Youth voices join filmmaker Nicky Newman to share real-life stories and solutions for advancing LGBTQ equality

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.