Trans men of many different backgrounds, ethnicities, sexualities, and experiences gather for a bodybuilding competition. Man Made doesn't shy away from the realities of being trans, doesn't sugarcoat what it's like to be assigned a gender that you innately can't connect with, but ultimately offers a message of love and acceptance. Everything is discussed: Transitioning, sex, love, work, fitness, family, ethnicity, suicide, depression, euphoria, homelessness, and so much more. Plenty of content warnings apply to this film, but only because the trans director wished to give his interviewees ample chances to share their stories. There is so much wisdom, pride, and complexity in this documentary. WARNING: This documentary includes graphic, uncensored footage of surgery being performed.

FTM pioneer Lou Sullivan discusses transitioning and fighting for the rights of gay trans people, which was a controversial concept in an age when all trans individuals were expected to be heterosexual. To get some perspective on the work done by previous generations, to fight for the right to self-identify in any way preferred, I would highly recommend giving this series a watch. Thank you to Kasper for reaching out and providing this resource! These interviews are groundbreaking. Hearing Sullivan's voice and story is so important.​ Trans men are often erased from retellings of trans history, but we've always been here, and we've always made an impact.

Kai Clancy, the subject of this documentary short, has long been an advocate for First Nations gender-diverse people. For those of us who have seen his videos in the past, when he was much younger, it is wonderful to witness him as his bearded, older self. This short film opens with the words of Kai’s father. He says, “Kai is a strong First Nation warrior. Wakka Wakka, Wulli Wulli.” He goes on to say, “Amongst our tribe, the wedge-tailed eagle is one of our totems. It means guardian and keeper of the law, for family and language. And Kai does that well. He is a great warrior.” It was so beautiful to hear Kai’s father speaking those words, and to watch as he ceremonially painted Kai. Kai speaks about his relationship with his culture, how his gender is received by his community, his marriage and relationship, and his transition. All in all, a very sweet and sensitive portrayal that I wish was longer!

You Don’t Know Dick: The Courageous Hearts of Transsexual Men is a wonderful documentary. It stars trailblazers Jamison Green and Loren Cameron, who have been frequently erased as trans pioneers. I would highly recommend watching it. It features interviews with trans men, discussing all aspects of their lives: Romance, surgery, families, parenthood, aspirations, coming out, mental health, sex, religion, libido, etc. At least one of the men is a bisexual, one of them is gay, and several are straight. The documentary features interviews with family members of the trans men, most of whom are supportive. Unfortunately, you may need an academic login to watch this one.

Overall, I really enjoyed this documentary. It's so rare to get this extensive an insight into a mature-aged FTM transition. WARNING: This documentary includes graphic, uncensored footage of surgery being performed. Kim, at the beginning of the documentary, is aged 48. We get to see him starting Testosterone, grappling with coming out, and having top surgery. I am so proud of Kim for showing his pre-op chest, especially considering his dysphoria about its size. Later, we get to see Kim swimming shirtless, post-op, and it's such a beautiful moment. Dr. Tony Mangubat, who performed Kim's surgery, is an Asian man. In a very beautiful (but sad) interview, he compared discrimination against trans people to his experience of using “coloured” versus “white” water fountains. I loved seeing his empathy on display. There is some misinformation from gay journalist Dan Savage about phalloplasty and the ability to orgasm, namely that female-to-male bottom surgery options are inherently inferior and unsuccessful. It's worth noting that his opinions are outdated and incorrect. Savage also offers a perspective on coming out which doesn’t take into account abusive families who put trans people in genuinely unsafe (and deadly) situations. He also places the onus on trans people to answer all questions from cis people, even “the average Jo Blow on the street”. I reject that onus, thank you Mr. Savage. Jamison Green (an FTM pioneer) offers a more considered view of coming out to parents and family, and has a beautiful conversation with Kim. Green's interviews are far more valuable, in my opinion, than what Savage has to offer. It's worth noting that Buck Angel is interviewed in this documentary. I stopped following Angel's career a while back, as an FTM transsexual myself, because I found his confrontational and aggressive manner quite anxiety-inducing. However, in this documentary, he is very calm and relatable. He doesn't say anything confrontational at all, and describes feeling positively about the direction that the trans community is heading; having a “glass half full” attitude about the trans movement (an outlook which has clearly changed). He discusses his own experiences with top surgery and choosing not to have bottom surgery, which is definitely valuable. Any negative commentary you might associate with Angel isn't included in Finding Kim, so I still highly recommend this film. One comment I will make is that not all trans men, contrary to some of Kim's comments, hate our chests. Not all trans men want surgery, even some trans men with bigger chests. And that is totally okay. One other comment... Kim says that he was inspired by Stone Butch Blues, which is wonderful in itself, but he does label it an FTM book. I would say that's a misinterpretation of who Jess Goldberg is.

