Gender and Sex/uality Studies Certificate LibGuide: Library videos

In fall 2017, the MeToo hashtag shook the planet, sparking an unprecedented wave of sexual assault accusations in the Western world. Today, the storm of virulent misogyny is raging on, flooding our screens with harassment, defamation, lynching, sextortion, the sharing of intimate photographs, rape and death threats. According to the UN, 73% of women are abused online.

The feature-length documentary Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age follows four women and one man whose lives have been ransacked by online violence. What is it like to live with this so-called virtual violence? By closely following the victims in their daily lives, we witness in real time the waves of hate that assail them, the fear that invades their private lives, and the loss of their sense of security in public spaces. Their lives are marred by a loss of confidence and by shame.

One of the goals of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan is to try to improve the rights of women. But that campaign was dealt a blow when the Afghan government unveiled some controversial legislation. The legislation would make many women financially and sexually subservient to their husbands. In this News in Review story we’ll examine why the Afghan government did what it did and look at the angry reaction.

The British suffrage movement is celebrating 100 years of voting for women and looks at what struggles still lie ahead.

Senior CBC News correspondent Susan Ormiston looks at how colleges and universities are navigating the difficult ground of sexual assault on campus and addressing charges that their institutions tolerate a "rape culture." Ormiston examines the steps taken by the University of Ottawa and Lakehead University in the wake of very public sexual misconduct scandals and speaks with young women who have been victimized.

Many of Canada's LGBT seniors fear discrimination in elder care, believing they'll have to once again hide their pride to avoid prejudice.

From preening peacocks to promiscuous primates, what do animals reveal about our own sexual behaviour? Explore how sexual diversity and the experience of pleasure itself may be the key to species survival. Decoding Desire features leading scientists who examine mating behaviours and reveal research that shatters old assumptions about human sexuality.

Thirty years ago, a peek at a Playboy or Hustler centrefold was a rite of passage for teenage boys. Today children as young as ten are viewing hardcore pornography on smart phones. The ramifications for young men and women are both complex and disturbing. Hassan Ghedi Santur explores the long-term consequences of this burgeoning exposure to pornography.

Who were the key women in Canadian history? How well do we know their stories? Moderated by Marivel Taruc, host of CBC's Our Toronto, the panel includes: Pamela Sugiman, Ryerson University; Funke Aladejebi, York University; and Tarah Brookfield, Wilfrid Laurier University.

Powerful, personal and uncensored, The Reckoning explores the most explosive scandal in pop culture’s history: sexual harassment in Hollywood. The film features devastating accounts from a diverse cast and points a spotlight on the irrefutable facts that propelled these seemingly invincible players to be protected and their secrets hidden at all costs. It explores what can be done and if anything can truly change. With explosive interviews and rare, never-before-seen footage, The Reckoning is a definitive film about the abuse of power in a complicit culture.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has issued a historic apology to members of the LGBT community. It's for actions the Canadian government took against them, simply because they were gay. As part of the mea culpa, Ottawa has introduced legislation to clear the criminal records of those convicted of consensual same-sex activity.

This documentary explores the ethical, legal and religious dimensions of the abortion debate. It looks at ancient, medieval, and modern views on abortion through all three of these dimensions.

In Abortion: Stories Women Tell, awarding-winning director (and Missouri native) Tracy Droz Tragos sheds new light on this contentious issue, focusing not on the debate, but rather on women themselves. Centering on the Hope Clinic for Women (just across the Missouri state line in Granite City, Illinois), the film profiles women struggling with unplanned pregnancies, providers who show up at the clinic to give medical care, and activists hoping to sway decisions and lives, offering an intimate window into the lives of women involved in the abortion issue, whose experiences are by turns heartbreaking and tender or bleak and frightening.

Award-winning director Lance Tracy balances serious science with tongue-in-cheek humor to create a documentary scrutinizing the scope and effects of pornography that is informative, compelling, and unsettling. Constructing an experiment to identify attitudinal and behavioral changes that manifest as a result of viewing porn—a study in the manner of the Annenberg School of Communications and California State University studies—Tracy tracks two men, one single and one married, for 60 days. The effects of a 30-day regimen of X-rated DVDs, Internet porn, adult mags, sex shops, and strip clubs, followed by a 30-day readjustment period, are both illuminating and dismaying.

“I think when you are born a woman in Afghanistan,” says Kabul native Noorjahan Akbar, “you are taught every day to hate yourself.” But, as this film illustrates, Akbar is in no danger of falling into that self-hatred trap. The youthful activist counsels victims of misogynist brutality and has helped establish Young Women for Change, an organization dedicated to improving the lives and human rights of Afghan women. The documentary also features a profile of Trudi-Ann Tierney, an Australian producer who creates shows for Kabul’s Tolo TV network. Tierney’s difficulties in promoting a progressive image of women, and even in ensuring the safety of female performers, echo the ongoing hurdles Afghanistan faces as a torn and violent nation.

This video analyzes the links between biological and cultural development in boys, and addresses problems—such as Attention Deficit Disorder and behavioral difficulties in schools—that tend to involve boys.

This video explores conflicting definitions of femininity and what it means to be a girl, and discusses how parents can help their daughters grow into healthy and well-adjusted adults.

This documentary explores the lives of LGBTQ youth in California's foster care system.

Animism is the belief that inanimate objects are sentient beings and that we can communicate with them. This documentary follows people who are finding true, emotional and sexual love with objects.

