What begins as a few local parental rights groups resisting sex education erupts into a national firestorm – revealing deeply personal stories and a larger cultural reckoning. At stake is the critical question: “Do kids have a fundamental right to knowledge about their own bodies and sexuality?”
SYNOPSIS
When New Jersey schools unveil an updated sex education curriculum, including lessons for younger kids and LGBTQ+ inclusivity, the backlash is immediate.
As opposing parents and politicians band together to pressure the state to rescind the changes, three high school students - Louie, Mehr and Max - are caught up in the firestorm. They are on a mission to preserve what they believe is a fundamental right of young people - access to critical information on their bodies, gender identity and sexuality. Over the course of the next few years, NEXT GENERATION SEX follows the tenacity and bravery of these three teens: Louie, an aspiring educator who shares his own fears about coming out; Mehr, an outspoken senior working to stop sexual assault and harassment; and Max, a trans student who is unwantedly the focus of the parental rights extremists. Each must navigate discrimination, public vitriol, and their own personal journeys to protect their rights.
Alongside the teenagers, the film also tracks the fury of parental backlash to the new curriculum and opposition to discussions of sex or gender in schools at all. These “parental rights” groups take over school boards, troll educators by calling them “groomers” and pedophiles, and target student activists, while aiming to control what young people are allowed to learn about their own sexuality, bodies, and relationships.
As this battle explodes into a national firestorm, the film reveals the next generation’s fight to break beyond society’s fear and discomfort, to shape what they value in society.
ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)
Co-Director/Producer Rebecca Haimowitz
Rebecca Haimowitz (Co-Director/Producer):
Directed and Produced 62 DAYS, which premiered at the Meet The Press Film Festival with AFI and aired on PBS/World Channel’s Reel South. She is also the Co-Director/Producer of the award-winning feature MADE IN INDIA, that premiered at Hot Docs Film Festival, won Best Documentary at several festivals, and aired on PBS in 2012. She is an Assistant Arts Professor of Documentary Filmmaking at NYU Tisch.
Co-Director/Producer/Cinematographer Julie Bridgham
Julie Bridgham (Co-Director/Producer/Cinematographer):
Directed and Produced the award-winning feature THE SARI SOLDIERS that garnered the Nestor Almendros Prize in filmmaking, has screened in over 50 countries, and is the recipient of both a Sundance and IFP Documentary Fellowship. Over the last 25 years, she has directed and produced numerous documentary series and films that have aired on CBS, BBC, Hulu, the Discovery Channel, TLC, and the Travel Channel.
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