This is a heartbreaking and lovely look into the lives of two older trans men, named Dale and Andrew. It's an extended interview, not a full documentary, but it's worth so much nonetheless. Dale describes coming out in the late 60s and 70s, and then being confined to a corrective institute by his parents. He was there until he was eighteen, interspersed with periods of homelessness. At the institute, he was forced to wear dresses and would be inspected to ensure he wasn’t wearing shorts below the dresses. If he was found to be wearing shorts, they would be forcibly removed. He was given estrogen to ‘fix’ his male gender identity. Dale also discusses trans male invisibility. When he was trying to transition, the local medical opinion was that the so-called “gender-dysphoria gene" was on the Y chromosome and, according to him, “we spent a lot of time in the eighties waiting for that to change” so that trans men could even be believed to exist. In the modern day, he talks about being refused medical care and being abused in medical settings. Andrew describes being deprived of food by medical staff in 2014, on the basis of his gender identity. These men’s experiences are an important, crucial reminder that trans men are vulnerable to abuse and discrimination. Especially as we get older, another topic discussed by Dale and Andrew, relating to receiving aged care. Andrew, a younger man, insists to Dale that he won’t allow Dale to be put into an aged-care home.

This bonkers series is six episodes long. It follows best friends Twiz and Tuck as they embark on a chaotic, unpredictable, roadtrip. Twiz is a masculine gender-variant person with Tourette's syndrome. Tuck is a trans man with a past career in adult films, who loves adopting dogs. The series oscillates between crass, explicit jokes and activities, and softer, more meditative scenes. They talk about finding family beyond your biological relatives, affirming yourself through surgery, and being in the grey area between (and outside of) male and female. This documentary really allows the personalities of the interviewees to shine through, and is the furthest thing you can imagine from the sanitised, one-dimensional, stereotypical depictions of transmasculinity that movies like 3 Generations offer. The final episode includes some heartbreaking moments, particularly when Twiz discusses his father's transphobia and hostility.

This is an amazing documentary about an Australian man who postponed his hormonal transition in order to carry his own child. I would really recommend watching, and (surprisingly) this film didn’t trigger my dysphoria at all. I could never do what AJ did, but I admire him so very much for his commitment to being a father.

This documentary features drag kings of all kinds. Some are women who do drag for political/social reasons, rather than being motivated by gender. One is a self-described butch who also identifies as trans, recounting a childhood where he identified as a boy, empathising with Brandon Teena and describing similar experiences of small town violence. One mixed-race trans king describes a queer upbringing, with a crossdressing bisexual father and a lesbian mother, and meditates on the complexities of gender and ethnicity and class. I really enjoyed interviews with Mildred/Dréd, a black king who offered a rare and very nuanced look into her life and identity. One king's daughter criticises her mother's portrayal of men, and takes issue with stereotyping of men as inherently aggressive and bad. Many viewers may feel similarly about some aspects of the kings' routines. Regardless, this documentary is valuable. People of all ethnicities, backgrounds, sexualities, and genders are interviewed, including a non-binary person who is transitioning on Testosterone, and trans men who have affirmed themselves medically. Trans guys are shown using STPs, discussing intimate transition experiences, and displaying bottom growth images. This definitely isn’t a documentary which prioritises trans men such as myself. As a female-to-male transsexual who feels utterly disconnected from his assigned sex, I don’t see myself in most of the interviewees. But I love witnessing the diversity which has always existed in female-born masculine spaces and, while I didn't agree with some of the views expressed, I'm glad I bought the film. WARNING: Includes seriously unsafe chest binding with duct tape and bandages.

