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We make films that create change.

Since 1978, GroundSpark, formerly Women's Educational Media, has produced and distributed films and educational resources on issues ranging from environmental concerns to affordable housing to preventing prejudice.

NATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FILM TOUR WILL CHALLENGE GENDER STEREOTYPING AND HOMOPHOBIA AMONG TEENS

Straightlaced,Straightlaced, by Oscar-winner Debra Chasnoff, seeks to enhance gender justice by opening national dialogue among youth and adults

Media Contact:
Ina Howard-Paker
ina@representinc.com
(347) 296-8921

San Francisco, CA, March 10, 2009—GroundSpark, a non-profit that creates visionary films and educational campaigns, is igniting a national dialogue about gender stereotypes and pressures among youth with its new feature-length documentary, Straightlaced—How Gender’s Got Us All Tied Up.

Straightlaced is directed by Academy Award® -winning filmmaker Debra Chasnoff, and is the latest documentary film production from GroundSpark’s highly acclaimed Respect For All Project. The film will be coupled with an educational curriculum and professional development series to train both professionals and youth to challenge these stereotypes.

Straightlaced, which features unscripted high school youth from around the country speaking candidly about harmful pressures caused by rigid gender roles and homophobia is surprisingly uplifting and entertaining. From girls who dumb down so they don’t intimidate boys, to boys who are sexually active just to prove they aren’t gay, to non-conforming teens who face relentless bullying, the students in Straightlaced show how gender expectations are having unhealthy and often dangerous impact on the lives of today’s teens.

Their diverse stories illuminate the complex links between gender stereotypes and homophobia and raise important questions about how differences in race and cultural backgrounds intersect with those issues. Straightlaced shows how all youth are limited by these pressures no matter how they identify, and models ways to build safer and more inclusive youth cultures.

““No matter where we filmed, students jumped at the opportunity to speak their mind about this very taboo subject,” says Chasnoff, who is also GroundSpark’s executive director. “It was shocking to hear that the same pressures that led to the murder of Lawrence King are being intensely felt by all students, all day, every day.”

In early test screenings at high schools in California, students have given Straightlaced two major thumbs up. “I want EVERYONE to see this film,” one 11th grader at Oceana High School in Pacifica commented. “It could really make them think about what’s really going on in schools and in the whole country.”

“Thank you, Thank you. Thank you,” said another. “This film makes me feel honored to be me.”

The film and educational curriculum will be presented in all 50 US states as well as in film festivals and symposia worldwide. Already seen in Atlanta, Greensboro NC, Columbus OH, and San Francisco, Straightlaced is scheduled to screen in Montgomery AL, Laramie WY, Chicago, Garden City and Dodge City KS, New Orleans, Oakland, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Minneapolis, Boston, New York City, and St. Louis. Events are on the horizon in over 55 other locations across the country. For an up-to-the-moment schedule, please see
http://www.groundspark.org/upcoming-screenings.

About Groundspark
GroundSpark creates visionary films and dynamic education campaigns that move individuals and communities to take action for a more just world. Other films include Deadly Deception – which won the 1991 Academy Award® for Best Documentary, It’s Elementary – Talking About Gay Issues in School – which swept the nation as the first film to advocate talking to young children about lesbian and gay people, and Let’s Get Real – the documentary used in bullying prevention programs in thousands of schools across the country.

About Debra Chasnoff:
Debra Chasnoff is an Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work has fueled progressive social-change movements in many fields. She is a the executive director at GroundSpark and co-creator of The Respect For All Project, a program that produces media and training resources to help prevent prejudice among young people. She is an experienced spokesperson and has appeared on programs from CNN’s Situation Room to NPR’s Bryant Park Project.

Debra Chasnoff and many of the teens featured in Straightlaced are available for interviews. Interview information and requests should be sent to the contact listed above. For more information, including a trailer of Straightlaced, please visit: http://groundspark.org/straightlaced

NEW DVD RELEASE RE-IGNITES NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO DISCUSS GAY AND LESBIAN ISSUES IN SCHOOLS

Groundbreaking film It’s Elementary Re-Released on DVD, Includes Follow-up Documentary, It’s STILL Elementary, and New Comprehensive Teaching/Organizing Guide.

Media Contacts:
Ryan Schwartz, Media Relations Coordinator
Respect for All Project, GroundSpark
800-405-3322, ext. 305
rschwartz@groundspark.org

Cathy Renna
Renna Communications
917-757-6123
cathy@rennacommunications.com

San Francisco, CA, February 19, 2008….. GroundSpark – formerly Women’s Educational Media – today announced the availability of the DVD re-release of It’s Elementary – Talking About Gay Issues in School. The first film to show why and how elementary and middle school teachers can facilitate age-appropriate classroom discussions that include awareness about gay and lesbian people, this watershed documentary’s 1996 release catalyzed the national movement to build LGBT-safe schools and sparked a spirited national dialogue.

