{"id":760,"date":"2012-04-02T10:35:20","date_gmt":"2012-04-02T15:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.glbtrt.ala.org\/reviews\/?p=760"},"modified":"2012-04-02T10:53:39","modified_gmt":"2012-04-02T15:53:39","slug":"no-dumb-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glbtrt.ala.org\/reviews\/no-dumb-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"No Dumb Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CoverNo Dumb Questions<\/a><\/em>. Dir. Melissa Regan. Epiphany Productions, 2001. 24 min.<\/a><\/p>\n

Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to ask someone personal questions, but hesitated for fear of being inappropriate or too prying?\u00a0 Has wanting to know more about transgender people been one of those times?<\/p>\n

If so, “No Dumb Questions” is the film for you.<\/p>\n

In this 2001 documentary, three sisters, ages 6, 9, and 11, learn that their beloved Uncle Bill is becoming their Aunt Barbara and will soon be visiting.\u00a0 Shot at their family home, the girls are allowed to ask whatever questions they want in preparation for meeting Aunt Barbara, with the rule that there are “no dumb questions.”<\/p>\n

We watch as the girls sort out what language to use and wonder what physical changes their uncle will go through, including hair removal and anatomy.\u00a0\u00a0 They navigate the confusion of why someone would want to change one\u2019s sex or gender and what terms to use to describe a person in transition.\u00a0 In many ways, the thought processes that the girls go through are the same that adults go through when learning that a friend, family member, or co-worker is transitioning from one gender to another.\u00a0 The main difference, however, is that the girls have been given the freedom to ask what are often uncomfortable questions, particularly for adults.<\/p>\n

When it is time for the girls to meet their new aunt, the two older girls initially have great difficulty facing her, despite their earlier preparation and desire to not offend her.\u00a0 The youngest handles it with ease, hoping her aunt will play Barbies with her.\u00a0 Before the visit is over, they discover that their aunt is still the same beloved person\u2014though different\u2014and is still “pretty nice” and smart, like she always has been.<\/p>\n

Post-visit, the girls learn about some of the harsh realities for transgender people.\u00a0 They are angry to discover that their Uncle Steve is not handling Aunt Barbara\u2019s transition very well and has chosen to not see her on this trip.\u00a0 They also learn that even though their new aunt is flying home for the first time as a woman, her ID still says she is Bill, and they immediately grasp the difficulties that Barbara may experience at the airport.<\/p>\n

High production values are absent from the film and it feels closer to a home movie than not, but rather than detracting from the film, the lower production values enhance its intimacy.<\/p>\n

Though over ten years old, this film is still one of the best\u2026if not THE best\u2026 film for introducing people to transgender lives.\u00a0\u00a0 At 24 minutes length, this award winning film is perfect for classroom or training situations, providing launching points for discussion.\u00a0 Charming, candid, and entertaining, it is an excellent start for those new to the subject, while still moving for those more experienced with transgender issues.<\/p>\n

Teaching and discussion guides, as well as pricing information, are available at the film’s website, www.NoDumbQuestions.com<\/a>.\u00a0 Highly recommended for both public and academic libraries.\u00a0 Appropriate for all ages, though does have one F-word instance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reviewer: John Otto<\/strong>, Reference Librarian<\/p>\n

Shoreline Community College<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No Dumb Questions. Dir. Melissa Regan. Epiphany Productions, 2001. 24 min. Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to ask someone personal questions, but hesitated for fear of being inappropriate or too prying?\u00a0 Has wanting to know more about transgender people been one of those times? If so, “No Dumb Questions” is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1164,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[27,35,22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glbtrt.ala.org\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glbtrt.ala.org\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glbtrt.ala.org\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glbtrt.ala.org\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1164"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glbtrt.ala.org\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.glbtrt.ala.org\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glbtrt.ala.org\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glbtrt.ala.org\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glbtrt.ala.org\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}