Sixteen-year-olds Palani and Karthik want to become “ladyboys.” They’re bullied in school and beaten by their families. Their parents would like to see them grow up as normal boys, but they’re falling into the world of the Aravanis dance troupe. Loved as dance performers but hated as homosexuals, they symbolize the inner conflicts of India’s gender culture today.

Artistic expression of alternatively gendered people’s lives reveals a captivating world where gender cannot be defined as simply male or female. This program features New Zealand photographer Rebecca Swan and her images for Assume Nothing, a book that explores the beauty and complexity of gender identity.

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein story, the hashtag #MeToo has inspired millions of women to share stories of harassment in the workplace and culture. Judy Woodruff explores what’s driving the movement with Fatima Goss Graves of the National Women’s Law Center, Melissa Silverstein of Women and Hollywood, Lisa Senecal of Vermont Commission on Women and Leigh Gilmore of Wellesley College.

In Afghanistan, an old tradition allows families without a son to transform one of their daughters into a boy. These little girls, known as bacha posh, spend their early years dressed as boys and are accorded all the privileges and responsibilities of being male—but after puberty, they must revert to the female roles into which they were born. This program follows four girls who temporarily became the sons their parents longed for.

As a child, Norwegian-Turkish filmmaker Nefise Lorentzen sent balloon letters to Allah—messages filled with all manner of questions and concerns. Still looking for answers today, she sets out to examine the status of women within Islam. Traveling to Cairo, Istanbul, and Oslo, Lorentzen has tea with Egyptian feminist Nawal El Saadawi, finds inspiration in the life of 90-year-old author Gamal Al-Banna, conducts an eye-opening interview with a fundamentalist cleric, and searches out her grandmother’s Sufi-influenced spiritual path, which steered clear of extremism and male dominance. As Lorentzen struggles through this maze, she finds that some questions extend beyond Islam and that there is a link between the three Abrahamic religions and the oppression of women.

Society tells us that beautiful women have it all. But beauty can be as much a curse as it is a blessing. In this sensitively filmed program, eight women labeled as beautiful—two pageant winners, an exotic dancer, a former pop musician, a college student, an assistant paralegal, a physician, and an entrepreneur—explore body image issues through their frank stories of how concepts and realities of physical beauty have molded their lives for both better and worse. Objectification, negative stereotyping, insecurity, and vulnerability are recurring themes, as are opportunity and preferential treatment. A study of skin-deep attractiveness, the video offers empowering insights into inner beauty as well.

What ultimately determines a person’s gender? Is it chromosomes, hormones, genitals, or an innate sense of self? In this Telly Award–winning program, five transgendered individuals between the ages of 20 and 50 speak openly about what it has meant to them to be transgendered—their first experiences of gender confusion, life after coming out, family responses, and more. Advice for others who may be questioning their own gender is provided, and the process of sexual reassignment surgery is addressed.

There are any number of self help books that will tell you how to find yourself. But what if truly being yourself involved changing your gender? Would you have the courage to do it? Eleven-year-old Isabelle does. To the world she looked like a young boy. But she knew that she was really a girl. Being Me tells Isabelle’s story and the story of the family, the doctor and ultimately the community that backed her decision to truly be herself. Isabelle’s story is remarkable and inevitably raises many questions for families, doctors and society in general. Along the way, meet other people who've confronted the same feelings and discover that a growing and significant number of children are finding themselves in the same situation.

After the September 11 attacks the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan, citing the liberation of the region’s women as part of the justification for Operation Enduring Freedom. Five weeks later Laura Bush triumphantly stated that “because of our recent gains in Afghanistan, women are no longer imprisoned in their homes.” But had anything really changed? As Suraya Pakzad, director of Afghan Voice of Women put it, “Village men will still trade a daughter for a dog.” In this powerful program Pakzad discusses her country’s ongoing struggle for women’s rights. Viewers also hear from Western policy experts, and from male Afghan officials who deny that social, educational, and economic discrimination against the female half of their population remains a problem.

What is to be done when chromosomal abnormalities or an accident leave a baby with what is known as "ambiguous genitalia"? In this program, ABC News correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman investigates the once-accepted belief that surgical sex assignment would determine gender in such cases. The studies of Johns Hopkins child psychiatrist William Reiner and pioneering medical researcher Milton Diamond—plus testimony from the man known to medical literature as John/Joan—argue that gender comes from the brain, not the body, and that no operation can alter that basic fact.

The Women’s Movement begins to break out of the campuses and urban centers where it originated to affect nearly every man, woman and child in America. In the early 1970s, feminism became a force that reshaped the relationships between men and women in the most fundamental ways. Divorce rates spiked as women chafed under their traditional roles but, where men could adapt, marriages became stronger than ever. With the widespread adoption of the contraceptive pill, women’s sexuality was freed from the constant worry over pregnancy. At the same time, the Movement targeted states’ restrictive abortion laws, culminating in the epochal Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973. Riding a wave of victories, the Movement aimed for the ultimate victory — passage of a constitutional amendment recognizing women’s equality. But, just as passage seemed assured, a conservative backlash led by Phyllis Schlafly doomed the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and put an end to the Movement’s unbroken string of victories. After 1980, the speeches and marches were largely over, but women continued to push for economic and social equality in America.

