Documentaries, Shows, Films, Interviews, and Games.

This documentary is shockingly refreshing in its depiction of a cis mother’s relationship with her trans son, Vincent. I was surprised and delighted, actually, by how involved she was with his journey. The only point of conflict that is ever discussed is 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 trans, 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.

This is a film partly about the military but I found it easier to watch than TransMilitary (2018), probably because there is less focus on the military itself as the film goes on. If you are entirely comfortable with the military, this distinction will obviously not matter to you.

You can watch Ti-gars here.

WARNING: There is unsafe binding in this film; Vincent binds while lifting weights and exerting himself. Learn more about unsafe binding here.

Ellie Desautels, a trans actor, plays Michael Hallowell, a trans male student. According to this review, it's pretty good representation. More broadly speaking, the synopsis of the TV series is as follows: "A working class high school drama department and the students come alive under a passionate teacher and family man whose dedication to the program galvanizes the entire town."

According to the British filmmakers (who are also trans), this is the first documentary about the struggles and daily lives of trans men, trans women, and non-binary people in Russia. You can watch it here.

The Russian people interviewed include Mark, who tells interviewers about their first time injecting testosterone only the night before. They are wonderfully authentic, full of joy, and a delight to listen to. They flex their arms and, putting on an exaggerated deep voice, say, "I'm going to become really masculine," making the interviewers laugh.

J, one of Mark's flatmates, describes what it was like to come out as trans in Siberia, and the experience of being forced to stay in a psychiatric hospital in order to be allowed to transition. While in the hospital, they were examined by a gynaecologist, a neurologist, and an ophthalmologist. They also had to answer a personality test that consisted of 500 questions. They laugh about their experience, as does their flatmate, but you should proceed with caution if hearing about such an experience might upset you. While seeming quite positive, J also says that they saw things in the hospital that they will never be able to forget.

The interviewees discuss sexual abuse in Russia, and the expectations of masculinity and manhood which are placed upon trans women and transfeminine people. A trans woman, who was outed, discusses her experience and talks about the impact it had on her life.

Ari, a non-binary person, talks about the difficulty posed by the Russian language, in that speakers have to use gendered language whenever they talk about themselves. "Most of the time I say I use masculine language and pronouns, but I feel that I am neither a man nor a woman," they explain, "I think the idea that gender can be more than two is enough to blow people's minds".

A young trans person talks about living in a closed military city, and having a lack of information about gender. They talk about the difficulty of being diagnosed in order to be allowed to transition, and how this can lead to misdiagnoses and incorrect assumptions from practitioners. They, and their young friend, talk about being asked questions relating to their genitalia, even though such questions are irrelevant.

The two interviewers/filmmakers, Owl and Fox Fisher, attend an LGBT+ festival called Queerfest. The festival was attacked in the past, but there are no instances of violence or anti-LGBT+ sentiments at the event which is filmed. In fact, it seems joyous and incredibly lovely, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a crowd gathered to celebrate. There are several lingering, beautiful shots of anonymous LGBT+ people who have attended the event.

Prior to discussing the increasing hostility, mistreatment, and difficulties experienced by Russian trans people, the British filmmakers say the following: "Often, people speak about queer people in Russia, and they talk about how brave they are to be out, and speak as if they need to be saved by more progressive countries. But it's not about them being brave, and they don't need to be saved by us, or anyone that doesn't live in their community and culture. All we can do is support them on their own terms. They need to lead the way."

You can read my full review here. Theo, who began the series as Susie, is a trans boy played by White American trans actor Lachlan Watson. The series itself is a weird mix of juvenile and violent, but many young folks will likely relate to depictions of dysphoria, same-gender attraction, and masculinity in an AFAB kid. Theo is pretty savagely beaten at the start of the show, and faces transphobic/lesbophobic bullying which does cease as the series progresses, so prepare for that. In the first episode, Theo is found crying after a sexual assault, and in season 2 he's sexually harassed while trying to use the boy's changing room. It's worth noting, too, that the show does not handle the abuse of boys/men very well, particularly when it comes to cis male characters.

This is a really lovely interview, and I wish it was longer! You can watch it here. Siddhant More, a trans man from Mumbai, talks about his transition and his experiences, saying that nothing was particularly tough for him, though transitioning was still a huge emotional step and coming out to his father was difficult. He says his confidence has increased, he is less aggressive now than he was pre-transition, and he is very happy.

One struggle that he did face, and which he describes as "very, very awkward", is the issue of deciding which bathroom to use, and the experience of being chased out of the female toilets even pre-transition, leaving him in a difficult position as he was not yet comfortable with the male toilets either. He talks about the ignorance of doctors, explaining that many are simply not aware that trans people exist, and goes on to say, "Education is key. If you educate people, then they will accept you. If people don't know, how can they become more accepting? We need to educate people more about what it means to be a trans man."