Don't be fooled- this isn't just a documentary about clothing! It's about so much more than that. Filmmakers take the time to interview a range of trans people, who have different identities and are at varying stages of their transitions. Family life, transitioning, employment difficulties, gender dysphoria, and a huge range of subjects are discussed. The majority of the interviewees are transgender men and transmasculine people. Mental health, suicidal ideation, and bigotry are discussed, but nothing graphic or too confronting; just people sharing their life stories and struggles. One interviewee reclaims the f-slur, so if that will be upsetting for you, be prepared for that. A trans man is filmed as he goes in for his hysterectomy, and is interviewed while sitting in his hospital bed. Fair warning, he uses potentially dysphoria-inducing anatomical terms for his organs and genitalia. Overall, I'd say this is a pretty positive and diverse film! And I liked that the documentary concluded with praise and adoration of masculinity. That's shockingly rare in LGBT+ discourse, lately. It was nice to watch something which reminded me that being masculine is wonderful.

This film is shockingly refreshing in its depiction of a cis mother’s relationship with her trans son, Vincent. This is another documentary (partly) about the military but I found it easier to watch, probably because there is less focus on the military itself as the film goes on. I was surprised and delighted, actually, by how involved Vincent’s mother was with his journey. The only point of conflict that was ever discussed was an assumption Vincent had made, when he was a teenager, that he had been born intersex and had secretly been operated on by his parents. With no information about being transgender and in response to gender dysphoria, he built up that fiction in his mind as an explanation of why he felt like a boy, but had to live as a girl. Due to that, he carried a lot of resentment. In retelling the story, he apologises for the resentment he had, and his mother laughs and says that she understands. It’s clear they’ve moved past that difficult time of non-communication. He shows his mother STPs, packers, and prosthetics that he uses, and explains to her the ways in which he has sex. It’s a very open and honest dialogue, one that very few people (cis or trans) have with their parents. It didn’t seem unnatural or forced in the slightest. In fact, very natural and lovely. Vincent’s relationship with his grandmother is also very positive. Vincent’s best friend, another trans man, is also interviewed. He provides insight into life, as a parent who has given birth to three children, and how that impacted his dysphoria and gender certainty. I would definitely recommend this documentary. One caveat, though, is that it’s a very binary perspective on transitioning. This does not bother me in the slightest, in terms of my own personal journey. I empathised with almost everything that Vincent said, particularly his comment that the goal of transitioning is to pass. For me, yes, that was (and is) true. But that is not the case for everybody, so be prepared if you are a trans person for whom passing is not the goal, or even achievable. That said, I still feel that this documentary matters, for those of us with similar journeys to Vincent. WARNING: There is unsafe binding in this film (Vincent binds while lifting weights and exerting himself).

This documentary is pretty tough to watch, because unaccepting cis family members are allowed long monologues that involve misgendering Zo and using his deadname. That said, their perspectives are balanced out by scenes where Zo talks about what he went through, and is currently going through (good and bad). The film feels messy, upsetting, difficult, and complicated in a way that is very authentic to the early-transition stages. I wouldn’t call it a cautionary tale, in the typical sense of the term, but it is a very unvarnished look at the ways a family can react when a trans man begins his journey. Ultimately, the documentary ends on a positive note, and you’re not left feeling depressed or hopeless. I almost view the film as gentle warning to early/pre-transition guys, who might not know what to expect from their family members, and may not be able to see beyond conflict to the more accepting feelings that cis people might struggle to express. If you're in the mood for a sweeter, more comforting look at the early-transition period, I'd suggest watching Krow's TRANSformation instead. (Krow's mother mourns privately, while also actively supporting her son.) That being said, I'm always in support of films that show the journeys of trans men of colour, and that's what Change in the Family is.