China’s controversial one child policy may have been abandoned but the forced abortions and sterilizations and harsh punishments for unauthorized pregnancies continue. It remains illegal to have a child outside wedlock, become pregnant under the age of 20 or have more than two children. China holds the world record in abortions with more than 30,000 carried out every day. This unique investigation, filmed over two years, reveals the human cost of China’s strict family planning policies. We follow three women who try and resist and witness on camera the brutality of the system. Meili decides to go into hiding, leaving her village and family, to carry her ‘illegal’ pregnancy to term. Xia, abducted from her home at 6 am and forcibly sterilized, is bringing a historic legal case to hold the state accountable while lawyer Lu Miaoqing is prepared to risk prison to defend the victims of state-enforced birth control.

This brutally honest film exposes what it’s really like to be gay in Russia. It is thought only one per cent of gay people dare to live completely openly in Russia. This film gained unique access to the vigilante gangs that target gay men and women. In one disturbing scene anti-gay activists gather together on a Sunday and go on ‘safari’. Their prey: homosexuals. The abusers are proud of what they do and fear no reprisals from the state. Gay men and women in Russia say new legislation and intolerance in Russia has led to a ‘hunting season’ and they are the hunted. The film contains shocking scenes yet it treats all contributors with dignity and refuses to offer a simplistic solution to complex social tensions.

Or "Coming out of the Closet" as it means in Cameroon, is a criminal offence for the country's homosexuals. But Alice, a bold and intrepid lawyer, is standing alone against a wall of vitriol to defend them. Rejected by their families and imprisoned by their government, the brave individuals that Alice defends can only lead half lives in their own country. This heartbreaking documentary exposes their desperate plight and search for acceptance.

The first feature film on homosexuality from sub-Saharan Africa, Dakan (it means “destiny”) was met with angry protests and heated debate when it was shot in the director’s native Guinea. The film is a contemporary African reinterpretation of the age-old conflict between love and social convention, the story of two men who by coming out become invisible to their society. The men try to deny their sexual orientation to please their families, but eventually accept it, and each other, as their destiny.

Men don’t listen. Women can’t read maps. Men snore more. Women are less likely to have affairs. Should those statements be dismissed as stereotypes, or can we point to tangible discrepancies—behaviorally and neurologically speaking—along gender lines? This ABC News program explores sex differences and the brain circuitry behind them. Presenting an interview with Dr. Louann Brizendine, author of the controversial book The Female Brain, the program covers such provocative topics as teen brain chemistry and development, the ways that sex is discussed in “mixed company,” and the powerful hormones brought on by motherhood. Renowned transgender neurobiologist Ben Barres is also featured.

The status of women in religion is a contentious subject, from the furor in the Anglican Church over female bishops to heated debate about the role of women in Islam. But it hasn’t always been this way. In this three-part series, award-winning historian Bettany Hughes explores the status of women in religion, from 10,000 BC to the contemporary era.

Fashion show runways, photo shoots, the playgrounds of the chic and stylish: this program illustrates the cycles of women’s couture through the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s—and the portrayal of women in the media as they progressed through the postwar decade, the civil rights movement, Beatlemania, the Vietnam War, and the era of women’s lib. Plenty of designer names are dropped, both from then and now, as viewers are presented with a kaleidoscope of relentlessly captivating creations from Europe and the U.S. Whether covering everything or baring all, fashion liberates even as it objectifies.

How will America close the gender gap that exists in technology, to empower female students? Set at Fulmore Middle School in Austin, Texas, this program exposes counterproductive classroom behaviors and presents measures being taken to correct the misperception that computing is a males-only domain. The Director of the Center for Gender Equity, the author of SchoolGirls, the creators of girltech.com and chickclick.com, and others scrutinize issues including equal computer access in the classroom, attitude barriers both in class and out, and efforts to develop software and Web sites that enfranchise female users rather than reinforce gender stereotypes.

In 2014, Cold Fear: Gay Life in Russia revealed shocking footage of a man hunted, trapped, then beaten and humiliated by a group of 30 anti-gay activists in Russia. It was just the tip of an iceberg. Across the world, there is a growing movement to halt the advance of gay rights by direct persecution and support for anti-homosexual laws. The movement has created some unlikely international allies. Now, the team behind Cold Fear investigates the groups and individuals coordinating the campaign. The team crosses continents as it tracks the money, political campaigns and secret meetings to piece together the network. From the antigay agenda spreading across Europe from Russia to the extreme homophobia in Africa sponsored by western evangelists and right-wing Christians – this film reveals that far from the hatred originating from rogue extremists, it is an organized movement with a shared source of funding.

Millions of people have shared personal stories of sexual assault and harassment using the hashtag #MeToo. Now the woman behind the original Me Too campaign, created more than a decade ago, wants to make sure marginalized voices aren't lost in the conversation. Tarana Burke, the founder of the movement, joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the viral explosion of her message and what comes next.

In this program, noted American poet Robert Bly and Bill Moyers explore how men think about themselves, their fathers, their sons, and their roles in society. Bly discusses the need for intimate emotional contact between fathers and sons, and talks about how his own poor relationship with an alcoholic father deprived him of the ability to express grief. He laments the loss of meaningful rites of passage for today’s young males. The influence of male mentors is discussed as important to the nurturing of sound male identity. The male tendency to confuse manliness with physically aggressive behavior is equated with inadequate fathering. The notion of the warrior, instilled in younger men by mentors, is discussed as a character-building element that helps young males recognize behavioral boundaries. A group of men at a workshop share with Moyers their concerns about their own male-to-male relationships, and their confusion over their role in society.

