Finally There’s a Children’s Album on Gender Freedom
Finally there’s a children’s album on gender freedom
Written by Associate Editor for LGBT Weekly
April 21, 2015
NEW YORK, N.Y. — Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter Chana Rothman was unsure what to do when her son, a toddler, asked to wear a dress to school. She searched for children’s music rooted in messages of gender freedom to engage in positive parenting but came up short. After reaching dead end after dead end, Rothman decided to write her own album on gender identity and expression – the groundbreaking Rainbow Train, which debuts May 12.
Rainbow Train, Rothman’s first children’s album, offers guidance to parents and teachers who want to support healthy gender development by disarming the gender binary that society currently imposes on us all.
“Today’s young people need songs that show them all the choices and possibilities that they are allowed to become. The more they can see beyond the ‘pink” and ‘blue’ that gets pushed on them, the happier and more confident they will be. This goes for adults too,” Rothman says.
A soundtrack for gender liberation, Rainbow Train covers all the bases – anti-bullying, love, acceptance and pride – and strives to create a world where children are free of the expectations and pressures embedded in gender constraints and stereotypes. It also harks back to the mid-1970s’ “Free to Be… You and Me” by Marlo Thomas and Friends, which served as inspiration for her album, Rothman notes.
Though created for children, the album is musically advanced – full of catchy hooks and melodies that adults won’t mind listening to on repeat. Rainbow Train has a style for everyone: folk, ballad, hip-hop, disco, pop, spoken word, rock, Latin jazz, and children’s voices in dialogue.
Rothman grew up in Toronto before moving to New York City and eventually settling in Philadelphia to start a family. She’s performed her music all over the world, and she hopes Rainbow Train can become a valuable resource for parents and children dealing with issues of gender identity and freedom.
Image Credit: Chana Rothman