Our Baby: A Modern Miracle (2020) follows Jake and Hannah Graf, a trans man and trans woman in a heterosexual marriage. They conceive a child with the help of a surrogate, all the while dealing with lockdowns and the pressure of publicity. Overall, this is a good documentary, but not quite what I expected. I was disappointed by some of Jake Graf’s comments. While discussing pregnancy and surrogacy, he says, "there's nothing men can do that's similar [to] carrying someone's baby for nine months", aside from "wanking into a cup", referencing the donation of sperm. In saying this, he completely disregarded and erased the trans men who do, in fact, choose to become pregnant. I found these cisnormative comments quite bizarre, especially considering the fact that Jake's own frozen reproductive material was used in the surrogacy process, and surely his long career as an activist has educated him about FTM experiences different to his own. Just because he found pregnancy utterly incompatible with his maleness doesn't mean all trans men feel similarly. As he was in conversation with a cis woman when he made such cisnormative comments, I did wonder whether he'd have said such a thing when exclusively in the company of trans people. Either way, I found it disappointing. But maybe I'm misinterpreting without conversational context, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. This isn't the most moving documentary I've ever watched, but it was good. Many aspects of Jake and Hannah's relationship, and their separate lives, are discussed. Jake's struggles with alcohol addiction, family dysfunction, and gender dysphoria are explored. Hannah's father is interviewed, tearing up as he describes being proud of his trans daughter. Jake and Hannah, while filming the documentary and waiting for their surrogate to give birth, go public with their journey and do a news interview. Following this, transphobic social media comments are read out by Hannah, so you should prepare for that. I feel that there should've been more footage of the surrogate herself, and the pregnancy actually occurring. I got the sense, just from watching, that the film crew had been prevented from getting all of the pregnancy-related content they'd desired, due to COVID restrictions. I really wanted to hear the surrogate's feelings about carrying a baby for a trans man and a trans woman, and to get a deeper look at the process of birth. But, much like the Graf couple themselves, viewers are locked out of that process by the pandemic. Even if the birth was never going to be captured on camera (I can definitely understand if the surrogate felt some reluctance in that department), I think the baby could've been more of a focus. This documentary may be more fulfilling for trans women than trans men, as Hannah's anxieties about motherhood are explored more than Jake's feelings. But, even then, we don't get to see how Hannah fares in the raising of her daughter, and whether these anxieties go away. This feels like an unfinished film, if that makes sense.

NOT YET WATCHED. I haven't been able to find it online. This documentary is about two trans men in Iran, 16-year-old Shervin and 27-year-old Saman, who are trying to medically transition and escape religious female traditions.

NOT YET WATCHED. Still Black: A Portrait of Black Transmen reportedly pushes back against negative stereotypes that affect black trans men, and does this through interviews with such men.

Passing: Profiling the Lives of Young Transmen of Color (2015) features interviews with three men. They discuss invisibility, transitioning, sexuality, relationships, and feeling erased within LGBT+ spaces. It is an absolutely wonderful short documentary that I highly recommend watching. Everybody should connect with the insights that these men can offer, no matter your gender or sexuality or ethnicity. Trans men are historically (and currently) very erased, and this is especially an issue for trans men of colour. This documentary is an efficient and eloquent way to push back against that erasure, and dismantle limited rhetoric about what being trans looks like, and who has a voice in trans spaces. Trans men of colour, and all trans men, deserve to take up space and be listened to.

This documentary follows three Japanese people, one of them a hormonally transitioning trans man, as they work in an LGBT bar. Gender identity, sexuality, and complicated relationships to gender roles are discussed in honest, unflinching interviews. All three interviewees identify as "onabe", which is a term that not every Japanese trans man is comfortable with (so do your research before using it to refer to others). Shinjuku Boys is a wonderful film that, while sad at many points, is an enriching insight into a unique trans culture. I highly recommend it. This is a part of FTM history that should be more widely appreciated. Partly because the documentary is translated into English, and partly because of cultural differences, Shinjuku Boys presents a beautifully complex portrait of the participants in this documentary. A complexity that is lacking among many Western documentaries. Kumi, a trans woman and drag queen who goes by she/her, is a partner of Kazuki, one of the onabe-identifying guys who are central to the film. She explains their relationship by saying, “He’s a woman who likes women, I’m a man who likes men, so we understand each other.” A simplistic, Western interpretation might view such a statement as ‘misgendering’, but that would do a disservice to the unique glimpse into Japanese gender variance we’re afforded by this wonderful documentary. Gaish, one of the main interviewees, describes feeling trapped by his cultural reality, saying that an ex-girlfriend of his would’ve been “an outcast” if she’d committed to living her life alongside him. “It was better for her to marry and lead a normal life,” he says, “rather than be with me. That’s what I thought. So we split up.” He goes on to explain that this experience has permanently impacted him; “By law, I’m alone. If I think about that, where’s the fun in living? If I think about it, I wish I’d never been born.” The whole documentary isn’t as heartbreaking as that scene, with Tatsu (a hormonally-transitioning man) describing a much happier romantic situation, but it’s important to acknowledge the intimacy and vulnerability we’re afforded in the more sobering moments of Shinjuku Boys. The worth of this documentary cannot be overstated. WARNING: Includes the use of unsafe chest binders.

