Ready to Talk"Will they think of me the same?" is the question lingering on James' mind as he marches on through the day, not knowing how - or if - he should come out to his friends due to problems with acceptance from his father. However, at school his friends begin to take notice of his odd mood, and they start to ask questions.
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Ready To Talk
Topic: Coming Out to Friends & Family
Directed by Emma B., Written by Isabel D., Edited by Noah F.
Starring Karen C., Richard SW., Johnathan M., Gunnar G.
Coming out is a very important part of people's lives in the LGBTQ+ community, but currently can be dangerous at times. For LGBT youth, it may not be safe if you have family members who are homophobic or generally violent; verbally or physically. Many youth have been kicked/are kicked out of their homes once coming out. The percentage of homeless youth that are LGBTQ+ is surprising and saddening; 1.6 million youth are faced with homelessness a year and 40% of those youth are LGBTQ+. At times, it's not just unsafe for youth, but can be dangerous for adults as well. People shouldn’t have to fear that the people they love will judge them because of a person or group of people they love. It can be very mentally harmful and draining. 39% of the people interviewed say that at some point in their life they have been rejected by a family member or close friend after coming out; 30% said they were physically attacked or threatened, 29% have been unwelcome in a place of worship, and 21% have been treated unfairly by an employer. Almost half (46%) of LGBTQ+ workers are closeted in the workplace.
For our film we decided to go with the idea of a teenager who is struggling to tell people he’s homosexual since from our research, we’ve seen that people in the U.S. often struggle to communicate their sexuality to friends and family whether it’s because of religious beliefs or afraid of not being accepted as proven at The Pew Research Center’s survey results of LGBTQ Americans. We wanted our main character to act closed off and to act like he had something on his mind. We wanted him to show this by avoiding discussion about how he was feeling in any way possible, be it from changing the subject or from factors not under his control, like the school bell. We also wanted to have the characters be clueless to his situation, allowing them to poke and prod at him to try to tell them what’s wrong, eventually erupting into a fiery blaze of emotion with Jame’s monologue. We didn’t want to have him say a simple “I’m gay” after all the prodding they had been doing all day, and instead he gives more of a long description of how his life had been going downhill by not being able to be himself around him, and about his argument with his father the prior night. Contrary to what James thinks would happen, his friends accept and respect him for who he is, and aren’t bothered about his sexuality. According to the Pew Research Center, a survey of LGBT Americans has given us the fact that 56% of people have told their mothers about their sexual identity and only 39% have told their father, lots of people have said that it is difficult for them but few say that it damaged their relationship with their parents. In the last scene of our piece, James addresses his father saying that he’s still going to see him the same way since in the end they will always be father and son.
Works Cited:
“A Survey of LGBT Americans.” Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project, Pew Research Center, 30 May 2020, www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/06/13/a-survey-of-lgbt-americans/.
The Harris Poll. Accelerating Acceptance 2019 Executive Summary, Harris Insights and Analytics, 2019. (https://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/Accelerating%20Acceptance%202019.pdf)
Seaton, Jaimie. “Perspective | Homeless Rates for LGBT Teens Are Alarming, but Parents Can Make a Difference.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 29 Mar. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2017/03/29/homeless-rates-for-lgbt-teens-are-alarming-heres-how-parents-can-change-that/.
“Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Workplace Issues: Quick Take.” Catalyst, Catalyst, 15 June 2020, www.catalyst.org/research/lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-workplace-issues/.
For our film we decided to go with the idea of a teenager who is struggling to tell people he’s homosexual since from our research, we’ve seen that people in the U.S. often struggle to communicate their sexuality to friends and family whether it’s because of religious beliefs or afraid of not being accepted as proven at The Pew Research Center’s survey results of LGBTQ Americans. We wanted our main character to act closed off and to act like he had something on his mind. We wanted him to show this by avoiding discussion about how he was feeling in any way possible, be it from changing the subject or from factors not under his control, like the school bell. We also wanted to have the characters be clueless to his situation, allowing them to poke and prod at him to try to tell them what’s wrong, eventually erupting into a fiery blaze of emotion with Jame’s monologue. We didn’t want to have him say a simple “I’m gay” after all the prodding they had been doing all day, and instead he gives more of a long description of how his life had been going downhill by not being able to be himself around him, and about his argument with his father the prior night. Contrary to what James thinks would happen, his friends accept and respect him for who he is, and aren’t bothered about his sexuality. According to the Pew Research Center, a survey of LGBT Americans has given us the fact that 56% of people have told their mothers about their sexual identity and only 39% have told their father, lots of people have said that it is difficult for them but few say that it damaged their relationship with their parents. In the last scene of our piece, James addresses his father saying that he’s still going to see him the same way since in the end they will always be father and son.
Works Cited:
“A Survey of LGBT Americans.” Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project, Pew Research Center, 30 May 2020, www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/06/13/a-survey-of-lgbt-americans/.
The Harris Poll. Accelerating Acceptance 2019 Executive Summary, Harris Insights and Analytics, 2019. (https://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/Accelerating%20Acceptance%202019.pdf)
Seaton, Jaimie. “Perspective | Homeless Rates for LGBT Teens Are Alarming, but Parents Can Make a Difference.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 29 Mar. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2017/03/29/homeless-rates-for-lgbt-teens-are-alarming-heres-how-parents-can-change-that/.
“Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Workplace Issues: Quick Take.” Catalyst, Catalyst, 15 June 2020, www.catalyst.org/research/lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-workplace-issues/.
