A compelling documentary about one group of activists who insist that the revolution will be televised.

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Novela, Novela
Liz Miller 2002 30 min. USA

The main characters of Sexto Sentido ("Sixth Sense"), Nicaragua's only homegrown telenovela (soap opera), aren't rich kids, jocks, or beauty queens — they're working-class teenagers who help each other deal with tough issues like homophobia, racism, and domestic violence. An award-winning documentary, Novela, Novela examines how a group of Nicaraguan feminists have successfully fused human rights with popular culture and brought this ground-breaking series to broadcast television. The film also portrays the show's creators', writers', actors', and viewers' commitment to grappling with controversial themes like LGBT rights in an impoverished country heavily influenced by the Catholic church.

Our goal was to expose youth to people's different experiences. The community where our school resides is very sheltered. It is nice to see different perspectives on gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender, and straight ally people's experiences.

Students obviously enjoy hearing opinions of support for their identities, particularly conversations about Latin culture for students of Latino/a heritage. It was easy for students to link their own lives to the lives of the people in the documentary. It's very important for LGBT students to get to see themselves — I can't imagine how different my life would have been if that had been true when I was in high school.

—Dené Ehrhart, GSA Advisor, Lindhurst High School

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Curriculum Guide Learning Objectives:

• To explore media representation of social issues; particularly how different types of media represent minority communities such as LGBT people.


• To evaluate methods used by individuals and organizations to promote social change through popular culture.


• To understand the positive and negative impact of popular media representations on minority groups.


• To understand the role of media in shaping social movements.

Sample Classroom Discussion Questions:

• How are youth typicall represented in the media? What messages does the media offer about different races and ethnicities? Does the media perpetuate stereotypes of LGBT individuals? How does Sexto Sentido challenge these representations and media messages?


• The writers of Sexto Sentido created a storyline involving Elena, a character who deals with an abusive father in order to educate their audience about a law protecting victims of domestic violence. How do you learn about laws and legislation affecting you and your family? Do you think that popular media like television shows are a good way to deliver this information?


• One viewer described anxiously watching the episode when Angel comes out to his friends. He was concerned that his mother might wake up from her nap and catch him watching a program about homosexuality. Do you and your family watch TV together? Are there certain shows you only watch with friends? How would your family react to a TV show that showed the real lives of teenagers?

Sample GSA Activities:

• Find out about laws and legislation concerning the LGBT community. Create a play, a PSA, a short film, or a poster campaign to educate others about laws that protect rights of LGBT people. Perform or show your work at a GSA meeting, a school assembly, or a community meeting to spread the word! To make your message even more powerful, consider teaming up with a local organization that may be interested in using your creativity to help spread their message even further!


• Write a letter to a network television corporation demanding youth-oriented programming like Sexto Sentido that deals with real issues facing real youth. Compare and contrast your life and experiences to the stories you saw addressed in the Sexto Sentido. Be sure to forward your letters to the youth or community relations liaison at the network.


• Do some research on LGBT organizations in other countries, particularly organizations that do work with LGBT youth. Check out the International Lesbian and Gay Alliance website for information on LGBT organizations across the globe. Send a letter or an email to see if there are ways that you can support one another's work. You might start a pen pal program or encourage youth in other countries to start advocacy campaigns like a Day of Silence or a GSA at their school. And remember, listen to what kind of advocacy they're doing — they probably have some great ideas for actions too!

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