Robert Eads was a transsexual man who died of ovarian cancer, after being denied cancer treatment by transphobic doctors. This documentary follows him in his final year of life, and is both heartbreaking and beautiful in its honesty. Robert’s friends and partner are all interviewed, along with his parents and other members of the community, making this a valuable snapshot of an important moment in FTM history. Relationships, sex, transitioning, parenthood, and family are all explored. The DVD has an extra interview where Eads clarifies that he wasn't allowed to attend a trans medical centre because he was a trans man. Specifically, his male appearance would "embarrass" the trans women in attendance. Despite the fact that he had cancer and desperately needed care, he was not welcome because trans men were considered too rare and unsightly to warrant inclusion. This example of FTM-specific discrimination is usually left out when people discuss Eads' death. A note regarding the interviewees' views on bottom surgery: options have improved a great deal since Southern Comfort was filmed, and many trans men have undergone satisfactory operations.

Peter Alexander, interviewed in Sydney, speaks of his transition from female to male. He discusses the aspects of his personality which influenced his decision, his view of women in society, and his plans for the future. Remember- trans men have always existed, and we deserve to be included in trans histories!

In this documentary, trans men of many different backgrounds are interviewed, including mixed-race men, black men, gay men, straight men, etc. The main topic of conversation is sex, including how interviewees' orientations have evolved alongside their bodies. It is absolutely an explicit documentary, and uncensored footage of trans men having sex is shown. This is a Buck Angel production. Though this documentary preceded his more combatative and aggressive views, Angel still labels the term "cisgender" as being somehow "politically correct" (whatever that means), and confronts an FTM interviewee about the use of such language, which I found uncomfortable and quite ridiculous. This documentary is definitely outdated, too, when it comes to discussions of bottom surgery and how functional genitals are after such procedures. As a female-to-male transsexual who is very intimidated by Buck Angel and the way he engages with people, I absolutely understand why many people wouldn't want to watch this documentary. He's said many things that I do not agree with, especially recently. However, there were some awesome interviews in Sexing the Transman that are really revolutionary, especially for 2011. Notably awesome, for me personally, were interviews with two trans men (Sean and Dan) in an ethically non-monogamous relationship. It was really cool to witness the pair's sexual energy and romance, and to see a t4t relationship that included a plus-size bear and a bloke who was pre/non top surgery. Overall, the production quality is not great, and the editing is very poor. But I can see how this may have transformed the lives of trans men who watched it in 2011. Nowadays, if you would like to access inclusive, high-quality, trans-positive adult films with racially diverse performers, I'd rather recommend Crash Pad Series episodes instead. That'd probably be a better use of your money. I've included a link to their site below.

Rather than a straightforward documentary about a historical figure, much of No Ordinary Man features auditions where trans guys read a script and put themselves forward as candidates for the role of Billy Tipton. It's not clear whether this hypothetical film will actually be made. No Ordinary Man tries to walk the line between this odd premise and a genuinely insightful commentary on transmasculinity and trans manhood. Much of the time it succeeds, although I think it's somewhat bogged down by the strange approach it took. I found it weird that many of the guys auditioning to play Tipton did not look like him in the slightest. But I think the inclusion of drastically different trans guys is more of a statement about FTM diversity than accurately portraying Tipton. All that being said, this is a film that features heaps of trans guys at many different stages of their transitions. It is unparalleled in terms of what it offers for our community. Marquise Vilson, Amos Mac, Scott Turner Schofield, Jamison Green, and Ryan Cassata are among the cast. Billy Tipton Jr. is interviewed, and he is very affirming of his father's identity.​ One thing is for certain; if filmmakers say they can't find trans male actors, No Ordinary Man is evidence that they just didn't try!

