Parents Want Antibullying Film Removed From Curriculum

Backlash from parents threatens the future of a film with a clear antibullying message in Vallejo, Calif., schools, according to the Contra Costa Times.

That's a Family, which is screened regularly in the district as part of a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union over the unfair treatment of an out lesbian student, depicts a handful of atypical family configurations, including a family with biracial parents, a family headed by grandparents, and families with gay and lesbian parents.

Disgruntled parents say that the film focuses disproportionately on the bullying of the child with gay parents, but the filmmaker defended her choices regarding the allocation of screen time.

"The whole film is 35 minutes, and I believe the section on lesbians and gays is something between seven or eight minutes. The rest of the film is featuring heterosexual guardians and parents," Academy Award-winning director Debra Chasnoff said. "We have seen this kind of reaction in other communities at different times, and I think it's because it is relatively new that schools would take the initiative to proactively prevent antigay bias."