Let her play
From “genital inspections” for kids and denying trans teens healthcare to labelling supportive parents of trans youth “child abusers,” lawmakers in the United States are suddenly hellbent on making America as dangerous and hostile for these kids as they possibly can because what are some ruined childhoods and suicides when you can suck up to your religious base, right?
One major topic in this debate is trans kids participating in sports. There is no evidence that supports banning trans girls from sports with others girls and not even the assholes advocating for these bills are able to name any examples of trans kids in sports causing any kinds of issues but it’s an easy way to rile up folks apparently, even if they’re in the minority.
In a response to this Republican-led “legislative boom” that has seen at least 25 states introduce over 60 bills targeting transgender children, Human Rights Campaign published a video to give a voice to the kind of kids affected by this campaign.
Kids like Rebekah who says sports are simply “something that I really like doing. I’m so much more than trans. That doesn’t make me less of a girl, doesn’t make me less of a human, either. I’m just me!”
Trans in Trumpland, a record of trans survival buoyed by trans joy
The first thing you notice about Trans in Trumpland, a four-part docuseries from Iranian-American filmmaker, Tony Zosherafatain, is the absence of a certain former president: Donald J. Trump.
Streaming now on Topic, the series takes viewers on a road trip across the country, revealing the implications of Trump’s policies on real trans lives from North Carolina to Texas, Mississippi to Idaho. Through the former president’s absence, Zosherafatain’s film presents its subjects as more than abstracted symbols of the fight for trans rights.
They appear as fully realized people, not simply survivors of everything from the notorious HB2 “bathroom bill,” to the erasure of healthcare protections, but people who go to church, create community, and seek pleasure in the wide, open lands of America. What a relief it is to see trans people finally take center stage in the telling of their stories.
One of those subjects is Ash, a 17-year-old trans boy with brilliant red hair and he/him pronoun buttons attached to his vest. In his episode, which takes place in the suburbs of North Carolina, Ash tells the story of his first day of high school. “The first thing I saw was my dead name on the class seating chart,” he shares, “I wanted to end my life.”
Young, Gay & Illegal
It has been half a century since homosexuality was decriminalised in the UK and times have changed. Gay 13 year old Louis sat down with gay 78 year old Percy to have a chat about the differences these years have made on gay culture and acceptance.
The fight to stop genital surgeries on intersex infants
Pidgeon Pagonis’ childhood memories include surgeries, hormone therapy, and repeated inspections of their genitals. When they turned 18 and got a copy of their medical records, they finally understood why.
Lasting Marks
The story of sixteen men put on trial for sadomasochism in the dying days of Thatcher’s Britain was told by the police, the prosecution and the tabloid press — but not by those in the dock.
Lasting Marks is the story of a group of men, brought together through their shared sexual desires, and the vice investigation (named ‘Operation Spanner’) that followed when the police acquired a video tape of these acts being performed, Lyne delves into a somewhat forgotten, historic case in this informative and engaging film.
Transgender Rights
Last week America did a step towards equality but it’s still a long road ahead.