Linda Edington, lecturer and consultant on gender studies, discusses key terms, the impact of language, parental expectations, and more. This video is highly recommended for introductory courses in gender studies and speech communication.

Science is identifying new biological processes that determine a person’s sex. How will these findings affect the transgender and transsexual community? This program explores the latest research into gender development and the medical, cultural, and legal issues at the heart of the “brain sex” school of thought. Showing how human genome research has shifted scientific focus away from chromosomes, the video examines the role of brain receptors and the discovery of the SRY protein, which establishes maleness. Interviews featuring people with intersex and transsexual experiences shed light on how gender identity emerges, and how it figured into one man’s legal battle for the right to marry.

This program focuses on the communication problems that prevent us from understanding the opposite gender. In addition to dynamic presentations of research, the video features interviews with gender communication authors Aaron Kipnis and Elizabeth Heron, as well as college students sharing their frustrations. Highly recommended for introductory courses in communication and gender studies.

In the low-income housing blocks of the Paris suburbs, many residents are Muslim immigrants from Sharia-dominated societies, and their children struggle to find a balance between traditional and Western attitudes. In October of 2002, a local teenager named Sohane was attacked and set on fire, soon dying from her injuries. Her killer’s motive? Sohane had spurned his advances, breaking one of the community’s unwritten rules—women have no right to their own choices and must be “submissive.” With that tragedy as a starting point, this film examines issues of gender equality, human rights, religious freedom, and cultural assimilation in the context of Europe’s rapidly growing Muslim populations. Viewers meet a wide range of young French Muslims, both male and female, with equally wide-ranging attitudes—but a thug-like superiority disguised as religious devotion reigns among the teenage men. The work of Ni Putes Ni Soumises (“Neither Whores nor Submissives”), a women’s activist group formed in response to misogynist brutality, is also a major topic.

Whether it be regarding legalization in the Middle East and Africa or the focus of gay marriage laws in the West, after years of long diplomatic struggle, several world leaders have declared themselves in favor of the universal decriminalization of homosexuality. But victory won’t come easily. The countries that still punish homosexuality refuse to give in to international pressure. This film follows this battle for decriminalization through the lives and work of some of its fearless pioneers in Russia, Cuba, Cameroon, Nepal, and South Africa. Homosexuality is forbidden in almost half of the world and a global revolution is underway to obtain what UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and President Barack Obama call “the final frontier in human rights”—the universal decriminalization of homosexuality.

This seven-part series, Great Speeches: Today's Women, offers important yet often impossible-to-find speeches by contemporary and historically influential women: from Barbara Jordan to Elizabeth Edwards; Margaret Thatcher to Michelle Obama; Sarah Weddington to Lilly Ledbetter; and Condoleezza Rice to Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Go on an intimate and eye-opening journey inside a new frontier. Told from the perspective of parents, doctors, and, most revealing of all, eight transgender kids themselves, ranging in ages from 9 to 19, FRONTLINE takes a powerful look at this new generation, exploring the medical possibilities, struggles, and choices transgender kids and their families face today.

Being gay is illegal in Pakistan. But, despite this, the country has a growing gay scene. So why are gay rights not being addressed here? This is a complicated place, where homosocial behavior, like men holding hands, is common and accepted. In this revealing journey to the country of his birth, presenter Mawaan Riswan talks to the people struggling to assert their sexuality against a complex backdrop. From the activists campaigning for gay rights despite the threat of violence, to the transgender sex worker considering surgery, and the men who identify as straight but enjoy gay sex, Mawaan discovers a fascinating world hidden from public view.

Australia was the fist country in the world to grant full political rights to women. In this film, historian Dr. Clare Wright traces the fight for women’s suffrage in Australia. Years ahead of Britain and the U.S., some Australian women were voting as early as 1838 but the struggle to bring the vote to all women in the country was long and hard. Learn more about this little known story in the history of democracy.

Ahmad is a 24-year-old gay man who is comfortable with his sexual identity. Neil is a 55-year-old gay man hoping to overcome a lifetime of hiding who he really is. This program accompanies the two when they return home with the idea of coming out to family members. Though their lifestyles are different, Neil and Ahmad share the same fears and sensitivities as they consider the impact their news will have on loved ones. Ironically, Neil is the one who eventually reveals his sexuality; Ahmad cannot bear the pain he imagines he might inflict. Filmed with respect for the feelings of both the men and those they come out to, the video provides a candid glimpse into a long struggle for acceptance and stands as encouragement to those in a similar place.

Why are some able to perform tremendous physical tasks, while others cannot? More specifically, why are males able to perform in ways females cannot? This program answers these questions and more by examining and calculating various indicators of physical fitness: percentage body fat, upper body size and strength, VO2 maximum, stroke volume, heart rate, cardiac output, hemoglobin and red blood cell count, and arteriovenous oxygen difference. An ideal anatomical and physiological learning resource for students and teachers of physical education.

A person born with both male and female genitals meets with the surgeon who operated on him as a baby.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, up to 30 percent of women in the military have been raped or sexually assaulted while serving. This ABC News report highlights the Oscar-nominated documentary The Invisible War, and discusses the response of the military. Victims talk about how they were punished but the predators went free, and how the military sees rape as an occupational hazard.

