Check It: A documentary on the only queer gang in the nation

Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer, director and producers of the critically acclaimed HBO documentary The Nine Lives of Marion Barry, are bringing their latest project to film festivals around the globe — Check It.

Set in Washington DC, Check It follows the lives of three queer teens of color who started a gang back in 2009 to defend themselves from bullying. Victims of assault, abuse, and rape, these kids are fed up with being pushed around and decide to fight back. The gang known as Check It formed to provide safety for its members, and to warn people that if they mess with a queer kid in DC, they will be sorry.

Some of the boys might be wearing lipstick and carrying Louis Vuitton bags, but they’ll render a bully comatose with the knives, brass knuckles, and mace hiding within those bags.

Today, Check It is over 200 strong and is the only documented queer gang in America — and quite possibly in the world.

Although Check It focuses on a gang where there are depictions of street violence and brutality, audiences need to go in and watch this film with an open mind. Every LGBT youth deserves to have a safe haven of some sort, and for the teens depicted in the film, gang life became their safe zone, which unfortunately led to criminal actions.

However, the thug life is not the message Flor and Oppenheimer want to portray. Instead, it’s about how these gang members learn to channel their aggression in a more positive manner … how they struggle to survive and claw their way out of the gang life.

In an interview with Buzzfeed, Flor said,

“This is not a gay film and this is not a black film and this is not a film about poverty. This is a film about being who you are no matter what.”

And she is exactly right. Flor and Oppenheimer give us a raw and intimate look at who these teens are: Kids who have been kicked out of school, disowned by their families, and charged with crimes from armed robbery to dealing drugs who found an outlet where they can express their true creativity and potential — fashion.

Led by an ex-convict named Mo, Check It members are now in the process of creating their own clothing label, putting on fashion shows, and using their own members as runway models. An entrepreneurial project such as this can be empowering to young people, but breaking old habits and the cycle of poverty and violence can be daunting.

Check It serves as great entertainment with a positive message.

At its heart, Check It explores undying friendships and an unbreakable bond that is tested every single day as members of this gang fight to stand up for who they are in a community that continuously tries to beat them down. This film is not only unique, but is a reminder that there is always a safe place with positive advantages for those who need one.