Documentaries, Shows, Films, Interviews, and Games.

In this rebooted series, White American trans actor Elliot Fletcher plays Sam Jordan, and Harrison Browne (White Canadian trans hockey player) briefly plays Silas. Both of these men are trans. The premise of Y: The Last Man is that everyone with a Y chromosome has died. Rather than mimicking the source material and leaving it at the idea that "all men are dead", the reboot clarifies that cis men, trans women, non-binary people, and some intersex people all died, because they had Y chromosomes. Whereas cis women, trans men, some intersex people, and many non-binary people survived.

The title of the show references the survival of one final cis man, who did not die when all other cis men did. (He is a main character, and not a particularly compelling one.) Why they chose to retain the title, when he is evidently not the last man left alive in this new trans-inclusive reboot, puzzles me. I didn't like the show for reasons beyond that contradiction, and dropped off after the first two episodes. It wasn't very compelling in terms of acting and writing, but that's just my opinion. I might update this review when I give the show another try.

The plot is as follows: "In a heavily religious society, a teen struggling with gender identity has to let go of his idea of masculinity before he loses sight of who he is." There's bandage binding in the trailer, disappointingly enough. Don't do that, folks. Just don't. (More info here.) The presence of bandage binding in the trailer alone makes me reluctant to watch this movie. Unless the protagonist is shown experiencing physical pain due to binding unsafely, therefore allowing vulnerable viewers to grasp the seriousness of such binding tactics, fictional depictions of bandage binding are simply not acceptable in the year twenty-fucking-twenty-one. The protagonist is shown wearing a chest binder too though, so perhaps at some stage he realises how much he's hurting himself. We'll see. If this movie is anything like Under My Skin (2020), it'll fail the trans community on that front.

You can watch the trailer for this film here.

The synopsis is as follows: "Ari performs as a Jewish Drag King, much to the confusion of their family. Idolising real-life hero, Pepi Littman, who carved out a space for Drag Kings over 100 years ago, they use this history to open up a space for acceptance in the present." It sounds awesome, although I'm wary of the clasp binder shown in the trailer. You can learn more about unsafe chest binding here.

I was very glad to find this short documentary, because it focusses on a group which is extremely underrepresented in the FTM media I've been able to research and access; Indian trans men. Further, Ya_All FC is the country's first all-FTM football/soccer team, and it's wonderful to see that kind of pioneering effort in any country, especially if that country has restrictive laws which affect trans men.

Wahengbam Chaoba, the Captain of the team, speaks about his personal gender journey, including being raised by a father who was supportive of his male identity. He starts crying when discussing his mother's reservations towards his transition, proving how important parental support is, and how crucial FTM-exclusive spaces can be for young trans men without adequate support. When the interviewer asks if Chaoba has found a family in the team, he immediately agrees. "I have found a place to share my story," he elaborates.

The founder of the team, a gay man who was motivated by his own isolation and struggles with substance abuse, established a space for trans men after noticing that FTMs were being left behind while trans female visibility was bolstered by HIV awareness movements. The purpose of the team goes beyond simply playing football, with the main goals being equity and social justice. I loved hearing that a primary goal was to turn young trans men into the next generation of leaders.

You can watch this short documentary here.

The synopsis of this short film, which was also released as I Am Leo, is as follows: "Wide meadows, romping in the woods and building cabins. Leo (12) spends the autumn holidays with big sister Noémie and cousin Emil on Grandma Marlies' farm. However when Leo is surprised by what Grandma Marlies calls big news, Leo faces an identity crisis." The trailer, viewable here, seems to suggest that the "big news" is Leo's first period, at which point their grandmother tells them, "Now you're a real woman". Upon hearing this, Leo runs away. Judging by the non-binary flag displayed in the trailer, and the non-binary director's statement, this seems like a feel-good short film where Leo comes out and finds pride.

The synopsis is as follows: “Kei, a transgender man, longs for a quiet, "normal" life in rural Japan, but his partner prefers the freedom and openness of life in Tokyo. Their opposing wishes and identities are revealed in the heat of the local hot springs, a place Kei loved as a child.”

From what I have been able to find online, Kei is played by Sho Kadota, a trans man, and his partner Erin is played by non-binary person Kai Pacey. The trailer is here.

You can read a review here about the trans storylines in this show, which include a non-binary character struggling to access top surgery, and a trans man who has already had top surgery and is in an established relationship with a trans woman. There is also a Rolling Stone article about the show's portrayal of trans young people.

In this show, White American actor Lachlan Watson plays both Glen and Glenda, non-binary twins that are human versions of a single magical doll, split into two souls. The pair both use they/them pronouns. Watson (who is non-binary) influenced the twins' characterisation very closely behind-the-scenes, encouraging the writers to reject the concepts of masculinity and femininity, labelling them as "outdated". It doesn't sound like characterisation I'll personally relate to, as I consider masculinity a very sacred and diverse concept (among trans men and butches and transmasc people of all kinds), but for TGD individuals that feel similarly to Watson, you may enjoy how they portray the non-binary twins.