Around the world, battles are being won in the fight for same-sex partners to marry under law and for recognition that gay couples should enjoy the same financial and social benefits as heterosexual couples. However, in Russia, the fight is to stay out of jail or avoid fines for openly identifying as gay. Draconian anti-gay laws are effectively licensing vigilantism as gangs target the LGBT community.

It is an age-old question about what is often called the world's oldest profession. The notion of paying for sex can encompass an incredibly broad range of ideas, from patrons of child prostitutes in Thai brothels to rich Wall Street executives who support their girlfriends in graduate school. But is it morally and ethically wrong—and should it be legally wrong—to pay for sex?

The veil is an object that tends to instigate profound and diverse feelings. Its practice and meaning have been greatly abused throughout history. Within the context of the West the question one might ask: “In a free country, why are women choosing to veil?” In a very intimate and meditative mode, three Muslim women reflect around issues of cultural memory, identity, self-censorship, feminism, politics and media. By appreciating the personal and experiential quality of veiling, this documentary is able to articulate critically and reflexively while challenging its popular perception.

In this provocative three part series Professor Amanda Vickery tells the story of the long war to give women an equal share of power in Britain. It was the Edwardian suffragettes who won the vote but Amanda Vickery reveals that they were part of a much longer struggle that had been going on since the 18th century. She shows how bloody revolution, working class radicals, love-struck philosophers, campaigners in the sex industry and even the humble bicycle all played their part in tackling the most enduring social injustice. It’s a story that puts the battle for the vote at the turn of the twentieth century in its true context and Vickery argues, it’s a war that’s still going on today. In this groundbreaking series Amanda Vickery, with her characteristic enthusiasm, takes us across Britain and deep into the corridors of power, bringing to life the heroic women and (a few men) brave enough to demand equality for all.

During Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions, women artists, lawyers, journalists, citizens and militants marched on the frontline for democracy and freedom. Together with their “sisters” in Israel, Italy, and Morocco, they stood up against dictatorship and social injustice, sexual harassment and objectification, and against the laws that are putting them behind bars. This documentary forms a unique portrait of female activists around the Mediterranean.

Men are marching on Washington, finding religion, taking on new community responsibilities, bonding with each other, weeping openly, and discussing their relationships. Just what are men up to, and what, exactly, has prompted this drastic change in behavior? Some say it is the natural outcome of the feminist movement and the resulting change in male roles. Perhaps. This program profiles the new "men’s movement," explores the various reasons why men become involved, and examines the implications for men and women in the 21st century.

Bill Moyers speaks with Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards about new state abortion regulations, Supreme Court rulings in the Hobby Lobby case, and on abortion buffer zones.

Instinctively, we say there are two sexes. But does this always reflect reality? In this program, Dr. Stephen Whittle argues that it does not. Whittle further contends that society must recognize transsexuals, like himself, and others, like Arthur and Del, who are hermaphrodites—sexual hybrids. Arthur has male and female attributes and wants to keep them in the interest of maintaining his psychic balance and identity. Del, born female, favors her male side and has written a book charting her physical transition to an "inter-sex." A theologian addresses the moral implications of multisexual orientation, while a physician and polygendered people ask: Is sex the same as gender? Are inter-sexes mistakes or part of nature? Do parents have the right to demand reconstructive surgery for their polysexual newborns? A thoughtful and measured investigation of a seldom-discussed and provocative topic.

“I have never identified as female, and this has been an incredible burden for me over the years.” So wrote Caitlin, now Calvin, in the time leading up to his decision to have gender reassignment surgery. In this program, filmed a year after he began transitioning from a female body and a year after marrying his partner Sharon, Calvin and his family share their thoughts on the change and the ways in which it did—and didn’t—affect their relationships.

This critically acclaimed PBS documentary is an uplifting collection of unique, transformative stories and inspiring personal narratives told through the lens of the country's most prominent LGBT figures and pioneers, as well as many average, yet extraordinary, citizens from gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities. The program weaves together diverse stories— from urban and rural America, from the heartland to New England, from San Francisco to Harlem. Deeply moving and often humorous, viewers will get a glimpse of awakenings, first crushes, unlikely soul mates, intimacy, and liberation. While separated by circumstance and upbringing, the film's subjects are all united in their shared experiences of self-discovery, coming out, pride and love as well as a triumph over adversity and a true sense of belonging. Against the backdrop of historical events, each also traces their own hopes, struggles, influences and contributions towards advancements in equality and broad social change.

Established under British colonial rule, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code criminalized consensual sex between adults of the same gender, declaring it “against the order of nature.” On July 2, 2009, the Delhi High Court passed a landmark judgment repealing the antiquated clause, thus fulfilling a basic demand of gay rights activists and bringing closure to an 18-year legal battle. This film follows three members of Mumbai’s LGBT community as they make their way through the city and celebrate the first anniversary of the historic verdict. Through their widely varied personal stories, the documentary explores the reality of living a queer identity in today’s India—a struggle between tradition and change, and a journey towards true equality.

How do sexualized mass media and pornography affect men's abilities to be intimate? This video introduces the viewer to the world of love, sex, and intimacy in the age of virtual fantasies. In this film, 2 men reflect on how mass media and pornography have affected their perceptions of women and relationships.