He says that the weirdest comments made by others include the assumption that he is transitioning because he wants to marry a woman, and that he must be transitioning "for her". "It is, according to me, a very stupid question," he says, "I transitioned for myself. Not for anyone else."

I was a bit surprised that the interview included a question about whether trans men can impregnate women. More handles the question gracefully, speaking frankly and calmly about his physiology, but it did seem a bit intrusive on the part of the interviewers.

He laughs and smiles when asked whether he misses anything about being a woman, and says, "No, I don't miss anything. I am very happy."

David Schreibner, a trans young man, is played by a trans male actor named Lukas von Horbatschewsky. According to the show's wiki, "David Schreibner is a main character in the first generation of Druck. He is a main character in the third and fourth seasons, and a guest character in the seventh." You can watch his coming-out scene here.

You can read my full review here. White American trans male actor Isaiah Stannard plays Ben, a trans boy who begins the show as Sadie and then transitions. Stannard gives a great performance and I'm really glad the writers decided to include a trans male character instead of the cis character they originally planned. However, there are many warnings to be aware of before watching Good Girls.

The synopsis of this episode is as follows: "When a female escort is found sexually assaulted and brutally beaten, the Special Victims Unit is called in to investigate. They soon discover that she was in a sleazy hotel with three soldiers from the military. However, the case becomes complicated when one soldier refuses to talk and another confesses to the crime, even though it is clear that he is lying. Eventually, when the real rapist is found and the DNA comes in, the case takes an extremely shocking twist and a huge sacrifice is made by one of the soldiers who has been hiding a secret from the world for a very long time."

I'm not particularly looking forward to watching this episode in its entireity, because I have already viewed an excerpt (here) and it's repugnant.

Marquise Vilsón, a Black American trans actor, plays a trans man who is falsely accused of rape. Not only is he needlessly outed as FTM during the legal proceedings, a lawyer perpetuates some disgusting misandry when he insists that "most red-blooded men" would take the opportunity to have sex with a distraught victim of sexual violence. After all, she's a beautiful woman, so a real man wouldn't be able to hold back, right? What an utterly heinous way to think about any group of people. That is truly awful writing.

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 US 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.

You can access TransMilitary through its official website.

This is an autobiographical documentary about Jason Barker, a British trans man, and his decision to carry a child. Reportedly, the documentary shows 15 years of Barker's life, beyond just the pregnancy. You can watch it here.

In this film, 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. I absolutely recommend watching it. You can purchase it here.

WARNING: This documentary includes graphic, uncensored footage of surgery being performed. There is also unsafe chest binding.

In this lovely interview, a 51 year-old Welsh trans man named Dave is interviewed alongside his partner, Donna. Donna talks about supporting Dave and affirming his maleness, and Dave talks about transitioning at an older age. He also shows his top surgery chest scars and his phalloplasty arm scar. This is a very sweet little video that’s almost guaranteed to give you good feelings!

You can read my full review here. This show has a major trans male character named Micah Lee, played by Chinese American trans man Leo Sheng. Throughout the show, Micah has sexual relationships with both men and women, leading to several groundbreakings sex scenes in terms of FTM representation. There is a minor FTM character played by Brian Michael Smith, a Black American trans man. Daniel Sea, a trans non-binary actor, plays a trans elder and parent named Max. There are two non-binary characters played by non-binary actors, and two women played by trans actresses. I would definitely recommend this show if you are seeking depictions of a trans man having sex in diverse ways, and exploring his attraction to different people.

In this video, a White American female-to-male transsexual who began transitioning in 1986 speaks about the long-term effects of being on testosterone, in his experience. He describes himself as being very happy with the changes, happy to be ageing as a man, loving having a deeper voice, and being empowered to have sex with women. He says that, while he has experienced high cholesterol and borderline high blood pressure, both have been controlled through exercise and, where needed, medication. (A common situation for many older men.) He says he cannot point to any negatives solely due to testosterone. He urges people considering starting hormone replacement therapy, specifically testosterone, to consult a doctor and/or a nurse practitioner. He recommends caution when it comes to highly politicised and negative online conversations about long-term testosterone use.

The synopsis is as follows: "Best friends Jack (a trans man) and Yaya (a trans woman) celebrate their 30th year of friendship in their hometown in South Jersey alongside an eclectic crew of extended family and neighbors." This looks devastatingly sweet. Please go ahead and watch the trailer if you want to see cis family members sticking up their trans relatives. I know I'm gonna be watching this documentary as soon as possible. It looks gorgeous and very real.