In a time when LGBT families are debated and attacked in the media, courts and Congress, from school houses to state houses across the country, five young people who are children of LGBT parents give you a chance to walk in their shoes - to hear their own views on marriage, making change, and what it means to be a family. This film was produced by the COLAGE Youth Leadership and Action Program and directed by Jen Gilomen.

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• Audience Award for Best Short, San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival
  
  "Grade 6 & Up - This excellent film may help dispel negative myths about children in lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transvestite (LGBT) families. Five young people, ages 12 to 17, talk about their loving families, which include gays, lesbians, and a transgender man...Although some of the speakers were initially afraid of how others would and did react when they learned about their family, and some lost friends especially in middle school, they are now comfortable talking freely with friends. The film will help viewers better understand different kinds of families and resolve some confusion about gender issues. It can be used in a variety of social studies and psychology classes as well as in programs about LGBT families."
        -School Library Journal
  
  "A jam-packed half hour, this is the ideal length to show in a classroom or diversity training and still have time for discussion. This project is an especially welcome addition for educators looking for resources that reflect cultural diversity and interracial families within LGBT families." 
        -Abigail Garner, Author of Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It Like It Is
  
  "...Obviously these aren't your everyday families, but that's the point of Jen Gilomen's documentary, produced by participants in a youth program for teens with LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) parents. Five teens are profiled in 5-6 minute clips, partaking in common family activities: walking the dog, playing games, making dinner together, etc. Each talks about home life in an honest and articulate manner, sharing opinions on everything from gay marriage to how people react to their unconventional households...the message of In My Shoes - when it comes to families, "normal" is a very subjective term - is clearly and effectively communicated here. Recommended. Audience: J, H, P (Junior High, High School, Public Libraries)."
        -Video Librarian
  
  "In My Shoes: Stories of Youth with LGBT Parents is a succinct yet thoughtful documentary that discusses gay marriage and family from the children's point of view. Controversy and potential legislation about gay marriage do not just involve the life partners themselves, rather it affects and concerns the entire family. The film involves multiple families, some with two fathers and others with two mothers in the home. What is exceptional about the documentary is that it reflects the gamut of the different types of families that exist in all of society, not just in the LGBT community. Shoes features families of numerous ethnic backgrounds, interracial families, families with biological children and families with adopted children.
  
  Shoes is an interesting film and will surely inspire discussion no matter the viewerís political or religious persuasions, or opinions on these issues. The documentary may not change their minds or opinions about gay marriage or parenting, but it does allow viewers to see the perspectives of others, and to see that at the very least this is a family issue. Viewers will also see how open minded and mature children can be when faced with such situations.
  
  The technical components of this documentary match the high quality of the content; the filmís audio and visual editing are also of good quality. Shoes is really thought provoking and should be shared widely with students and their families. This documentary can be utilized within a variety of different subject areas, including social studies, civics and religion. In My Shoes: Stories of Youth with LGBT Parents is recommended, and is best suited for school libraries and media centers."
        -Nicole Cooke, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, Educational Media Reviews Online
  
  "In My Shoes provides a wonderful springboard for discussion for all audiences - from youths to adults - about the issue of marriage equality for same-sex couples. In often poignant vignettes, the film goes to the core of what 'family values' really means, and is especially effective and captivating since the stories are told by youthsóthemselves the children of GLBT parents. We highly recommend this film, particularly for audiences such as church groups and gay-straight alliances."
        -Carol Buckheit, Program Director, Love Makes A Family Foundation
  
  "As one of the psychotherapists involved in organizing the Mothers and Fathers of Invention: New Family Narratives conference, I came across In My Shoes: Stories of Youth with LGBT Parents and felt it clearly and movingly depicted the conflicts between culture and family faced by children of gay, lesbian and transgender parents. Often therapists ignore societal stresses on children, mistakenly thinking anxieties are due solely or primarily to what occurs within the small world of the childrens' families. Your film very powerfully demonstrated the anguish children experience in response to hostility from schools, other children, parents and the country's government...About 200 people attended the conference and many talked about how eye-opening they found your film.... thank you for this very compelling work."
        -Sally Moskowitz, PhD., Faculty, Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, Adult Psychoanalytic Program and Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Training Program.
  

In My Shoes: Stories of Youth with LGBT Parents clip from Frameline Distribution on Vimeo.