In this program, Sunny Bergman, a 33-year-old filmmaker, tries and largely fails to rally support for the idea that aging naturally is preferable to Botox and breast implants. Speaking with psychologists, fashion editors, surgeons, and the young women who believe that retouched magazine images are something to emulate, Bergman argues that the media has raised the bar for beauty, working against the efforts of 1970s feminists who encouraged women to accept themselves as they are. The latter portion of the video candidly explores the impact of the porn industry on the rising number of labiaplasties.

This seven-part series—produced by a clinical psychologist and a social psychologist and introduced by Herb Samuels, of the City University of New York—uses interviews to illustrate important and even controversial issues in human sexuality. Openness, spontaneity, and sheer humanity characterize the subjects of these programs as they answer every question with honesty, a remarkable level of positivity, and, at times, a sense of humor. A guaranteed discussion starter.

A lively and thought-provoking documentary investigating the current state of prostitution in the U.K. and looking at young people’s attitudes to the world’s oldest profession. It is legal to buy sex in the U.K., but there is a growing political movement to change that law. Reporter Billie JD Porter asks what the impact would be on those involved—the men who pay for sex, the women who sell it, and the traffickers, brothel owners, and pimps—and she travels to other European countries to see how they deal with it. She asks: What do young people really think about paying for sex? Do men and women feel differently about the issue—and could the most harmful aspects of prostitution be dealt with through better enforcement of existing laws?

A band of brave Jewish women is fighting back for the right to raise their voices at the Wailing Wall. The holy site is the most potent symbol for Jews. But it is dominated by the ultra-Orthodox, who seek to maintain segregation of the sexes and limit the rights of women who want to pray there. This documentary tells how a group of women is challenging the iron grip of the reactionaries and demanding reform. “We want the scroll of independence, not the Dead Sea scrolls,” says Anat Hoffman, leader of Women of the Wall. Each month the ultra-Orthodox react whenever the women raise their voices in prayer. Hoffman has been arrested and is now forbidden from returning to the wall.

From childhood on, biological and social factors combine to shape an individual’s sexual identity. In this program, Ruben Gur, Professor of Neuropsychology at the University of Pennsylvania; sociologist Rhoda Reddock, of the University of the West Indies; philosopher Elisabeth Badinter; historians Arlette Farge and Jennifer Stoddart; and others evaluate gender-related behavioral models from a variety of times and places, ranging from ancient Babylon to the contemporary U.S. Other topics include the shifts in female status that have accompanied society’s evolution from hunter/gatherers, to farmers, to industrialists.

Categorizing others is a part of human nature, and even as infants we divide the world into two groups—male and female—to help organize our reality. But when these stereotypes are used to make assumptions about a person’s character and value, they become gender bias or outright sexism. This program illustrates some of the commercial, cultural, psychological, and sociological forces that have shaped sexual stereotypes in the media, such as demographic segmentation and the selling of gender, the myths of alluring femininity and rugged masculinity, Jungian personality archetypes, consensus reality, stereotype threat, the hegemonic forces of agenda setting and mainstreaming, body image dysfunctions, and the theory of the male gaze.

In recent years, a growing group of illegal prostitutes from West Africa has settled in the suburbs of major cities both in the Netherlands and in the rest of Europe. The women go there in order to escape poverty, but for most of them, the European adventure is a disappointment that ends when they fly back to Nigeria empty-handed. The film listens to these women talk about their European adventure and shows the development of two women who, after returning to Nigeria, try to build a new life. There are countless obstacles. Time and again they are confronted with a merciless society in which there seems to be no room for them. The film is not only a plea for their resilience but also an expression of it. Music, as a source, pleasure and beauty plays an important role in the lives of women and also in the film, with songs especially composed for it by Nneka, one of Nigeria's best singer/songwriters.

Suspenseful, deeply engaging and heart-wrenching, The Strange History of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell illustrates the tumultuous evolution of a controversial policy which fostered hate and intolerance within the military – and undermined the very freedoms American soldiers fight for – by forcing gay and lesbian soldiers to lie and live in secrecy. In 1993, President Bill Clinton, trying to deliver on his election promise of lifting the ban on gays in the military, encountered vehement opposition that resulted in the compromise legislation, known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” This 80-minute documentary examines the torturous consequences of the policy and the fight to repeal it – a battle that would last 17 years, span three presidencies, and result in the discharge of 13,368 active service members. Shot during the final 15 months of the law prior to its repeal, the film includes archival news footage and interviews with over 70 key players, from policy experts to Pentagon personnel, as well as personal accounts by a number of actively serving gay soldiers (who are obscured from the camera’s view, as speaking about their sexual orientation would be in violation of Don't Ask, Don’t Tell).

From producers Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner (HBO’s Girls), Suited tells the story of Bindle & Keep, a Brooklyn tailoring company that looks beyond the gender binary, creating custom-made suits for gender non-conforming and transgender clients. Clothier duo Rae Tutera and Daniel Friedman take a holistic approach to their work, considering each client’s personal narrative, which becomes inextricable from the creation of the perfect suit. Among those who share their unique stories are a transgender man preparing for his wedding, a New York City cab driver looking to feel comfortable for a big birthday, a young law student struggling through job interviews, and a 12-year-old trans boy whose bravery is only rivaled by his nervousness about looking good for his upcoming Bar Mitzvah. A modern, evolved look at gender through the conduit of clothing, this illuminating documentary elucidates the private and emotional experience that those who struggle with gender identity go through when it comes to fashion. With heart and optimism, Suited spotlights the intimate journey of coming into a new identity, accepting difference, and living bravely in one's own skin, underscoring the important message that one size truly doesn’t fit all.

