straightlaced–How Gender’s Got Us All Tied Up screened at the National Association of Independent Schools’ People of Color Conference in Colorado. Wanda Holland Greene, Head of the Hamlin School in San Francisco and long time supporter of GroundSpark, co-presented the film with Social Studies Teacher Kirsten Gustavson to an audience made up primarily of independent school leaders and teachers of color.

Wanda opened the workshop by asking the group to do something we are rarely asked to do in our everyday lives as adults: Think back to when you were a child and try to remember a message that you received about what it meant to be a “proper man” or a “proper woman.” She asked participants to think about what their chosen message was and try to hear it in the source’s voice—was it their mother’s voice, their teacher’s voice, the television, the radio, or maybe their pastor?

Wanda Holland Green and Kirsten Gustavson

Unearthing the messages about who and what they should be in the world, and locating the many different sources of these messages, was incredibly revealing. “I wanted the audience to have an introspective approach to the topic of gender,” Wanda says.  But she also wanted people to bring their insights into their classrooms. She goes on: “So what does it mean to create a safe, inclusive learning environment in our classrooms when gender messages come from so many multiple sources, unique to each individual’s experience? If diversity is a component of excellence, how do we take into account the varying experiences of gender expectations that all of our students face?”

The answer to this question is obviously complex, but one important piece is surely Wanda and Kirsten’s approach of asking educators to think back to when they themselves were young. “Straightlaced allowed us to reconnect our professional work on diversity and inclusion with the very real “stuff” of lived human experience.  By sharing our own feelings and stories about gender, we remembered how powerful the messages are, and many left the session energized and excited to help our young people better understand their own experiences,” Kirsten noted. Sharing our personal stories allows us to see the similarities and differences in what we all experience and offers a chance for dialogue to grow. Certainly the young people in Straightlaced show us what a powerful force stories can be.

Here’s GroundSpark’s challenge to you: Tell us your personal story. Leave a comment about a message you received when you were younger about what being a “proper man” or a “proper woman” means.

I’m Sukh, an intern for GroundSpark and a student of public health interested in the issue of school bullying as a public health concern and novel ways of preventing it.

Two weeks ago on KGO News Radio, I heard David Lazarus discussing the topic of bullying with listeners. Some questions that came up include, what makes bullies bullies? What makes victims victims? How can victims defend themselves? Many listeners pointed to self-defense classes as a way not only to build self-esteem, but as a technique for protection in case a bullying incident arose.

Bob Gordon, a member of my cohort in the San Francisco State University MPH program, emailed in and suggested that listeners watch a copy of Let’s Get Real and David Lazarus shared this advice with listeners…Thanks Bob!

So, can karate classes combat bullying? In the field of public health, there is a lot of emphasis on PRIMARY PREVENTION, which is targeting the entire population to prevent a negative outcome (i.e. bullying). While self-defense has its benefits and can be helpful in many ways, I don’t think these classes are the way to prevent bullying. Rather I feel that self-defense is a method of treatment—after the roles of bully and victim have been identified and the relationship between victim and bully has been established.

Methods such as those of GroundSpark’s are ones that are really effective in identifying the root of the problem. GroundSpark films Let’s Get Real and Straightlaced touch on the issue of bias, which takes form in racism, classism, sexism, and various other isms. Creating awareness of diversity and highlighting the need for respect can create an atmosphere of inclusiveness and acceptance. As a result, children can develop healthy relationships with each other that don’t involve bullying in the first place and karate can be valued as an extracurricular activity rather than a necessity.

GroundSpark’s work in Lake County, California is featured in an important story on today’s “California Report” airing on public radio throughout the state at 8pm today.

Reporter Scott Shafer wanted to do a follow up story on the two-year anniversary of the tragic murder of Ventura County openly gay eighth grader Lawrence King. With a grant from the California Endowment and the Ford Foundation, GroundSpark’s Respect for All Project (RFAP) has been reaching out in Ventura County to encourage the schools to do pro-active education with teachers and students to prevent bias-based harassment.

We also told Scott about the amazing work happening north of the Bay Area in Lake County, where we have been supporting a network of educators, parents, and activists to strengthen the county’s efforts to be pro-active and to implement comprehensive anti-bias plans in help prevent bias and violence.

Over the last two years, Cristy Chung, our community programs director, and Barry Chersky, one of our longtime faciliator/trainers, have helped community leaders conduct a county-wide assessment and develop a blueprint for taking more concrete steps to create safer and more welcoming schools.

Last week they showed Lake County’s Respect for All Task Force our new film for high school students, Straightlaced—How Gender’s Got Us All Tied Up. The California Report’s Scott Shafer was in Lake Country and talked to Cristy about GroundSpark’s work. Tune in today to hear the story (at 8 pm on KQED), or listen to the story online.

