VISIBILTYVISIBILITY TH THROUGH GHACTIVISM ACTIVISM THROUGHTHE LEGACY OF VITO RUSSO A VISIBILITYPhoto by Rick GerharterT ACTIVISMCurriculum & Action Guide V VISIBILITYTABLE THROUGH ACTIVISM OF CON The Legacy of Vito Russo TABLE OF CONTENTS About the Film ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::3 How to Use this Guide :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::4 Key Terms ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::5 Tips on Facilitating Conversations ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::6 CURRICULUM Overview :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::7 Activity 1: Valuing Who You Are ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::9 Activity 2: History of Intolerance of LGBTQ People in the U.S. ::::::::::::::::11 Activity 3: LGBTQ Activism in the 20th and 21st Century ::::::::::::::::::::18 Activity 4: National and International Vestiges of Oppression :::::::::::::::20 Activity 5: Historical Context and Who Controls the Screen :::::::::::::::::22 Activity 6: GLAAD’s Vito Russo Test & Beyond ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::23 Activity 7: Big Media and Big Personalities, Changing Hearts and Minds :::::25 Activity 8: A Decade of HIV/AIDS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::27 Activity 9: Where Are We Today with HIV/AIDS? ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::30 ACTION GUIDE Overview :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::31 Action A. Politics You Can Dance To :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::32 Action B. Make Your Own Our Time ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::33 Action C. Host Your Own Film Festival :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::35 Action D. Make An Impact! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::36 Resources for Teachers :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::37 National Resources :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::38 Acknowledgements :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::39 Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts :::::::::::::::::::::40 www.frameline.org/youth-motion 2 VISIBILITYABOUT THROUGH ACTIVISM THE FILM The Legacy of Vito Russo ABOUT THE FILM Frameline’s Youth in Motion DVD Visibility through Activism: The Legacy of Vito Russo features Jeffrey Schwarz’s full length feature documentary Vito, along with professionally developed educational curriculum designed for use in Gay-Straight Alliance meetings and classrooms for instruction in U.S. history, government, and civics courses, media studies, and health. Emmy® Award-winning documentary Vito paints a touching portrait of groundbreaking activist Vito Russo, and his historic struggle for equal rights for the LGBTQ community. In the aftermath of the Stonewall riots of 1969, a newly politicized Russo found his voice as a gay activist and critic of LGBTQ representation in the media. Russo went on to write The Celluloid Closet, the first book to critique Hollywood’s portrayals of LGBTQ characters on screen. During the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, Russo became a passionate advocate for justice via the newly formed ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power). Using archival footage and interviews with Russo’s beloved friends and family, Vito chronicles Russo’s bold and unapologetic activism, which continues to impact the LGBTQ movement of the 21st century. Youth In Motion is funded in part through the generous support of the Bob Ross Foundation and an anonymous donor. www.frameline.org/youth-motion 3 VISIBILITYHOW THROUGH ACTIVISM TO USE T How to Use this Guide Why is LGBTQ-Inclusive Curriculum Important and Necessary? Incorporating LGBTQ history and culture encourages all students to think more critically about the world, helps to create safe and affirming communities for LGBTQ students and families, and has the power to transform lives. Consider downloading GSA Network’s Implementing Lessons that Matter: The Impact of LGBTQ-Inclusive Curriculum on Student Safety, Well-Being, and Achievement1 and GLSEN’s Teaching Respect: LGBTQ-Inclusive Curriculum and School Climate.2 These documents provide hard data and contextualize curricula as part of efforts for improved school safety, decreased bullying, and higher achievement across various schools and amongst all students, not only LGBTQ students. How to Use this Guide in Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) By watching these films in GSAs, students can delve further into the materials and contextualize them more directly within their lives and current affairs. There are even tips on how to take further actions after seeing the films. We know each GSA is different, so adapt the activities however you want! How to Use this Guide in Classrooms Because we’ve designed these guides to link with Common Core State Standards (CCSS), teachers can use these materials as part of their regular curriculum. Whether teaching middle school, high school, or even college-level courses, the resources in this packet can help to contextualize LGBTQ history and activism through a modern lens. See page 40 for information on how this curriculum fits into CCSS. Approaching the Material Addressing LGBTQ-related topics at school, whether in the course of classroom instruction or during a club meeting, can raise controversy. Before screening these films, it is important that you know your rights and responsibilities. In California, teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity is not only protected but is mandated by legislation. However, laws vary from state to state. Please refer to our resources page for more information. It is highly recommended that teachers/advisors view this film prior to introducing it into the classroom. Some language and subjects in Vito can be challenging for students, parents, and community members. Teachers/advisors should consider the age and maturity of students, the support of administrators at their school, as well as the screening setting, before showing Vito, or clips from the film. 1. www.gsanetwork.org/news/blog/how-you-can-implement-lessons-matter/01/09/13 2. www.glsen.org/learn/research/national/teaching-respect www.frameline.org/youth-motion 4 VISIBILITY THROUGHKEY ACTIVISM TERMS Key Terms For students, teachers, and parents, it can be intimidating to jump into conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity without knowing the correct terminology. Use the Key Terms below to learn more about the terms used throughout this guide, and in the film Vito. Bisexual: A person who is attracted to males and females. Heterosexism: The belief or assumption that heterosexuality is the only normal or acceptable sexual Cisgender: Refers to people whose sex assignment at birth orientation. Heterosexism is also the systematic devaluing corresponds to their gender identity. of homosexual/bisexual/queer identities and relationships, Coming Out: The process of recognizing and through numerous laws, cultural norms, and social acknowledging non-heterosexual and/or transgender expectations. identity to oneself and then sharing it with others. This Heterosexual: Refers to cisgender men who are attracted process usually occurs in stages and can be a life-long to cisgender women, and cisgender women who are process. attracted to cisgender men. The word “straight” is used as Gay: Refers to any person who is attracted to members of a synonym. the same gender. However, it is usually used to describe Homophobia: A term often used generally to describe a men (e.g., “gay men”). strong negative bias toward LGBTQ people, but the term Gender: An individual and social understanding of “anti-LGBTQ bias” is more inclusive. someone (or something) being masculine, feminine, or Homosexual: Refers to a person who is attracted to some combination of the two. Gender is distinct from members of the same sex. Typically, however, the biological sex (male and female) and covers a wide range of synonymous term “gay” is used. (When referring to people issues that affect everyone. today, the term homosexual is considered derogatory. Gender Binary System: A social system that requires that When used to describe behavior, the term “same-sex” is everyone be raised as either a boy or girl (dependent on the preferable.) sex one is assigned at birth) which in turn forms the basis Intersex: A general term used for a variety of conditions for education, job expectations, behavior norms, fashion in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual choices, gender presentation, and who one should be anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of attracted to/love/marry, etc. female or male. The term “hermaphrodite” is considered Gender Expression: The way a person expresses his or her derogatory. gender through gestures, movement, dress, and grooming, Queer: Originally used as an insult for being different, regardless of biological sex (also sometimes referred to as the word has more recently been reclaimed as positive by “gender presentation”). many LGBT people. It is currently being used by many gay, Gender Identity: A person’s understanding, definition, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons to describe their or experience of their own gender, regardless of biological pride in being different, and also serves as a broader term sex. to define those who are not heterosexual or cisgender, but may not easily fall into a “L”, “G”, “B” or “T” category. Gender Nonconformity: Not expressing gender or not having gender characteristics or gender identity that Sex: One’s biological assignment as male, female, or conform to the expectations