When someone changes his or her gender expression, who must make the greater adjustment—the transgendered individual or the surrounding community? This program explores the impact of gender transition on friends, coworkers, and family members as they react to a loved one’s “switch” and must now examine their attitudes about sex roles in mainstream society as well as in their personal lives. The primary focus is the experience of the film’s producer during his transformation from female to male. Frank, heartfelt, and entertaining, Switch aims to open up dialogue and shed light on the continuum of gender identity.

Marlon Riggs' essay film gives voice to communities of black gay men, presenting their cultures and perspectives on the world as they confront racism, homophobia, and marginalization. The film was embraced by black gay audiences for its authentic representation of style, and culture, as well its fierce response to oppression. Tongues Untied has been lauded by critics for its vision and its bold aesthetic advances, and vilified by anti-gay forces who used it to condemn government funding of the arts.

Nigeria is a hub for human trafficking. Victims are transported to 33 countries, mostly as part of the $100 billion dollar sex trade. The documentary underlines the human costs behind the statistics. Its tender, devastating interviews reveal an all-too-common tale: African women turned prostitutes spend years paying off their trafficking debt in Europe. Few ever escape the shackles of their nightmarish ordeals and many find turning traffickers themselves is the only escape.

If the challenges and complexities of a transgendered lifestyle are hard for some people to identify with, firsthand accounts of those experiences may be the best means of creating more understanding. This program features real-world portraits of individuals from the transgendered community—men and women describing for the camera what they’ve gone through and, in other scenes, going about their daily lives. Namoli Brennet, a singer-songwriter, talks about audience perceptions and overcoming barriers through music, while a student reflects on awkward school experiences, compassion from a grandparent, and upcoming sexual reassignment surgery. Transgender activists Pauline Park and Mara Keisling also share their insights.

Many people confuse the concepts of sexual orientation and gender identity. Gender identity is the term describing your sense of your gender expression – do you identify as male or female or both or neither? Matt and Denise are F to M and M to F persons who are transgendered. They give insight into their transitions and their lives. Cailynn and Chris use “gender queer” and “agendered” to describe themselves. Where do you fit on the gender continuum?

This ABC News program featuring Diane Sawyer made contact with prostitutes—impoverished street hookers, high-end escorts, legal working women in the trade—and the johns who pay them to learn firsthand how this underground world, hidden in plain sight, functions. Topics include the expansion of escort services and massage parlors onto the Internet, legalized prostitution in Nevada at the deluxe Moonlight Bunny Ranch, and society’s tendency to target prostitutes for arrest more frequently than their customers. The relationship between drug addiction and prostitution, codependency between prostitutes and pimps, and life-threatening dangers faced by prostitutes are also considered.

Exploring a clash between sacred customs and contemporary athletic aspirations, this program follows an Iranian women’s soccer team daring to push traditional limits and pursue victories both on and off the field. Interviews with players and their families are combined with commentary by supporters of the sport as well as cultural leaders in the wider region who convey various opinions about its prospects. Specific topics include: what it’s like to play soccer (or football) with a chador, or headscarf; the team’s rigorous preparations for an overseas trip; the construction of sports facilities in the Middle East; perceptions of female athletes within male-dominated Iranian society; and more.

In this feature documentary, a remarkable group of young Afghan women dream of representing their country as boxers at the 2012 Olympics, embarking on a journey of both personal and political transformation.

This feature documentary explores the state of prostitution laws in Canada. It captures the complexity of the issue by listening to the frequently conflicting voices of sex workers, policy-makers, lawyers, and even the male buyers who make their argument for why prostitution is good for society.

Paul Cowan's film captures the spirit of the legal battle over abortion waged by Dr. Henry Morgentaler in Quebec and in federal courts between 1970 and 1976. Using a combination of newsreel footage, interviews and re-enactments, this docudrama unravels the complexities of the case that began as a challenge to Canada's abortion laws and turned into a precedent-setting civil rights case.

This feature documentary delves into the rich history of Canadian queer women’s experiences in the mid-20th century. Compelling, often hilarious and always rebellious, the women interviewed in this film recount stories about their search for the places where openly gay women gathered in urban centres. Contemporary interviews, archival footage, and a stylized fictional narrative based on the pulp novels of the 1950s are woven throughout this simultaneously funny, heartbreaking, and empowering film. Forbidden Love brings an important and empowering history of lesbian sexuality in Canada out of the closet.

This short documentary explores homophobic language and its consequences among teenagers. Name-calling and cruel language hurt, say the teens who speak in this video. Homophobic language is a common verbal put-down among young people, but many adults feel uncomfortable responding. This video is a tool for teachers, counsellors and youth groups to explore the origins of the words, how young people feel about them and how to overcome the pain they cause.

This feature documentary tells the stories of 5 asylum seekers who flee their native countries to escape homophobic violence. They face hurdles integrating into Canada, fear deportation and anxiously await a decision that will change their lives forever.

In this feature-length documentary, 11 male sex-trade workers are followed over the course of a year. They share their struggles to survive alcohol and drug-related addictions, abuse and stigmatization – but most of all, their troubled pasts.

This short film documents an intimate conversation between a mother and her adult daughter on the subject of abortion. They speak candidly about their personal experiences in trying to obtain the procedure, and how, in different decades – before and after the 1969 amendment to the federal law – each got caught up in the system and its rules. A useful discussion-starter on the complex issues relating to abortion.

