This Thursday evening’s yoga class will be canceled for this event.

Everything else is as scheduled.

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Students,

This Thursday night there will be a special premier of the documentary, Straightlaced, at The Rialto Cinemas in Santa Rosa and I hope you’ll join my family and me there.

Last year I attended a fundraiser for GroundSpark, the organization that produced Straightlaced and was able to see some clips from the film before it was released.

I was floored by what the young people I saw interviewed had to say about gender assumptions and how their lives are affected by them.

As often happens, what the kids have to say is more profound than anything we could tell them.

The director, Debra Chasnoff, won all sorts of awards for her earlier documentary called It’s Elementary, a ground-breaking film that addresses anti-gay prejudice at the elementary school level. The film has aired on more than 100 PBS stations, and is used as a teaching tool in school districts across the country.

This one-night-only showing of Straightlaced will help benefit GroundSpark and Positive Images, a local organization providing support to LGBT youth in Sonoma County.

Please note: Debra Chasnoff’s particular gift is in making age-appropriate films that both kids and adults find intriguing.

Everyone knows their own child best, but I think the film is appropriate for a kid my son’s age (just 13). I think it’s important that kids get messages about diversity and tolerance along with the basic information about their bodies, the birds, and the bees. If your children are younger or you’re concerned about the content, consider coming without them. It’s just as important that parents, grandparents, teachers, and other adults get the messages this film delivers.

We hope to see you there.

Suzi

p.s. Spend some time exploring GroundSpark’s website (www.GroundSpark.org). There is a lot of good information about their films, and DVDs of this film as well as their others are available. They’re doing good and important work!

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Straightlaced: How Gender’s Got Us All Tied Up is an uplifting and entertaining film, featuring high school youth speaking candidly about harmful pressures of rigid gender roles and homophobia. From girls who “dumb down” so they don’t intimidate boys, to boys who are sexually active to prove they aren’t gay, to non-conforming teens who face relentless bullying, the students in Straightlaced show how gender expectations are having an unhealthy and often dangerous impact on today’s youth.

Special showing:

Thursday, September 24,

Rialto Cinemas

551 Summerfield Road, Santa Rosa

For more information, please contact 707-568-5830

6 p.m. – Reception with the filmmaker

7:15 p.m. – Film showing

Tickets are $10 for the film.

A $25 donation is requested to attend the reception beforehand.

Tickets for kids 18 and under are available on a sliding scale, $15-$10.

Advance tickets are now available at The Rialto Cinemas and at www.GroundSpark.org

CEUs are available for teachers, contact GroundSpark for more information.

Beginning in June, the regular Tuesday evening class will move to 6 p.m. Mondays. Thursday evening will stay as scheduled.

Beginning immediately, morning classes will start at 8:30 and end at 9:45.