English

Fawn Yacker, USA, 2006, 83 min.

Part of a national campaign to end bias-based bullying and harassment of gay and lesbian youth, this inspirational movie documents the development of the award winning play, Ugly Ducklings, written by Carolyn Gage, takes place at an all-girls summer camp. One of the younger girls, Lisa, is taunted and called a “queer” for sitting too close to her friend, Toni. The counselor on hand watches the incident and does not intervene.

As the play progresses, each character is forced to evaluate her own life, ideals, and behaviors to save one of their own from committing suicide in the face of continued harassment. Ugly Ducklings is an eye-opening and moving? lm on the rarely addressed topic of teen suicide among LGBTQ youth. It is a wonderful resource for students, parents, and teachers interested in making sure that there are support systems available for LGBTQ youth, and a great catalyst for dialogue.