Family Restaurant, film for kids with gay / lesbian parents

Boing Boing pal and periodic guestblogger Andrea James sends word of a cool and worthy project she's doing, and raising funds for via Kickstarter: "Family Restaurant," a film for children whose moms and/or dads are LGBT.

"There are very few family-friendly films where kids with gay or lesbian parents can enjoy a fun story that reflects their own lives," Andrea says, "I think it's going to be pretty cute and a teensy bit controversial. All art is political!"

From Andrea's project description:

"Family Restaurant" celebrates young children with gay or lesbian parents. It shows them a magical world filled with cute characters who reflect their family lives. Set in a family restaurant, it features talking ketchup and mustard bottles among the colorful residents of the diner. It has a mix of puppetry and actors, including a number of real children with gay or lesbian parents.

I serve on the Board of Directors of Outfest, a prominent LGBT film festival. Each year, Outfest has a family day for children to watch movies, but there are very few family-friendly films where these kids can enjoy a fun story that reflects their own lives. It's time to make something specifically for these wonderful children, with a story that's charming enough to appeal to all young people.

Pitch in or learn more here.

• [willie imara johnson]

  Great idea, will support. This movie will I hope normalize the idea of Lesbian and Gay couples with children, and allow kids to see something similar to their home life portrayed in the media. 

• [Christopher]

  I love the idea of supporting this, especially since, depending on where it’s screened, it’s going to be more than “a teensy bit controversial”. After all I live in Tennessee, where legislators are pushing the infamous “don’t say gay” bill on schools. This bill would, among other things, prevent children of same-sex couples from talking about their parents in school.

  George Takei, bless his heart, has suggested that we instead “say Takei”. On the one hand I think it’s ridiculous we’d have to resort to such measures, but on the other I love the idea of a school library with a copy of Heather Has Two Takeis.

  • [marilove]

    The world is such a better place because George Takei is in it.

• [oasisob1]

  sadly it won’t get a family-friendly rating, because of the content.

• [BettyWu]

  I would love to support this as I love the concept.  However, the movie looks truly awful. 

  • [Jackson]

     I wish I didn’t agree with you, but geez.

• [dfdfd]

  What I don’t get is what is the money for?  I mean anyone with a camera and a computer already has everything they need to make a film like this.

  • [llazy8]

    It’s for all that LUBE and PERVERSION! Nah, really, even with a homemade film, there’s probably costs related to producing news releases and those involved traveling to screenings and giving talks, crap like that.  

    From the project website: 

    “Due to the amazing response, we are looking past our bare minimum goal to a new fundraising goal of $10,000! If we make that, we will be able to film in a larger space and have even more LGBT families and their children in the film! We will also get a much better cinematographer than yours truly and have much better puppets and props. Please help us keep our momentum for this important and exciting project.”

    There you have it- renting a space with pro lighting, flying in gay and lesbian families, making puppets and hiring a cinematographer.  Surely then there’s editing and subtitling in various languages, a soundtrack and making the ketchups cuter with CGI.

• [anondrea]

  But but but… talking ketchups? I wonder if there’s anything in the Bible prohibiting loquacious condiments?

• [Jamie Adam]

  Fun! What a great way to counter all the repugnican nonsense about children in gay/lesbian homes. It raises awareness, is funny, and has talking ketchups! 

• [marilove]

  Or, maybe not relying on gender stereotypes, and gender normes that are mostly based on those gender stereotypes, will mean living in a better world where people are free to be who they are without judgement.

• [marilove]

  Additionally, the gender someone feels not matching what the sex their genitals are, is not a new phenomenon.  This has been happening since the beginning of time. Not to mention intersex individuals, or others who have different chromosomes from the “norm” (that may not match their genitals), etc. It’s not as simple as you clearly wish it to be.

  And, it might help to learn the proper terms (gender vs. sex) before trying to speak with authority about the subject.

• [Wreckrob8]

  Sexual desire is not a mental phenomenon no matter what people may feel it is a bodily phenomenon. The body is ignorant of mental distinctions we might make about gender and therefore is free. The Church says sexual desire is purely mental and so can be conditioned and controlled.

• [marilove]

  Well, I don’t know that we can ALWAYS separate sexual desire from the brain, but they aren’t as connected as people think they are.

  Just consider this:  Women who are raped, even those who do not wish to be raped, even those who are deadly afraid, may still have their bodies respond to the rape, and may even orgasm.  This can be VERY traumatizing and hard to reconcile.  It does NOT mean they enjoyed it; it just means they had a physiological response to the stimulation. This also explains how men can be raped by being forced to penetrate someone/something against their will, and why they can still get an erection even if they are horrified by what is happening.

  Anyway, what you said.  Even though now we’re totally off-topic. :D

• [Wreckrob8]

  I was going to add that the non-consensual evil stuff is a problem of fantasy which is a product of the mind and interferes with normal body/brain functioning which always requires consent. I think psychologists are seriously confused here as fantasy is not the same as a healthy imagination.