This one is sweet, genuine, and lovely. Krow Kian, a male model, documents his journey and his modelling career pre-transition and post-transition. His friends are also interviewed, and they share their own stories. Suicide, self-harm, dysphoria, and other struggles are addressed, but through the lens of a happy ending. Family members interviewed are supportive, and viewers get to see progress beyond early-transition turbulence. I'd definitely recommend this documentary to early-transition men, and to their families. Many steps are shown. Coming out, starting Testosterone, having a mastectomy, having a uterectomy, getting married, etc. I really liked an interview Krow's mother gave, referencing an emotional moment that she had while her son was having surgery. She says, "I sat down, poured myself a drink, and said goodbye to my daughter. Then I poured myself another drink, and said hello to my son." I liked that the mother's grief didn't affect her support for Krow, and that she outwardly advocated for him and supported his decisions, while also nursing her own complex feelings. The concept of grieving your child while they're still alive is a tricky one, because it's so often used as a weapon against trans people, to prevent us from transitioning and make us feel guilty for identities we can't control. That isn't what happens in this documentary. What Krow's mother shows, in a moment of profound maturity, is that it's possible to support and love your child while also commemorating who they used to be. She shows that a sense of loss doesn't mean you've actually lost your child, and you can still be there for them. I liked that this film made space for that nuance, all the while showing Krow being loved, supported, and defended by his mother.

Seahorse: The Dad Who Gave Birth is very beautiful and is wonderfully filmed, if a little slow-paced for my taste. It is a unique and very special look into the journey of a trans man who chose to carry his own child. I would personally recommend From Daddy's Tummy over Seahorse, but it's still an important and touching production.

Coby is about trans manhood, and features extensive interviews with a now-deceased trans man (Jacob), his partner, and his family. The film alternates between modern, feature film-quality footage of himself in his daily life, and archives of video diaries that he took throughout his transition. Viewers get to see him in his youth, with a higher voice and a smaller body, and his subsequent boyhood as he began to grow facial hair and change into a man. I’d definitely recommend this documentary to other trans men, and to families who are trying to adjust. His mother's transphobia was difficult to watch, but very realistic to what many of us face from our own mothers. My hope would be that transphobic mothers might pause before rejecting or attacking their own trans sons, if they see the impact Jacob's mother had on him. Christian Sonderegger, Jacob's brother, directed this documentary, and would later co-write the film A Good Man (2020), with characters based on Jacob's own transition and journey. Having watched A Good Man and absolutely hated it, that does cast this documentary in a slightly odd light, but it's still good in isolation. Especially considering the fact that Jacob has since passed away. It's a gift that we get to see his life in such detail.

This is a good documentary, and I say that as someone who has deeply negative relationship with the army. TransMilitary captures a key moment in history, and a struggle to defend the professional and personal worth of trans people who are discriminated against for no justifiable reason. If you believe in the mission of the military, you will likely be more moved by this documentary than I was, but even I was emotionally affected by the interviewees' struggles and victories. I am very glad this documentary exists, and I recognise its value. Beyond the reasons I struggled to watch this documentary, there are scenes which are undeniably beautiful. A trans man's deeply faithful mother describes seeking out a religious leader within her community and begging for guidance, and being told to love and cherish her son by that same religious leader. A trans woman's colleague defends her and recognises her plight. Senior officials take trans people's struggles seriously. Allies appear where they aren't expected. Cis friends passionately reject the oft-repeated cynicism about trans genitals, declaring that they don't need to see a woman's vagina to know that she's "really" a woman. A trans woman's wife tells the story of their relationship, and how they stayed together. Whether the military is good or not... that's an entirely different matter, I suppose.

