QUEERSPAWN – A Documentary Film
About the Film
What’s it like to be the child of gay/trans parents? The answer depends much on where you grew up, and when. We’re a couple of experienced filmmakers who, like you, are part of the Queerspawn community. With our documentary QUEERSPAWN (working title), we want to explore the prejudices, stigmas and taboos we are up against, celebrate the beauty of so-called “different” families, and, by doing so, elevate Queerspawn voices.
Our Stories
Co-director Franziska Blome is a Gen X-er from Germany whose father (involuntarily) came out of the closet when she was in her early 40s. Well-known as a teacher, and the son of a respected pastor in a provincial town, her dad felt repressed all his life. He still prefers that his homosexuality never be known there. Today, he lives in Berlin, free from social pressures. Being Queerspawn is something that came to Franziska as a shocking surprise. Realizing that had her father outed himself as a young man, she wouldn’t exist, her perspective is informed by an intimate sense of the power of repression, the pain of secrets, and the value of reconciling with shifting sexual and gender identities.
Co-director Joshua Gunn (also Gen X) has documented his dramatic early life as the child of a lesbian single mother in the 1970s and 80s for The Atlantic: “My Father Once Tried to Take Me Away From My Mother Because She’s Gay.” Josh’s identity and life have been profoundly shaped by the shame, hiding, and the sense of difference he felt as a child. He shared his story at Family Equality Council’s Family Week in 2014, where he also introduced Queerspawn kids to animation and storytelling. He hopes to guide a younger generation towards feeling great pride for their identity while celebrating the powerful empathy that arises from experiencing difference.
Tell Us Your Story
We are currently in the development phase of making the film, and we need your help to make it fabulous. Tell us about your experience being in an LGBTQ+ family. We’d love to hear specific stories about what your life as a child is or was like, what life is or was like for your parent(s)/caregiver(s), and how being Queerspawn affects your life now. No detail is too small and we want to hear from people of all ages.
Simply fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you if we’d like to follow up and discuss setting up an interview. All stories will be reviewed only by Franziska and Josh and will be kept strictly confidential.
Thank you for your contribution!