| |
 |
||||||||||
|
 |
|
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR HOUSE
Why did you make the film? I grew up with a lesbian mom after my mother and father divorced and I had a sense of frustration at not seeing families like mine in the media. For years I’ve wanted to make a documentary that would discuss issues that LGBT families face, from the point of view of the sons and daughters. I'd love for kids of gay and lesbian parents around the country to be able to turn on the TV and see some part of their lives reflected in this documentary. What do you hope will come from this film? I'd like to use OUR HOUSE to start conversations about children of LGBT parents. I believe that educating a larger public about our families and being visible will have a positive influence. I know that if no homophobia existed in this world, having gay or lesbian parents wouldn’t be such an issue. I really hope there will be more films, more books, and more shows that represent our families. What do you hope people will learn? There's very little understanding of the lives of children of gay and lesbian parents, and there's a lot of judgmental attitudes out there. That's what creates problems for these kids-- there's nothing inherently problematic about having gay or lesbian parents. I think that people who watch OUR HOUSE will see five very normal families, who are facing the same ups and downs of being a family, along with dealing with the extra pressure of homophobia. How did you find the families? We spent about four or five months searching for families. It was important for me to represent the diversity of our community in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, socio-economics, geography, but also to show different family structures: divorce, donor insemination, blended families, adoption, couples, single parents, second generation sons and daughters, young kids, teens, grown kids, in rural, urban, and suburban environments. COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) was a great help They put the word out among their members and we also reached out to folks through churches, legal advocacy organizations and LGBT community centers. Nearly 300 families responded. I visited with a couple dozen all over the country and then had to make really hard choices about narrowing down a great group to only five. What resources exist for kids of LGBT parents? There are a number of local groups around the country that specifically address the needs of kids of LGBT parents. COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) is a great starting point. At age 30, I’m still a member and I value my connections through COALGE. I believe it’s important for kids of gay parents to have a supportive community. Some of us are lucky to have that in our neighborhoods, cities or towns, but others need to seek that out. There are on-line listservs, pen pals, even yearly gatherings (in Provincetown, MA in August, 2000 and Saugatuck, MI in July) for LGBT families. I encourage sons and daughters (no matter what age) to check out these great resources. Have any of the subjects seen the film, and if so, what is their reaction? All of the families in OUR HOUSE have seen the film and their responses have been very positive. Part of that is because I worked hard to find families who understood why I wanted to make this documentary, and were willing to be open and honest during the process. They’re all sharing the documentary with friends, family and their community and that’s exciting to have them as partners in getting the word out. What projects are you working on now? I'm now producing (with my co-producer, Thom Powers, at Sugar Pictures) a documentary about gun violence. We filmed at the Million Moms March and at the NRA convention. We're working at showing the stories behind the current debate. |
|
|
|||||
 |
||||||||||
