Insights: Queer Youth Defining Our Future

This collection of five nonfiction and fiction gay-oriented shorts is aimed at students and educators (a sixth film, I Don't Want to Go Back Alone, is available on YouTube). In Ellen Brodsky's short, What Do You Know? (VL-5/13), kids aged 6-12 talk about homosexuality, sharing stories of incidents that first brought the word “gay” into their lives and discussing what they think it means. Many of these kids—some of whom have gay parents or siblings—first heard the word as a slur. Several say they've told classmates not to use the word “gay” in a negative way, while others believe that teachers should be the ones who are monitoring. In Evan Roberts's Yeah Kowalski!, 13-year-old Gabe (Cameron Wofford), who has a crush on mature-looking Shane (Conor Donnelly), tries to make himself look older, resulting in an embarrassing episode at a pool party, although Shane proves to be more sympathetic than expected. In Dominic Haxton and David Rosler's Teens Like Phil, however, a crush turns bad when Adam (Jake Robbins) not only refuses to acknowledge Phil (Adam Donovan) in public but even beats him up (this short is more appropriate for older viewers due to the mature content). Rebecca Louisell's Genderfreak focuses on Rachel (Halle Charlton), a straight girl who falls for the androgynous Sammy (Lauryn Whitney), while Melissa Koch's The Infamous T profiles Jonathon, a black teenager who moves to a white LBGT foster home following years of homelessness and overcrowded apartments. A solid anthology centering on gay teens, this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (K. Fennessy)