Berkeley College SOC3320: Race, Gender, and Class Film Analysis Report

This report provides an analysis of the film 'Check It,' focusing on the intersection of race, gender, and class within the LGBTQ+ community. The film depicts the struggles of African-American transgender youth in Washington D.C., highlighting issues of violence, bullying, and discrimination. The report connects the film's themes to course concepts discussed in SOC3320, such as heterosexism, and the historical stigmas associated with homosexuality. The student emphasizes the importance of understanding the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community, particularly transgender and queer individuals, who often experience marginalization and lack legal protection. The report concludes with a positive assessment of the film's emotional impact and its value in promoting understanding and acceptance of sexual minorities.

Running head: RACE, GENDER AND CLASS
Race, Gender and Class
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

1RACE, GENDER AND CLASS
A gang of LGBT Youth in Washington D.C. or The Check it is a film about the LGBTQ
community in The Washington D.C. which is known for its highest number of violence and
bullying from the heterosexual community (Salon 2017). The film portrays the condition of the
sexual minorities and how they decided to fight back against the discrimination they experience
on a daily basis.
The topic presented in this film is about the problems faced by the LGBTQ community of
Washington D.C. which is a severe issue of human rights and the failure to protect the interest of
the minorities. It relates with the class topics and discussions we had in the week of gender, race
and class. The inequalities faced by people on the basis of their sexual preference needs to be
dealt with policies and change in mentality. In this specific study, we have also learned about the
various stigmas associated with homosexuality (Berkeleycollege.kanopy.com. 2017). With time,
the LGBTQ community has gained support, and transgender activist like Sylvia Rivera has
worked for the acceptance of the sexual minorities.
By watching the film Check It, it has been quite evident that the LGBTQ community has
suffered largely due to their preferences, clothing style and non-conformity of any specific
gender roles. The transgender and queer community are the major victim of violence and
employment discrimination. They are discriminated on the face by their preferences and
attitudes. School goers are often bullied by their counterparts which has a severe taxation on the
minds of the victims. Moreover, the people who face this type of discriminatory attitude do not
get any legal protection for their plight. Most of them also experience homelessness, violence at
workplace, family abandonment, etc.
The film has successfully portrayed the plight of the sexual minorities who face
harassment, bullying, and violent assault due to the non-acceptance on the part of the society. In

2RACE, GENDER AND CLASS
order to stand up against this undue suffering, they made a community which would ensure their
protection. In my opinion, Check It is an excellent film to watch which has captured the
emotional upheaval of the African-American transgender youth in Washington D.C.’s most
violent neighborhood. It is a beautiful film which should be watched to understand and
appreciate the struggle faced by them.

3RACE, GENDER AND CLASS
References
Berkeleycollege.kanopy.com. (2017). Kanopy. Retrieved 13 February 2020, from
https://berkeleycollege.kanopy.com/video/check-it
Salon. (2017). Louis C.K. releases "Check It" documentary about LGBT black-youth street gang.
Retrieved 13 February 2020, from https://www.salon.com/2017/07/03/louis-c-k-check-it-
docummentary/