Reflection on Gayby Baby Film
Gayby Baby reflects the lives of four children, Matt, Graham, Ebony, and Gus, who grow up in a family of gay parents. The gender and sexuality of their parents make their process of growing up complicated. Ten years old Gus wonders what it means to become a man. His passion for wresting does not go well with his mother, who dislikes the violent and masculine culture of wrestling. Ebony is passionate about singing and struggles desperately to get into Newtown Performing Arts High. Eleven years old Graham is illiterate and is desperate to know how to read. However, this becomes complicated when Graham and his parents move to Fiji, a place which is conservative about gay families. Matt questions his religion when he finds himself in a same-sex religious family. His pastor considers gay couples a sin against God, but his mother is of strong faith.
Gayby Baby gives an insight into the school experience of children in gay families and the discrimination they undergo in different fields. Maya Newell, the producer of the movie, hopes to encourage children and individuals and gay families to accept and feel proud of their families. Children have different perceptions of their social and gender identities in the process of growing up. They try to figure out about their race, gender, social, economic status, and class, and why they matter in their lives. Kids get different messages about their race, gender identity, and the stereotypes surrounding each of these aspects.
The questioning of gender identities, culture, class, and religion by children are reflected in Gayby Baby. Children who find themselves in same-sex families struggle to fit in societies which are conservative about their parents’ sexuality. Their aspirations and goals are greatly affected by society’s perceptions about gay families, which leave them questioning everything in their lives. The Gayby Baby film passes the message that the society is still conservative about issues of gender identity and that more understanding is needed to promote social justice, equality, and tolerance of diverse social issues in the society.
References
Skattebol, J., & Newell, M. (2018). Gayby Baby–From the politics of representation to the politics of care. Health Education Journal, 77(6), 720-731.