Raising Hell

The attitude of British society towards alternative sexual orientation and identity has changed immensely over the last 40 years. In spite of that, the media have still pushed one specific topic aside: gay and lesbian families raising children. British filmmaker and producer Ed Webb-Ingall presents the notion of family from the viewpoint of the children of gays and lesbians and seeks to understand what they think of their mothers and fathers. The short documentary Raising Hell is one of the few films in which children can participate in discussions about the offspring of sexually alternative couples. There is no “about us without us”; men and women between 12 and 35 years of age talk about their experiences concerning responses to their parents' coming out, and share stories about the reactions of their friends and schoolmates. The documentary also discusses the view of the media on this problem; one respondent expresses her dissatisfaction and states that she would like to see, for example, an advertisement for toothpaste with children and their two mothers or two fathers. Thus society still has many things to improve, and one never knows when it's worth raising hell. (Academia Film Olomouc)