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Screening to raise awareness
about homophobia, transphobia
Young people talk about the stereotypes surrounding gender and sexuality in the documentary “Reteaching Gender & Sexuality,” to be screened on Monday at UB.
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“Norms about gender and sexuality affect and shape all of us, not just people who are marked as different.”
View a trailer for “Reteaching Gender & Sexuality.”
“Reteaching Gender and Sexuality,” a public information event featuring a “queer/trans youth group” from Seattle who created a widely circulated documentary urging a recalibrated way of talking about gender and sexuality, will be held at 6:30 p.m. March 28 in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.
The film screening and presentation are intended to help increase awareness of the unfair stereotypes surrounding sexuality and gender. Organizers from UB’s Wellness Education Services and School of Social Work hope to attract a wide audience, including social workers, teachers, school administrators, parents and activists and advocates of all ages who may be passionate or curious about gender and sexuality.
“The event certainly is focused on gender and sexuality, and ways to combat homophobia and transphobia,” says Laina Bay-Cheng, associate professor in the School of Social Work and one of the organizers of the event. “But I think it is more than that.
“It will also be a chance to challenge the stereotypes and practices that hem us all in. Norms about gender and sexuality affect and shape all of us, not just people who are marked as different.”
The event will feature the members of “Put This on the Map,” a group of activists and media-makers from Seattle who aim to steer the conversation beyond bullying and address the systematic issues and deeper beliefs about gender and sexuality, organizers say.
The event will include a screening of the group’s first pilot documentary, “Reteaching Gender and Sexuality,” an award-winning, 34-minute film that suggests a bold way of looking at these stories of social isolation, violence, fearlessness and liberation.
“I hope that people will come away from the event with a sense that we have nothing to fear—and a lot to gain—from a loosening of rigid roles and stereotypes,” says Bay-Cheng. “What’s more, the audience will be hearing and learning about this from young people, which means it will be a chance to challenge our negative stereotypes about youth, too.”
The event, which will take place in the CFA Screening Room, is a partnership among the School of Social Work and its Student Association, Wellness Education Services, the Institute for Research and Education on Women and Gender, the Graduate School of Education and the Student Wellness Team, all at UB; Gay and Lesbian Youth Services of Western New York; and the Pride Center of Western New York.
Members of the youth group will be joined by filmmaker Sid Jordan and others from the Reteaching Gender and Sexuality Campaign for a discussion, and question-and-answer session about the film. Members of the group also will speak at the School of Social Work’s Diversity and Oppression classes the following day.
“Whenever an issue is the subject of a ‘hot’ social debate, there’s a danger that we never hear the voices of the people who actually live the realities being debated,” says Social Work Dean Nancy J. Smyth. “I think we lose a great deal, as a society, when that happens. Our lack of understanding can result in policies and practices that damage people and our society as a whole.
“As a school of social work, we are especially committed to ensuring that diverse voices are heard, and that we honor the dignity, rights and strengths of all individuals, families and communities,” Smyth adds. “This event is a rare chance to do that, a chance to hear from a group of young people who are almost never given a chance to speak for themselves.”
UB’s screening is part of the group’s national tour “Reteaching Gender & Sexuality,” designed to contribute additional queer/trans youth voices to influence policies and practices that impact LBGTQ youth lives.
For more information or to register for the event, call James Bowman at Wellness Education Services at 645-2837.
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