| Fenced Out |
| Directed By:
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Paper Tiger Television With The Neutral Zone and Fierce!
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| Produced In:
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USA, 2001
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| Running Time:
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28 minutes
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| Genre:
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Youth-Produced Documentary
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| Language:
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English
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| Themes:
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LGBT, Youth-Produced
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| Distributor:
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Paper Tiger
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Synopsis:
FENCED OUT documents the fight for the Christopher St. pier - one of the only
places in New York City where youth of color, low income, homeless, and LGBTQ
youth can hang out. In the summer of 2000, fences are built right on the spot
where the kids have routinely congregated to prepare for the construction of a
new state park. By the summer of 2001 most of the space has been taken over by
this development. Not only are city developers interested in "fencing out" the
kids, but neighbors with apartments overlooking the water want these kids to
leave as well. The youth have noticed an increased police presence that is not
intended to keep them safe but as one officer tells the youth producers quite
bluntly, "You are lowering the property value." At first, upset that they will
lose the piers, the producers of the documentary interview local queer youth
about the importance of the piers in their lives. To further explore their
connection to the piers, the producers also interview older LGBT activists
about the history of the piers and its connection to the gay liberation
movement of the 60s. In turn they become more politicized and see how their
struggle to save their public space connects to a larger historical and social
movement. As the video comes to a conclusion, the young filmmakers' anger and
sadness about losing the piers develops into a plan of action to save
them.
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Links:
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- To Learn More about Paper Tiger Television, visit the Paper Tiger web site
- Read Human Rights Watch's report on violence and discrimination against LGBT youth in U.S. schools: HATRED IN THE HALLWAYS
- Human Rights Watch's recommendations on ways to prevent discrimation based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- How to start a Gay Straight Alliance at your school
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