GroundSpark’s Respect for All Project provides films, curricular resources and professional development training programs to support school communities to be safe, inclusive, and welcoming for all students. For help in your community, visit www.groundspark.org or contact community programs director, Cristy Chung.

Last week we received an email from a woman named Monique Marshall. Apparently she had attended the Straightlaced premiere in Los Angeles last March. Monique purchased a copy of the film and then took it home to watch with her ten-year-old daughter, Moreau.

Moreau wrote a letter to T’Uh from STRAIGHTLACED

T’Uh, “the Sporty Hot Dog Girl” in STRAIGHTLACED

After seeing the film, Moreau asked her mother if she could write a letter to one of the young people in Straightlaced. This is Moreau’s letter to “Sporty Hot Dog Girl:”

In the film, after constant badgering from others to look different and act “the way ‘young ladies’ are supposed to,” T’Uh stands firmly by her choice to look different and be herself in the world–”I do what I want. I like being different.”

I went ahead and sent the letter to T’Uh over the weekend and she had this to say in response: “The letter touched my heart and gave me chills. I’m going to write to my new buddy right away.”

Thank you Monique, for sharing Straightlaced with your daughter! The culture change that we need for our young people to be their fullest and brightest selves will take the work of many–especially parents.

Last Saturday was a miserably cold day with dreadful weather conditions in Lexington, KY. While many locals camped out at home with hopes of catching the University of Kentucky basketball game on TV later that afternoon, another group gathered at Kentucky Theater in the early part of the morning in great anticipation of the state’s premiere of GroundSpark’s award-winning film Straightlaced—How Gender’s Got Us All Tied Up. By the time 10:00am rolled around, over 400 people crowded into the theater, finding any available room on the floor to sit.

“I had no idea there would be so many people who were in interested in this film,” says Travis Myles of the Kentucky Fairness Alliance who introduced the film at the theater. What’s most interesting is the story of how the event came to happen and all the players who made it into that theater last Saturday.

Myles had never heard of GroundSpark’s work until he met Debra Chasnoff last summer at the annual meeting of the Equality Federation, the national network of state-based organizations working for LGBT equality. Debra had been invited to screen the film, and our other anti-bullying documentary, Let’s Get Real, because of the powerful role the films can play in helping states pass comprehensive anti-bullying laws. “I was interested because I think film is one of the best ways to help change the hearts and minds of the key players we need to reach in this movement,” says Travis.

After the showing, Travis approached Debra and “she told me about the local significance and relationship that Lexington played in the pivotal scene in Straightlaced, and immediately put me contact with local folks who were working hard to screen the film for the Lexington community.”

From there, the Kentucky Fairness Alliance, and The Jesse Higginbotham Technology Trust and the family of Hannah Landers, a student in the film who died in a car accident, along with the Fred Mills of the Kentucky Theatre and the Central Kentucky Council for Peace and Justice, the Lexington GLSO GSA, the Voice of Silence and Dunbar’s No Day But Today hosted this spectacularly moving event.

In the audience, over half whom were high school aged youth, people were sitting on each others’ laps to make room for everyone. The audience was diverse, including a select group of young women from the Florence Crittenton home, a group home dedicated to help pregnant and parenting youth in their journey toward empowerment and independence. “It was amazing,” says Rebecca Woloch, a local parent who was one of the main organizers. “Thank you for allowing us the chance to do this great thing for Hannah and Josh (the student in Straightlaced who committed suicide) and everyone who has ever had to fight to be accepted for who they really are.”

Richard Landers, Hannah’s father, was also quite moved. He, like the rest of the audience, was inspired to keep organizing with Straightlaced. “Several parents told me that they wanted to have the film shown at churches, schools, and placed in school libraries. I am loaning one of our copies to the principal at Hannah’s school with hopes he can arrange to show it to students and/or use it for staff training.”

For us here at GroundSpark, that would bring our work on Straightlaced full circle. In the film Hannah talks about hearing students in the halls say things like “It’s about time that fag killed himself” after Josh’s suicide. We can think of no better outcome from this event than to have Straightlaced screened at this very same high school, and we look forward to working with the folks who braved the snow last Saturday to keep making change in Kentucky.

At every screening of Straightlaced where there is a Q and A afterwards, someone always, understandably, asks, “Who is Hannah Landers?” Because at the end of the film, a title comes up that says:

In May of 2008, Sue Chen, my co-producer, had booked a plane ticket for Hannah and her mom to fly out to meet us in San Francisco so we could film a second interview with her. But days before they were supposed to come, Sue received a horrible phone call, and learned that Hannah had been killed in a car accident. We all were devastated.

