Underage and Gay
11/03
Channel 4
Channel 4Documentary following five gay, bisexual and transgender teenagers as they redefine their sexuality while dealing with the day-to-day challenges of teenage life. The programme combines intimate interviews with stories of homophobic bullying, first loves, first dates and family feuds, and reveals the pressures young people face in an age of social media abuse and internet trolls.
Comment
The title of the show was misleading as it may assume all transgender people are gay, but fortunately for the producers a trans*man featured in the show appears to be attracted to men. This maybe confusing to some viewers as they might see this as a hetero relationship but we know better. The other identified as a Butch Lesbian before transition.
Apart from that little hiccup with the title, it really was a programme that did raise the issue of nuisance/Threatening callers to a Gay lad featured and it was quite distressing to hear - but he is a brave old soul and will not be intimidated! Good for you!
It featured Alex and Kyle (shown explaining to his mum that he wants to identify with the male pronouns and name from now on). They were really great lads and I wish them every happiness in their choices.
Channel 4On the downside this programme felt more like Channel 4 were meeting their quota as part of their Public Broadcaster status, which stipulates they must provide minority programming. This felt like that. It felt a bit cheap, 'man and cam(era)' follow around some sexual and gender minorities and stick it on the telly.
The other downside was during filming Kyle was shown to be apologising for cutting someone with a bottle.
And there were the Trans*men equivalents to how trans*women doing girly things are usually filmed like applying lipstick in the mirror (you know sexist 'pink stinks' things). But for trans*men it was being filmed in the park with a football or a skateboard or rock climbing.
It was not very inventive at all, a very hackneyed format that I can dip into our archive and find something similar but far better made and polished from 20 years ago with the exact same subject.
I think any one of us could have made this programme with a HD camera off Amazon and Adobe Premier Video Editing Software on the PC. This 'home-made' feel has less production values than Youtube videos out there. And far less 'creative'.
This 'throw us a bone' service is not really good enough at all. I mean at least with 'Big Brother' they get paid a fortune and it costs a fortune, and everyone in the house has an equal chance of winning. Bethany Black in 'Banana' (see viewtopic.php?t=4646 ) was a polished production and well written and also featured internet trolling. But it also featured a trans*person and was made by Channel 4, and this too covers minority programming, but in a far more creative and fun way. And this is where they should now be looking.
So I think it is time to move away from something that can be found on Youtube. This is Channel 4. So to me the production values are a key part in how the company truly perceives us. In other words, they put in to this what they clearly think we are worth to them. BBC's 'I Survived the Zombie Apocalypse' (see: viewtopic.php?t=4665 ) maybe daft, but it does feature a transgender woman (Leah) and it cost a bit to put on. And she is an equal in the show.
Positives - Young Trans* men on telly (for a change, no transgender women and for once, And this is refreshing to see).
Negatives - Low Budget, that'll do minority box-checking telly!
3/5 TZ Stars - Average.The average is for the production not the men concerned!, that is out of their hands!
WATCH NOW ON 4OD
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/underage-and-gay
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