Through Our Eyes

Two years ago, we encountered a unique happenstance where two of our Youth Voices were filmmakers, making incredible short films about their experiences as LGBTQ+ youth. And at the same time, one of our Youth Voice Alumni was the subject of a short documentary similarly about their experiences. Our group of young queer leaders came together to watch the films of their peers, and put together an incredible collection of lesson plans to accompany them. 

This EduGuide consists of 3 lessons, each of which corresponds to a short film from one of our Youth Voices. These lessons can be used together to form a unit of study, or they can serve as individual supplements to larger units on civil rights, LGBTQ+ history, identity, etc. We recommend using this guide to inspire larger conversations about queerness and acceptance.

Short Film/Video #1 – “Ben in Bloom,” a short film that tells the story of Ben (now Stella), a non-binary and queer teenager from the contentious Bucks County, Pennsylvania school district. In this film, she weaves a heartfelt tapestry of her past, reliving the moments and people that shaped her into a fearless LGBTQ+ advocate.

Short Film/Video #2 – “a letter to love,” a short film by Violet Chin that explores the struggles of coming out and delivers a powerful message of self-acceptance, love, and the strength of the queer community.

Short Film/Video #3 – “Inbetween,” a short film written and directed by Eli Press-Reynolds that follows Julian, a transgender male teenager who, while struggling to fit in among his cisgender peers, discovers through a trans support group that he doesn’t need to conform to be accepted and understood.

It is truly magical to get to witness the creativity, art, and storytelling of LGBTQ+ youth. It is even more magical for these young people to share their hearts with us in such raw and authentic ways. The magic is tenfold when LGBTQ+ youth come together, witness each other’s art, and create a plan to share this art with others.

And that’s exactly what happened here.

These queer teens know what they want to share with their peers. They know what messages they want you to walk away with. And they’re making it happen through art, film, storytelling, and behind-the-scenes resources, through lessons and activities.

This is a true example of “by queer youth, for queer youth,” and we couldn’t be more excited for it to be out in the world, so you get to witness this magic, too.