We finished the film without that extra interview and all knew immediately that we would dedicate Straightlaced to Hannah’s memory, and by extension, to the spirit of her activism.

Then we started working on the world premiere. Much to our surprise, Hannah’s parents, Richard and Michelle Landers, were really excited to fly out to San Francisco to be there; they wanted to be part of the big audience that would be seeing the film for the first time.

Hannah had told us that her dad was an administrator at a Baptist church. I confess that of few of us here had some preconceptions about what kind of views a person who held that job might have about the point of view in our film.

We wondered: how would the Landers feel about the film? How would they feel being in a theater filled with close to a thousand Bay Area activists?

It turned out our concerns were for naught. The Landers’ response was so moving to me, and taught me a powerful lesson about my own stereotypes.

“We enjoyed the entire evening and sincerely appreciate the time we spent with you and the other Groundspark board of directors members and staff,” Michelle wrote to one of our board members. “Everyone was so wonderful, gracious and hospitable – we are very glad that we made the trip.”

“The film is fantastic and we are even more proud of Hannah than we could have imagined. She was incredibly passionate and wise for someone her age and she spent a lot of energy fighting what she saw as the injustices of the world. She was a champion for the underdog and a spokesperson for those who wouldn’t or couldn’t speak for themselves. We miss her terribly, but are very inspired that her words and actions will continue to help young people.”

Fast forward several months. I am so proud to be able to tell you that on January 9th, Straightlaced will have its Kentucky premiere on January 10th, 2010 at the State Theater at the Kentucky Theater at 10:15am. Richard and Michelle have worked with Rebecca Woloch, the mother of another student in whose memory the memorial garden in the film is dedicated, to organize the screening. They will be doing a fundraising pitch at the event and want the proceeds to be split between GroundSpark, the Hannah Landers Memorial Scholarship Fund, and a local suicide prevention group doing work in Josh Shipman’s memory. Please download the event flyer for more information on the event.

We, too, are also inspired that Hannah’s words and actions are helping so many people—of all ages—along with those of all the courageous young people who appeared in Straightlaced, and all of our other Respect for All Project films.

Our new year’s wish for you is that you continue to feel inspired and courageous. To look inside yourself, to challenge your own stereotypes, and to find the strength to be a champion for those who can’t or won’t speak for themselves.

Thank you from all of us at GroundSpark. Let’s stick together in 2010.

Debra Chasnoff
President and Senior Producer

Help GroundSpark bring the stories of courageous young people like Hannah to communities across the country in 2010, by making a donation to GroundSpark today!

GroundSpark films make a great gift! Please buy one today or donate a film to a school that can’t afford one.

In a case that GroundSpark has been following closely, the Alameda County Superior Court ruled this week that lessons designed to address anti-gay and lesbian bullying in the district’s elementary schools do not simply constitute “health lessons” and therefore are not subject to the state’s policy of allowing parents to “opt out” of having their children participate in those lessons. Even more importantly, Judge Frank Roesch ruled that the state education code’s requirement that schools address discrimination and bias effectively supersedes any potential opt-out provisions. Our film, That’s a Family!, used widely throughout the country to support children from all different kinds of families, is part of the curriculum that’s been under debate.

GroundSpark’s Cristy Chung, Director of Community Programs and the Respect For All Project had this to say about the ruling: “This critical decision reinforces the importance of creating safe and inclusive schools for all children and their families. My hope is that we find a way for our communities to support one another and together teach our children what respect really means.”

This ruling is consistent with a 2007 ruling in Massachusetts clearly stating that while parents have the right to direct the upbringing of their children, that right does not extend to directing what a school teaches. (You can read more about this ruling in the It’s Elementary curriculum guide). And that preparing students for citizenship in a diverse society and fostering an environment in which lesbian and gay students can learn are sufficient justifications for implementing LGBT-inclusive curriculum.

Here’s a link to the news story on the ruling in Alameda County, CA.

And to see the trailer or stream That’s a Family!, please click here.

We are very proud to announce that Debra Chasnoff’s alma mater, Wellesley College, recently honored her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Documentary Filmmaking from the college’s Art Department and Cinema and Media Studies Program.

Lifetime Achievement Award for Film Maker Debra Chasnoff

Here’s a bit from the speech, Beth Pfeiffer, one of the trustees of the college, made during the award presentation:

“Debra Chasnoff, class of 1978, majored in economics. After a short stint in corporate America, Debra went on to follow her true passion—social change. Understanding social change is the result of deep passion and potent pragmatics, she embarked on her filmmaking career in 1984 with the film Choosing Children. Her commitment to equity and understanding informed the film and her courage to speak out and her personal honesty and talent that gave the film a place in history.

