Special thanks to Jan Garbosky, Jan Goodman, Kim Klausner, Beth Reis and Bob Riddle for their thoughtful input into the guide. Funding for the viewing guide was provided by the Ford Foundation. We hope it's a helpful supplement to the voices of the children and educators in the film itself.
Several students have gay or lesbian parents or other family members.
Some students are struggling with their own sexuality. Although your faculty has a commitment to creating a respectful, multicultural environment, you feel that gay and lesbian issues have been invisible. School districts must take a closer look at their responsibility for student safety since several court cases have resulted in school administrators being held liable and required to pay extremely high fees in damages for failing to protect gay students from harassment and violence. Because some educators have begun to teach about gay and lesbian issues and some parents have expressed concern, you want to create a context fo.r discussion. Your school has a general policy prohibiting name-calling or harassment, but the curriculum doesn't include activities to raise students' consciousness about it.