“Ten years after its original release, It’s Elementary is still inspiring educators to address homophobia and create classrooms where all youth are respected,” says Judy Shepard, whose son Matthew was brutally murdered in 1998 because he was gay. “It should be mandatory for all new teachers if we are serious about raising kids to be free of hate and prejudice.”

The DVD re-released version of the film is accompanied by a new documentary, It’s STILL Elementary, that presents fascinating “where are they now?” interviews with students and teachers from the original film, along with commentary from the filmmakers and other educators leaders who look back at the political backlash the original film received and at the tremendous impact it has had on the American educational system.

“When the film was first released a decade ago, It’s Elementary helped spark a movement to make schools safer places for all children to discuss lesbian and gay people in age-appropriate ways,” said GroundSpark Executive Director and Academy Award®-winning documentary filmmaker Debra Chasnoff. “It’s STILL Elementary proves how having that conversation benefits all students in every classroom, and the guide provides invaluable support to teachers, parents, and university educators to put what the film advocates into action,” Chasnoff continued.

The new 140-page edition of the film’s accompanying guide is based on the stories of hundreds of educators, parents, principals and professors who have used GroundSpark resources to promote understanding and respect for all. The guide is a clearinghouse of ideas and resources for using It’s Elementary to make change on many levels in the classroom, in schools of education, with school boards and within communities.

With the release of the new resources, GroundSpark is working with educators throughout the country to ignite new efforts in creating LGBT-inclusive school curricula.

“More than ten years after its creation, It’s Elementary remains an indispensable and unparalleled resource for school personnel,” said National Education Association President Reg Weaver. “Educators must be proactive about addressing prejudice and bias if students are to stay in school and realize their full potential. The NEA strongly encourages educators to use It’s Elementary as a means of ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment for every child,” Weaver added.

Debra Chasnoff is available for interviews. Requests for interviews and review copies of the resources can be sent to the media contacts above.

GroundSpark creates visionary films and dynamic education campaigns that move individuals and communities to take action for a more just world. The Respect For All Project, a program of GroundSpark, facilitates the development of inclusive schools and communities that are free from bias and prejudice by providing resources, support and training to educators and youth service providers.

Dear GroundSpark supporters,

I have some extremely sad news to share. A 15-year old middle school student in southern California was murdered this week by a 14-year old classmate, who apparently shot him because he didn’t like the fact that the student identified as gay and occasionally liked to dress in feminine clothing. We issued the press statement below and are working to use the media coverage, such as this article that appeared in the Windy City Times, around this tragedy as an opportunity to press for more pro-active anti-bias education for all students, starting in elementary school.

I wish we didn’t have to start the holiday weekend with this news, but I thought you would want to know what’s happening.

Please take good care,

Debra Chasnoff
Executive Director

Gay Middle School Student Killed in Oxnard, CA School Shooting; Hate-Crime Charges Have Been Filed

Statement by Debra Chasnoff, Academy Award®-Winning Documentary Filmmaker, Leading Expert on Creating LGBT-Inclusive Learning Environments

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Today eighth-grader Lawrence King, 15, of Oxnard, CA, was declared brain dead after a school shooting on Tuesday. King was shot twice by a fellow student while in class at E.O. Green Junior High School. Prosecutors are charging the assailant with murder with a hate-crime enhancement. King remains on a ventilator for organ donation. The victim was openly gay and was reported to have occasionally worn feminine clothing and makeup to school. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that King’s peers attribute his attack to his open sexual orientation.

Media Statement by Debra Chasnoff, GroundSpark Executive Director and Academy Award®-winning documentary filmmaker:

“The murder of Lawrence King, a 15-year-old openly gay student at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard, CA, is a terrible tragedy. It is a horrific reminder that harassment of and violence toward gay, lesbian and gender non-conforming students is still a serious problem in schools across the country and it starts at younger ages than most adults realize. We wish we could say we’ve come a long way since 1998 when Matthew Shepard was murdered when he was in college just because he was gay. But now, similarly-motivated hate crimes are occurring in middle schools.

Today, we mourn the loss of this young student and extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends. We also commit ourselves to redoubling our efforts to prevent tragedies like this from ever occurring again. One of the most important things we can do is support educators and parents to pro-actively help young students cultivate understanding and compassion for everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender expression.

Ten years ago we released the educational documentary It’s Elementary-Talking About Gay Issues in School and it helped spark a movement to make schools safer places for all children by encouraging K-8 teachers to weave respectful information about LGBT people into their lesson plans. Ironically, this week we are re-releasing this film because it’s time for a new generation of teachers to get on board to ensure that their schools and classrooms are safe for all students, including those like Lawrence King who don’t fit neatly in a box of the stereotype of how boys are supposed to be. We call on all educators in California, and across the nation, to recognize the seriousness of anti-gay bullying and take appropriate steps to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all their students.”

Debra Chasnoff is available for interviews through the above media contacts.

Listen to interview on National Public Radio