Accolades followed immediately, including an Academy Award in 1991 for her subsequent film, Deadly Deception, and they multiply from there. Founder and Executive Director of GroundSpark, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating visionary films and dynamic educational campaigns that move individuals and communities to take action for a more just world, Chasnoff has evolved into one of the most successful and dynamic documentarians of our time. Her latest film, Straightlaced, debuted this year and, having seen it, I’m sure the trail of awards will continue!”

Everyone here at GroundSpark, myself included, take our hats off to our colleague. Thank you for the work you do and the courage you inspire!

We are gearing up for the Twin Cities premiere of Straightlaced, which will take place Monday November 16th in Minneapolis. This will be the last regional premiere of the film, completing an thirty-city, ten-month long tour of Straightlaced! With an impressive array of community partners and dedicated volunteers working on the ground to fill the seats, word about the event is spreading quickly.

Betty Tisel hard at work in Minneapolis!

Super-volunteer Betty Tisel (pictured above), who has been a long-time donor to GroundSpark with her partner, Sarah Farley, is leaving no stone unturned to ensure success. “Imagine these buckets full of cash and check donations,” she says. ”Visualize all these tickets being SOLD.” To help fulfill Betty’s dreams, get your tickets!!

I had the pleasure of talking with local radio host Leigh Combs last week about the event. A local teacher, advocate, and GroundSpark supporter, Leigh brought home the need for the Minneapolis community to not only come out to the event, but to start the dialog with young people about their experiences with gender pressures. To listen to the full show, click here. And just this week, I had the chance to talk about the more personal nuances and overall charm of Straightlaced with Todd Melby, a Minneapolis local radio documentarian with KFAI. Todd reminds us that the topic of gender and the pressure to conform affects not only young people, but adults also. You can listen to more of my talk with Todd here.

Please become part of what promises to be an inspiring and interesting community event in Minneapolis! For more information about the event or to sponsor the event please visit the event page. See you there!

On the evening of October 29, a group of students, educators parents and social service providers gathered at the Long Island GLBT Community Center in Bay Shore, NY for a screening of and discussion about Straightlaced, facilitated by GroundSpark national Trainer Scott Hirschfeld. Sponsored by the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth’s Safe Schools Initiative and organized by Director of Youth Services Nick Tryling, this event was part of the initiative’s Transgender Voices & Visibility series. To set the stage for the screening, audience members talked with each other in small groups about the messages they received about gender during their growing up years and how those messages impacted them. After viewing the film, participants engaged in a spirited discussion about the limitations of current gender role norms and expectations, and about strategies for increasing awareness about this issue among their students, colleagues and family members. The group found Straightlaced to be both an affirmation of their experiences and an inspiration to work toward more gender inclusive communities for young people.

This creative and inspiring outlet for youth between the 6th – 12th grade is currently accepting applications! The Young Minds Digital Times Film Competition fosters youth film makers to create poignant and powerful films, all the while competing for a variety of prizes. Check it out and spread the word!

For more information, please email info@youngmindsdigitaltimes.com.

A few weeks ago, I received an email from one of the teachers who helped us find some of the students in Straightlaced, letting me know that Bonnie Tinker, the founder of Love Makes a Family in Portland, Oregon had died. Here is an article about the accident. 

Bonnie, who was 61, was hit by a truck while biking in Virginia. I think I first met Bonnie in 2002, when Love Makes a Family helped organize the Oregon premiere of our film That’s a Family! Over the years she also interviewed me for her radio show, and always lent a hand to get the word out about GroundSpark’s work. 

Bonnie was a tireless advocate on many issues, but what I admired about her in particular was her dedication to speaking out about race and its intersection with family diversity issues. I am grateful to Adrienne Ratner for bringing this article to my attention in which Bonnie protested how 20/20 “edited out” the African-American members of her multiracial lesbian-headed family!

We hope to be organizing a Portland screening of Straightlaced in the fall and hope there will be an opportunity to honor Bonnie’s contributions at that time.

GroundSpark Needs Volunteers!

We are looking for a few special people to help with mailings, processing film sales, data entry and database maintenance (must know Filemaker). If you are in the Bay Area and can commit to a few hours per week, please join us!

Please contact Zeena Batliwalla, Development Associate, to get involved.

Every year the CINE Golden Eagle Award is bestowed upon filmmakers as a recognition of excellence in production. Straightlaced was one of the films chosen for the award this year and we are definitely excited about this!

With the West Coast film festival premiere last week at Frameline, the FREE Los Angeles screening at OutFest, and the new CINE Golden Eagle Award, Straightlaced has been causing movement far and wide!