In this feature documentary-musical by Chelsea McMullan, indie singer Rae Spoon takes us on a playful, meditative and at times melancholic journey. Set against majestic images of the infinite expanses of the Canadian Prairies, the film features Spoon crooning about their queer and musical coming of age. Interviews, performances and music sequences reveal Spoon’s inspiring process of building a life of their own, as a trans person and as a musician.

This provocative documentary uncovers a lost chapter in Canadian military history: how the Armed Forces dealt with homosexual behaviour among soldiers, during and after World War II. More than 60 years later, a group of five veterans, barely adults when they enlisted, break the silence to talk about how homosexual behaviour "was even more unmentionable than cancer." Yet amidst the brutality of war, instances of sexual awakening among soldiers and officers were occuring. Initially, the Army overlooked it, but as the war advanced, they began to crack down: military tribunals, threats of imprisonment, discharge and public exposure. After the war, officers accused of homosexuality were discharged. Back home in Canada, reputations and careers were ruined. For the young men who had served their country with valour, this final chapter was often too much to bear. Based on the book Courting Homosexuals in the Military by Paul Jackson.

This feature documentary is a study of the sex trade, a reality that has expanded worldwide to become a true industry, both online and off, over the course of the past few decades. Part investigative report and part editorial, the film is a foray into a brutal world whose key players trivialize the impact of their actions by claiming that prostitution is simply a service like any other. But who’s really benefiting? To meet customer demands and keep this lucrative business rolling, unscrupulous pimps and sex traffickers target women and girls, who are afraid to speak out. High-end and street prostitution, escort agencies, massage parlours, strip clubs, the porn industry, sex tourism - the sex trade is sprawling, and has even spread beyond major urban areas. Behind the glowing signs of clubs and bars and on various websites, men are paying for sex and buying the consent of the women. With incisive comments from experts and enlightening interviews with people who have left or are still in the sex trade, the film takes a behind-the-scenes look at this industry to reveal a modern form of slavery.

This feature documentary by Atif Siddiqi follows the performance artist and filmmaker in a lifelong self-examination that is at times endearing and funny, at times troubling and heartbreaking. Siddiqi struggles against social stigma and the disapproval of his conservative Pakistani family as he explores his sexuality and his gender identity. As family history and personal trauma interfere with Siddiqi’s desire to find love, and as the delicate balancing act of Siddiqi's life seems to unravel before the lens, childhood memories take centre stage. Melding documentary footage with personal history and performance art, Solo honours the fragility of self-discovery. The film sheds new light on the necessity for art and its saving grace, and shows how personal demons must be faced as we learn to trust ourselves and others.

Feminism has shaped the society we live in. But just how far has it brought us, and how relevant is it today? This feature documentary zeroes in on key concerns such as violence against women, access to abortion, and universal childcare, asking how much progress we have truly made on these issues. Rich with archival material and startling contemporary stories, Status Quo? uncovers answers that are provocative and at times shocking.

In this short documentary, a succession of black and white photographs provides a gritty look at juvenile prostitution and at the young people, male and female, struggling to get off the streets. Highlighting the links between being sexually abused as a child, loss of self-esteem, and turning to the streets, the film quickly dispels the images of glamor and big money usually associated with prostitution, and shows the positive efforts of child-care workers to help juvenile prostitutes find a way out.

This documentary explores and debunks myths about male homosexuality. Examining relationships between men - from long-standing monogamous partnerships to brief encounters - the film features men of all ages talking openly about their sexuality and the challenges of self-acceptance in a straight, often homophobic society. Drawing from intimate interviews as well as action scenes ranging from a steamy dance floor in Montreal's gay village to a gay ex-policeman lecturing to future officers, When Love is Gay brushes a realistic portrait of an evolving gay culture.

In this cinema vérité documentary, director Rosie Dransfeld captures the gritty and dangerous world of Edmonton's sex trade workers where, in a post-Pickton era, women now voluntarily provide police with DNA samples for future postmortem identification.

This feature film in two parts is an exploration of the women’s suffrage movement. Spearheaded by women like Emmeline Pankhurst, founder of the Women's Social and Political Union, the Suffragettes realized they would have to become radical and militant if the movement was going to be effective. There followed many demonstrations, and imprisonments until the women’s vote was finally granted, in 1918 (Britain) and 1919 (Canada, except Quebec).

A tribute to the late Pat Schulz, a feisty working-class heroine. Known since the '50s for her battles for human rights and her fight for workers' rights in the labour movement, Schulz became one of Toronto's most respected feminists. She led the struggle for day care, equal pay, and other issues central to the women's movement. By focusing on her life, this documentary gives a historical view of the women's movement: its roots, the early issues, current concerns, and emerging directions.

This feature documentary breaks with the sensationalistic media coverage of the Middle East by documenting the everyday lives of same-sex Palestinian-Israeli couples. Faced with the modern injustices of work visas, checkpoints, harassment and prejudices, these brave individuals resist oppression and take small steps each day to build a sense of peace, mutual respect and hope. Filmmaker Elle Flanders draws on her own story of growing up with Zionist grandparents who were intimately involved in the founding of the state of Israel. Their haunting archival home movies evoke an idealized Israel of the 1950s and summon larger questions about humanity, conflict and nationalist aspiration.