Recent Reviews

On viewing the Ugly Ducklings documentary at NEWfest in NYC, Robin Lichtig said,

"Okay - this was exciting. I just got back from a New York City screening of UGLY DUCKLINGS, based on and woven around lister Carolyn Gage's play of the same name. Big AMC-Lowe's movie house on Broadway. Darned big audience for a Friday afternoon. Met the director, a producer, others involved with the film. Lively Q and A followed.

"The film (and play) concerns the dreadful, daily pressures that LGBTQ (Q for "questioning") teens and young women are subjected to. It is an important film. Info, study resources and a CD are available from www.UglyDucklings.org or info@uglyducklings.org. Check it out if you know someone in a school, church, or other organization that would be interested in helping their young people cope with discrimination, identity, homophobia, harassment. I picked up information to send to a pastor of a church in Vermont. The more widely this film is distributed, the more
chance there is of helping these children who all too often are driven to extremes, including suicide. Cheers, Carolyn! You're making a difference."

From Diane Elze, Ph.D., an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work, University at Buffalo. Diane is also founder of OUTRIGHT in Portland, Maine and former board member of the Maine Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance (now, Equality Maine).

"This documentary is right now the best film on the planet that confronts us with the painful intrapersonal and interpersonal effects on all young people of the pervasive sexual prejudice that we teach them, and the resultant harassment and bullying, and it does so with power and sensitivity.

"These young women inspire us to join with them as change agents to actively engage with youth and adults to create safe and respectful environments in which everyone can thrive. The young participants are truly role models in showing us how to carry on meaningful, authentic conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity diversity. Most importantly, they show us how to take action despite our nervousness, uncertainty or fear.

"Hardy Girls Healthy Women has provided us with a brilliant film and an information-rich, user-friendly action kit that we can employ with youth in very diverse settings – schools, youth groups, faith communities, shelters, and other residential programs. Who could ask for more? We just need to take the risk to engage with young people around this material. And the young women in the film bravely and proudly show us how to do that, too!"