As If It Matters

Nine youth wrote, directed, produced, and edited “As If It Matters: Six stories beneath the surface,” a 25 min. video that voices the actual stories we see in our everyday lives. It deals with issues of homophobia, cultural acceptance, body image, relationships, and labels through the stories of six students at one high school over 24 hours.

 A Message from the Artists:

“ ‘As If It Matters’ is intended to spark dialogue, increase the visibility of LGBT youth experiences, and inspire people to take action against discrimination and harassment in their communities and schools. We hope this video will create positive change in how LGBT youth and their peers are treated in schools across the U.S.

“We came together to create this video through Free Zone, an arts for social change program of GSA Network and LYRIC (Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center). We collaborated with TILT (Teaching Intermedia Learning Tools) for media literacy and video education. The Free Zone class was made up of 9 youth and 4 facilitators that met throughout the summer of 2001 to discuss oppression and power and encompass our learning into our script writing and other forms of pre-production. We then shot, directed, and edited those thoughts into something that we feel honestly represents us and the stories we have to tell.”