What Do You Know? Six to Twelve Year Olds Talk about Gays and Lesbians

Featuring candid comments from children ages 6-12 from schools in Alabama and Massachusetts, What Do You Know? poses onscreen questions that ask kids what they think about homosexuality. Interviewees describe the first time they heard the word “gay” (one says the school bus, another mentions “I Feel Pretty”), discuss the meanings of the word (most participants talk about love, or have heard it used as a slur), and share their feelings about the subject (one student said people told her that they “feel sorry for you” about her gay sister, another kid wears a “Got Moms?” T-shirt). What Do You Know? features some giggling and a surprising amount of understanding about being different, while also interviewing some students—very honest ones—who are remorseful, admitting that they've used the word “gay” as an insult themselves, or haven't stopped others. Also including a segment in which teachers talk about how they handle related issues in the classroom, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Williams-Wood)