The Films
- In 2013, A Queer Endeavor produced its first film and accompanying resources, “Breaking the Silence.” Since then, we have used it to center the voices of youth and guide our professional development with teachers all over the nation.
- In 2023, A Queer Endeavor produced its second film, “Reclaiming the Narrative: A Documentary About LGBTQ+ Students” in collaboration with Denver Public Schools.
If you have any questions about purchasing our films, please contact us.
Reclaiming the Narrative: A Documentary About LGBTQ+ Students (2023)
Stories of LGBTQ+ youth often feature a damage-centered narrative, and LGBTQ+ professional development opportunities for educators tend to focus on foundations of learning—pronouns, inclusive vocabulary and all-gender bathrooms. While these are incredibly important subjects, there’s more that’s needed to help educators understand how to develop and nurture relationships with LGBTQ+ students, and how to celebrate the whole LGBTQ+ child. This is why Denver Public Schools and A Queer Endeavor have partnered to create a new documentary, Reclaiming the Narrative: A Film About LGBTQ+ Students.
The hour-long film features the stories and perspectives of 16 students in 13 Denver high schools. While recognizing some of the challenges LGBTQ+ students face in schools, their stories reframe and disrupt detrimental narratives with moments of joy and important insights into students' complex intersectional identities. Students reflect on ways educational systems have historically served to marginalize certain identities and examine how schools might do better.
The Denver Public Schools Culture, Equity and Leadership Team and A Queer Endeavor—a nationally renowned center for gender and sexuality in education based in the CU Boulder School of Education—celebrated the premiere of the film in June 2023 at a private event with educators, students and families. Since 2014, A Queer Endeavor has worked with over 25,000 educators and youth-serving adults through professional learning opportunities. This film will be used in these opportunities as well as in Denver Public Schools.
Rentals available on Vimeo for $20 for a one-week streaming period. If you are interested in other ways to purchase, please contact us.
Breaking the Silence (2013)
- Breaking the Silence: Honoring the Voices of LGBTQ Youth and Allies in Supporting Our Teachers, the feature film, is a 22-minute documentary that explores five central themes: Students Framing the Problem; Teachers’ Fears; LGBTQ Teachers; Teachers’ responsibilities; and Recommendations. Highlighting youth perspectives, this film casts a spotlight on the nature and impact of the problems that must be troubled with respect to gender and sexual diversity (GSD) in school contexts. Students locate the problem in bullying, homophobic language and silence around LGBTQ people and topics that pervades school spaces, and also in teachers’ inaction. Teachers share fears about the limited knowledge they bring to these topics, fears of “saying the wrong thing,” as well as fears of parent pushback and the possibility of getting fired for addressing topics of GSD. LGBTQ teachers talk about the complexities and emotions that surround their own processes of being “out” (or not) at school, and students reflect on how the visibility of “out” teachers can provide crucial support for students who are exploring their own processes of becoming. All participants weigh in to explore teachers’ roles and responsibilities and to provide recommendations that teachers should consider as they move toward creating safer, more affirming schools and classrooms.