“Straightlaced” brings gender and sexuality issues to the surface

As part of Trans Awareness Week in Eugene, Grrrlz Rock hosted a viewing of the documentary “Straightlaced” on Wednesday at the University of Oregon.

The film is about a diverse group of teens who open up on issues such as sexuality, gender and body image and offer their candid, eye-opening perspectives. “Straightlaced” features teens who self-identify as straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

Edgar, a 20-year-old gay college student, told me that as a Latino living in Eugene, a city with a fairly small Latino population, that he feels that many people still aren’t always welcoming or well-informed about gays and lesbians and he hopes that films such as “Straightlaced” help to raise awareness and create acceptance of LGBT people on a larger scale.

“I’m proud of who I am and I want other people to feel the same,” he said.

“Straightlaced” is a must see for anyone interested in learning more about society’s constraints on teenage men and women and the battles they face in being accepted both sexually and gender-wise.