Before I include the bio which accompanies this interview (which is watchable here), you should know that it describes pregnancy, stillbirth, and incestuous child sexual abuse. Being a survivor is a large part of Lewis' story, as is his faith, advocacy, and experiences with cancer. The bio begins thusly: "Yoseñio Lewis was born in October 1959 in Newport, Rhode Island. A transgender man and Latino of African descent, he is also a trans rights activist, educator and musician. From the age of five, Yoseñio was sexually abused by five relatives, resulting in him becoming pregnant at age 13. He only found out about the pregnancy when he started haemorrhaging blood in his school’s Science class. Sadly, his daughter was delivered stillborn. This traumatic event had a profound impact on Yoseñio and he continues to commemorate his daughter to this day... It wasn’t until he was 33 that Yoseñio came out as FTM after a friend told him, “You’re trans.” Yoseñio denied it at the time but eventually realized that his friend was correct after attending support meetings and reading the FTM Newsletter. He was so overjoyed about finally having language for his experience that he told everyone, including strangers on the bus. Amidst the trauma he has faced in his life, Yoseñio remains a powerful voice for transgender rights. He has been recognized for his activism and contributions to the community, including being one of the inaugural members of the Trans 100 List."

Kade Gottlieb, an American trans man, stars in RuPaul's Drag Race as a drag queen with the stage name Gottmik. He is the first openly trans man to have been cast in the show. You can watch an interview with him here.

This interview can be watched here. The accompanying bio begins thusly: "Jude Patton was born in St. Louis, Missouri, assigned female at birth, and adopted at seven months old. Perhaps because his parents had experienced difficulty having children, they always treated Jude and his brother “like gold,” which in Jude’s case meant defending him as a teen when he cut his hair short and wore masculine clothing... Although Jude was a star student and a natural at sports, one high school PE teacher gave him an “F” because he refused to shower at school in the gendered bathrooms. Jude complained to the State Superintendent of Schools, which led to an investigation of his school; in retaliation, the school used the investigation to harass Jude further. This early experience of both transphobia and activism would herald things to come... He got gender-affirming surgery at Stanford University in 1972, one of the first trans men to do so. Almost immediately afterwards, he resumed the education he’d put on hold, becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Psychiatric Physician’s Assistant, and a certified Sex Educator and Sex Therapist."

Judging from the trailer and synopsis, this is an experimental short documentary narrated by a Jewish trans man, going by the title Scum Boy, commenting on social issues and the nature of humanity. It looks very different to more mainstream explorations of trans identities and experiences. You can watch Scum Boy here.

This is a very sweet video where five trans men of colour, all different ages and with different backgrounds, discuss how long they have been on testosterone and how transitioning has changed their lives. Luckie, the oldest interviewee, has been on testosterone for eleven years. Noah, the youngest interviewee, is yet to start testosterone. You can watch it here, but be aware that the video (while it ends on a hopeful and happy note) includes discussions of suicide, deadnaming, misgendering, and being kicked out of home. Everyone's experiences are different, so these men's experiences may not necessarily reflect your own journey on testosterone. Please also note that Jubilee (the channel which posted this video) should be approached with caution overall, as they often present disinformation and bigotry as being legitimate worldviews.

In this Spanish soap opera, trans actor Kenai White plays a trans male character who is initially known as María but comes out as FTM and transitions. From what I have been able to read online, the character eventually chooses the name Dani. Dos vidas (translating to Two Lives in English) is a very long show, and Dani comes out in episode 132.

According to Marvin, who reached out to provide this recommendation (thank you, Marvin!) Dani's transition takes a while to get off the ground, so he's referred to as "daughter" and with she/her pronouns for quite a while, although his mother quickly adjusts and accepts him, once she is aware of her son's true identity.

With a Norwegian VPN and a website translate extension (to translate subtitles into English), I'm able to watch Dos vidas episodes here. Folks in my situation (I've no skill for learning languages, sadly...) can take a similar approach!

This episode uses an autistic character as a vehicle to show what is, and isn't, acceptable to say to trans people. A trans man who is in hospital to have a brain tumour treated is discovered to be pregnant, which complicates the treatment options available to him, and prompts some inappropriate comments by the autistic protagonist.

I did like some aspects of the episode. The trans man is in an established relationship with a gay man, he is played by a trans male actor of colour (Emmett Preciado), he discusses his desire for fatherhood, and the seriousness of his dysphoria is addressed. The autistic protagonist overcomes offensive views and apologises for invasive comments, which was good. It was very sweet to see Rio (the trans man) say "we're going to be dads" to his partner.

Rio's partner initially insists that it's impossible for Rio to be pregnant, because Rio is on testosterone. This is misinformation, as AFAB people can fall pregnant even while on HRT, so birth control (like condoms) is still recommended.