One thing that deeply disappointed me about Gendernauts: A Journey Through Shifting Identities was a discussion about Brandon Teena, wherein a gender-variant person claimed that they couldn't know how Brandon Teena identified, because he was dead and therefore couldn't be asked. This betrayed a willing ignorance of Brandon's identity, and a determination to ignore his own words. In The Brandon Teena Story (a deeply-distressing documentary released one year before Gendernauts), several interviewees insisted that Brandon identified and lived as a man, and wished only to be known as a male. One of Brandon’s ex-girlfriends, when interviewed, said, “he just wanted everybody to know him as always having being a man”. Another of his ex-girlfriends described him rejecting the idea that his relationships were lesbian, insisting instead that they were straight, because he was a man. Brandon, according to testimonies, would say that he had begun sex change surgeries, to make people believe in the legitimacy of his male identity. Therefore, I was disappointed that a gender-variant person in Gendernauts made an art project speculating about Brandon’s gender. It felt invasive, much in the same way that cis people refused to take Brandon’s maleness at face value. The motive seemed to be to use Brandon, in death, as a platform to project the artist’s own non-binary experience, rather than respecting his binary maleness. That said, I do somewhat recognise the value in Gendernauts. I enjoyed the interviews with trans men, ally doctors, and an intersex non-binary person who was particularly articulate and expressive. One of the interviewees I was most impressed by was a woman of colour, named Chrystal Weston, who worked for the DA’s Office as an advocate for LGBT people. I really liked that her education about transgender people included, in her words, transsexuals, transvestites, and both pre-op and post-op individuals. A very progressive understanding for the time. This documentary definitely gave me mixed feelings. I didn’t like that a trans female interviewee compared all trans people to cyborgs, as part of the “genderfuckery” theme underlying the whole film. I found it dehumanusing and invalidating of my own binary male identity. Plus, one of the interviewees (a cis woman) shamelessly misgendered a trans man. Her key reason for doing so was that he still had a vagina. Overall, this film is not for binary trans men. The disrespect shown to Brandon Teena is enough to make that clear. I found many of the non-binary interviewees genuinely interesting, but that interest wasn't enough to compensate for the way my own identity was treated.

Despite the poor production quality, these are some worthy and insightful interviews with three black trans men. However, one of the interviewees (Chevy) makes some very questionable comments which warrant deeper discussion. The positive things, first... I really liked Chevy’s response when asked if he identified as a man or as a trans man. He said, if he had to choose between society’s labels for him, he would just choose man. I feel the same way, so I enjoyed this comment. Gino had the same response and also added, “I don’t think anything can singlehandedly define a man. Or masculinity. We are what we know we are. We are what we speak.” I really loved that. I would say that Gino's interviews were my favourite, including a beautiful, considered response to a question about God and whether transitioning is right or wrong. I appreciated Jaye’s discussion about how his needs changed as he transitioned, and the consequences of being outed. When he was still received in society as a stud, he needed his girlfriend to tell her family that he was actually a trans man, but once he was passing as a man, he needed girlfriends to respect his privacy and not out him. Now, the negative stuff... Chevy, after asserting that his journey had been made harder by "fad" trans men who were only transitioning because it "looked good", revealed to the interviewers that he binds with duct tape. This, he said, makes him a "real" trans man, compared to men who don't go to such unsafe lengths. He even said that men who use binders or elastic bandages aren't as "real" as he is. By the logic that he offers in this documentary, another of the interviewees isn’t a “real” trans man because he has an unbound chest beneath his clothes. Any documentary that promotes duct tape chest binding, or even bandage binding, is dangerous. I worry about newly-exploring trans men, or even gender non-conforming women and non-binary people, who might be influenced by Chevy's comments. Binding unsafely, and potentially cracking your ribs, doesn't make you any more "real" than trans men who choose not to do that. I chose not to do that to mysef, pre-surgery, after being seriously harmed by that practice. I didn't become any less "real" by making that choice. Chevy's experience is what it is. It is good that he had the opportunity to speak authentically about his journey. But this documentary presented duct tape chest binding with no warnings, no disclaimers, and certainly no concern for vulnerable viewers.

Watched. Review pending. I have a lot of complicated feelings about certain interviews and scenes in this film. Warnings aplenty. There are some great interviews with Masen Davis and Jamison Green, two FTM pioneers, and I liked excerpts of a speech that Zander Keig gave as part of his Phalloplasty educational talk. I wish we knew more about Yavante Thomas-Guess, a trans man of colour who is interviewed too.

NOT YET WATCHED. Available for free on Youtube. It's about two trans men, Tom and Scott, who wish for a biological child after already adopting two children. Scott carries the pregnancy.

NOT YET WATCHED. Self-Made Man explores the experiences and transition of Tony Ferriaolo, and follows his work as an advocate for trans youths.