How Gender's Got Us All Tied Up

Girls playing football? Boys in the ballet? In many people's minds, those images don't seem quite right. They upset our preconceived notions of gender. But why? Straightlaced: How Gender's Got Us All Tied Up explores those issues from the perspectives of high school teens. The documentary, directed and produced by 
Academy 
Award-winning
 documentary
 filmmaker Debra
 Chasnoff,
 will have its regional premiere at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis next Monday.

"Once people found out that I was in the dance department, some of the first questions that were asked me were if I was gay," said Alex, a student interviewed in the film.  "Um, and I said no, that I’m not." Another student adds, “It sad that guys can’t just have the freedom to do what they want to do,” saying that boys are often constrained to sports activities in high school and mocked if they try other things.

And these rigid gender roles have real impacts in the students lives. Some male students say they have sex at an early age just to prove they aren't gay. Some female students say they underperform in academics because they don't want to be perceived as smarter than the boys. And the boys say they won't date a girl who is smarter than thenm because it's a threat to their masculinity.

"Like, if I'm in front of my friends and she's smarter than me, they're going to start like saying stuff about it, like, ooh, why is she smarter than you and sooner or later she's going to play you out and stuff," said one student.

Eating disorders, anxiety and depression are all things the students said they experienced as they tried to "fit" into expected gender roles among their friends. For the boys, violence was seen as a key way to prove their manhood.

"I hate fighting," said Adam.  "I think it’s one of the stupidest things you can ever do.  But for some reason, um, I still take part in some violent acts."

And Straightlaced brought the message home when talking to the friends of one young man. He wore makeup and acted feminine, and his fellow students ridiculed him for it. And on one night, he killed himself.

Despite the seriousness of the subject matter at times, the film takes a light-hearted tact in exploring the sensitive subject of gender in schools. And there are definitely some silver linings as students go outside those gender roles and be the kids they want to be. For example, one transgender student has found acceptance at her school. Born male, she lives as a female and has a great group of friends and respect in the school. And the other students understood her better than the adults.

The clear message is: Kids will be happy if we let them be who they are going be. There's nothing wrong with the guy who takes ballet or wears makeup or plays football. Or a girl who lifts weights or wears guys' clothes or wants to be a fashion model. When we constrain kids' gender, bad stuff -- like violence, eating disorders and even suicide -- are sometimes the unfortunate result.

Here are the details for the premier:

Straightlaced: How Gender’s Got Us All Tied Up
Monday November 16, 2009
7:30pm (Doors open at 7pm)
VIP reception at 6:30pm with the director precedes the screening

Children’s Theatre Company
2400 Third Ave So, Minneapolis
(adjacent to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts)

Tickets: Purchase online or at the door.
Online orders: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/85167
$15 General admission
$8 Student/educator
$50 VIP (screening + 6:30 reception)