Despite their place at the forefront of the women’s rights movement, queer women have long been marginalized, misunderstood, and underrepresented by media. The history and experiences of queer women—and especially queer women of color—are nearly always kept off-screen. Gains have been made: in 2018, there were 128 scripted shows with regular and/or recurring queer women characters. But with queer women filmmakers habitually under-supported, progress has been slow.

That’s why our most recent crowdfunding picks spotlight queer women onscreen and behind the camera. Niki Ang and Karen Du’s “Were You Gay in High School?” tells the stories of two young, queer Asian American women as the navigate high school—and the closet. Jen Rainin’s “Ahead of the Curve” celebrates the rich story of Curve, the iconic lesbian magazine, and the pioneering woman behind the publication. Andrea Rosen’s “The Rain Poncho” gives a peek into the everyday, messy lives of two queer mothers as they do their best to raise their daughters.

Here are Women and Hollywood’s latest women-created and women-centric crowdfunding picks.

“Were You Gay in High School?” (Short) – Directed by Niki Ang; Written by Niki Ang and Karen Du 

High school was a tough time for most of us. Classes and cliques are stressful enough for any teenager; for queer students, that stress is often magnified as they, like most teens, figure out their identities. High school stories are nothing new, but Niki Ang and Karen Du want to tell their own high school coming-of-age stories from the perspective of queer Asian women. “The film is based on a real life conversation that Karen and I had where we reminisced about our awkward days as closeted teens in high school,” says Ang, the writer-director of “Were You Gay in High School?,” in the short film’s Kickstarter video. “Being out and queer adults now, actually talking about these stories together made for a very sweet, heartfelt, and awkward script.”

Through a hybrid of animation with live action sequences, “Were You Gay in High School?” recounts the high school experiences of Ang and Du, adding some much-needed representation to the teen coming-of-age genre. In it, Ang and Du relive the crushes, questions, and first kisses that shaped their high school experience. They hope to make the short a part of a larger anthology series. “Growing up as queer Asian Americans, we never really saw ourselves portrayed in mainstream media,” Du says, “so we feel like it’s really important to take this opportunity to share our stories, and also hopefully open it up for other people to do the same.”

Support “Were You Gay in High School?” on Kickstarter.

“Ahead of the Curve” (Documentary) – Directed by Jen Rainin

In the trailer for Jen Rainin’s documentary “Ahead of the Curve,” musician Anita Lofton fights back tears to tell us, “It’s very important to see someone who looks like you to give you courage to go for it—to be your best self.” Franco Stevens, the founder and editor-in-chief of the landmark lesbian publication Curve Magazine, understood this sentiment, specifically for queer women. Because much of queer women’s history and Stevens’ legacy have been largely ignored or forgotten, “Ahead of the Curve” seeks to shed light on the magazine that transformed the lesbian community and the women that brought that magazine to life.

“Visibility and representation are the most powerful tools in existence to protect LGBTQ folk and build a sense of belonging” says the documentary’s Kickstarter page, “and Franco knew this 30 years ago.” “Ahead of the Curve” boasts an all-women crew, and effectively preserves, honors, and champions lesbian history, community, and representation. “The work that Franco started—it’s not done,” says comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer. “We have to continue to make ourselves visible and loud.” The doc will continue that work.

Support “Ahead of the Curve” on Kickstarter.

“The Rain Poncho” (Short) – Written and Directed by Andrea Rosen

https://vimeo.com/332064373

Representation is a crucial weapon against oppression, and one of the most effective forms of representation can be those that normalize our identities. Queerness, after all, is just one facet of who queer women are. Andrea Rosen’s “The Rain Poncho” explores the many other things queer women are in her portrayal of Liz and Andrea, mothers to two teenage girls. Liz is an anxious stoner-therapist, Andrea is a laid-back hairdresser, and their parenting styles naturally conflict as they figure out how to best raise their daughters. Though it stars two queer women, “The Rain Poncho” doesn’t only touch on queerness: the short is mostly about “being a parent and being a teenager,” as well as “hormones, anxiety, secrecy, and communication,” according to the film’s Kickstarter page.

Rosen, who herself is the mother of two boys, infused much of her own experience into the film. “For me, family means a loving space where people can evolve,” Rosen writes. “And even though [the moms of ‘Rain Poncho’] stumble through parenting, there’s a lot of love and a willingness to try, [and] that makes this story relatable and fun and super funny.” The best representation, after all, is that which embraces our whole humanity, in all its messy, multi-faceted, and ever-changing glory.

Support “The Rain Poncho” on Kickstarter.