“We Are All Human”

Planet Classroom Network Tackles LGBTQ Tolerance Globally in New Podcast We Are All Human

There has been increasing acceptance in many countries of LGBTQ people, but the global divide persists. 38 African Countries have criminalized consensual same sex relationships. The documentary film From the Same Soil, directed by Nicky Newman, now screening on the Planet Classroom Network YouTube channel, is the prompt for the new Planet Classroom podcast hosted by ORB, entitled We Are All Human. The show features youth voices and takes a look at LGBTQ equality globally. Newman’s film focuses on the lives of two gay men and one transgender woman who left their home countries because of discrimination and persecution. Once in South Africa, they applied for refugee status on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Despite the fact that in South Africa, both national laws and international human rights laws protects lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and intersex individuals against any form of discrimination, Flavina, Mussa and Junior have encountered several challenges in their new communities. “We aimed to make a film that humanizes Musa, Flavi and Junior. They are valued members of our world. They’re not to be punished or violated or rejected because of whom they choose to love,” says Newman.

Youth guest, Laryssa from New Jersey, notes the US by comparison has made progress but there is still much work to be done.

“There are people opposed to letting Trans people use the bathroom they prefer and others who delete transgender people from history,” she notes.

We are all different but we are all human. There has been increasing acceptance in many countries to LGBTQ people over the past 2 decades, but the global divide persists. 38 African countries have criminalized consensual same sex relationships. In this episode of Planet Classroom, ORB is joined by acclaimed film Director Nicky Newman, based in Cape Town, South Africa, and youth voices around the world to discuss Newman’s documentary film, From the Same Soil (Courtesy of SIMA Classroom), now showing on the Planet Classroom Network YouTube Channel.

What would be the cultural, social or psychological factors that would lead to someone believing that attacking someone for whom they choose to love is acceptable? How do we teach tolerance and acceptance for LGBTQ people?

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The Planet Classroom Network, organized by CMRubinWorld, brings together musicians, dancers, video game creators, filmmakers, learning innovators and emerging technologists from all over the world to entertain, educate and engage youth, and to provide a rich cultural experience at a time when art and learning institutions everywhere are not accessible. Curators and content contributors include Global Nomads, Global Oneness, the Martha Graham Dance Company, Commffest, KIDS FIRST!, Dream a Dream Foundation, OddWorld Inhabitants, Psyon Games, Challenge 59, LXL Ideas, Alliance for Young Artists & Writers/Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Creative Visions Foundation, Battery Dance, SIMA Classroom, Young Voices for the Planet, Bard Conservatory, Taking It Global, Materials for the Arts, Book Creator, XTalks, NFFTY, Young People’s Chorus of New York City, The International Forum for the Literature and Culture of Peace, Ryan Wong Classroom, The Global Search for Education, Voice America, Rocketium and Brandartica. Young people from around the world played a significant role in conceptualizing, creating, and producing the network’s vision and programming.