Documentaries, Shows, Films, Interviews, and Games.

This is more of a breakup movie than a romance movie. Denny moves in with Ryan, who assumes them to be a cis woman. Denny, still questioning their gender and not sure who they are, doesn't initially correct him. This sets the pair off on a journey of chaos and domestic conflict that feels almost uncomfortably real. Under My Skin could be a guidebook on how to not act in relationships. It's a mutual mess.

Throughout the film, Denny is portrayed by four different non-binary actors; Liv Hewson, Bobbi Salvor Menuez, Kylo Freeman, and Lex Ryan. It's a way to communicate how multi-faceted gender can be, especially during the early-transition phase. I found the result a bit strange, but it's a cool concept and I liked that the movie did something unique.

What I didn't like about this film was that Denny binds their chest with bandages, which is undeniably dangerous. I'm really sick of early-transition exploration being used to justify that tired old trope, and I'd hoped this movie would be better than that. Denny has a smartphone and easy access to information about binding. They should've been shown using a safe binder from the outset, skipping bandages altogether. Even when they do move onto a binder, it's a clasp binder, and it looks dangerously similar to the harmful clasp binders available on sites like Amazon. No film, inclusive casting or not, should get away with setting a dangerous example nowadays. You can learn more about unsafe chest binding here.

Another thing I really didn't like is that Ryan is sexually harassed by his boss with less than 15 minutes left in the film. It was a random scene that was deeply uncomfortable. Then, with less than 6 minutes left, Denny is called "it" by the same creep. Almost as though the filmmakers included Ryan being sexually harassed just to emphasise that people who maliciously misgender trans individuals are unsavoury, which... is a message that really didn't need to be reinforced with a gross harassment scene. It struck me as very unnecessary. And, considering the fact that Denny has aggressive and dubiously consensual sex with Ryan earlier in the film, this last-minute scene really solidifies the feeling that Ryan is a victim.

All in all, this is a messy film that not everybody will enjoy, but at least it was something interesting and different. If I'm honest, I wish Liv Hewson had singlehandedly played Denny. Their acting is superb. But I applaud the diversity of including different non-binary actors.

In this video, Meng and Andrew, cis gay men from China and Canada, visit an FTM/LGBT+ bar and speak to the owner; a Japanese trans man named Masaki. You can watch the video here, and visit the bar's website here. The pair have a very lovely interview with Masaki, who says that he wants to share his experience with others.

Andrew chides Meng at one point, when Meng asks Masaki why he wanted to become a man. "It's not that he wanted to become a man," Andrew says, "I believe he has always been a man in his heart." Although Masaki did not seem offended by the phrasing, it was so sweet to see Andrew making this distinction! Later, Masaki says he does not mind very personal questions about his private life and transition, explaining, "Had I minded, I probably wouldn't have started an FTM bar... I want people to know more about us. Feel free to ask a lot of questions, so you can share the knowledge with others... Because I was helped by other people who shared information with me, I would like to pay it forward, and share this knowledge with others in the hope that it helps people".

Masaki explains that, when he was young, he struggled to figure out if he liked women "as a man, or as a woman". He figured out that he was trans when he started to go through puberty, and realised that what he was experiencing had a label; gender dysphoria. Fittingly enough for this website, Masaki talks about the importance of TV shows with trans characters, specifically San-nen B-gumi Kinpachi-sensei, which featured a trans male character named Nao Tsurumoto. He also talks about his wife, who he married two months after their first meeting, and about their two children, who were conceived with a sperm donation from Masaki's brother. The interview also includes discussions about language preferences within the trans community, and the fact that all trans people use different terms to describe their experience. Masaki also talks about participating in Tokyo Pride and Taipei Pride. It's so wonderful to hear Masaki talking about his life, and to get a window into his experience! Interviews like this are a part of FTM history, and I'm always really happy to add them to this site.

This is a sweet coming-of-age film, featuring a young White transmasculine actor (Sasha Knight) in the role of a trans boy. It's wonderful, and a recommended watch for anyone who has felt disappointed by mainstream representations of transmasculinity during youth. I wish I had been able to watch this film growing up.

I particularly loved the film’s depiction of a cis father who, despite being uneducated about trans people, is desperate to support his son, to the extent that he runs away with Joe when the boy insists on it. He also struggles to manage his bipolar disorder, which is an arc depicted with great sensitivity.

Joe, the trans boy, is called the d-slur by a cis boy who harasses him for trying on boy's clothes in a store. Beyond that, there are no scenes of transphobic violence or assault. Joe's mother isn't accepting of her son, and her mindset is very realistic to how many real-life mothers treat their trans sons.

One of my favourite scenes in this movie is when Joe simply watches his father, and other adult men, bowling together. He's spellbound and delighted by their masculinity. I adored seeing average-looking, average-bodied men being depicted as the object of a trans boy's fascination and gender euphoria, because I have felt that way too, and it's healthy to see normal bodies adored in an age of perfectly-sculpted celebrities and high standards. It felt like a celebration of typical men, finding the beauty in masculinity. I really cherished that scene.

There is a happy ending! You can find more information about the film here.

In this game, an Asian American actor named Ian Alexander voices Lev, a trans boy who has been cast out of his own community for being trans and rejecting female cultural roles. You can read a trans person's review of Lev here. While I have not played this game, I really enjoyed watching the TV adaptation of The Last of Us, and I hope Ian Alexander is in season 2 or 3!

Brian Michael Smith made history when he became the first out Black trans man in a series regular role on a national television series. I really like how this show handles trans representation, how his character is depicted, and how strong he is. It’s absolutely wonderful to see myself represented by Paul (Smith’s character). I would highly recommend 9-1-1: Lone Star as a refreshingly progressive, and inclusive, procedural firefighter show. I'm so glad this series exists! Paul's struggles with dating, transphobia, disclosure, and family acceptance are thoughtfully handled. He's a straight trans man who is fully transitioned when the series begins.

Overall, the show has a decent number of gore/accident scenes, and the occasional self-harm depiction. Drug addiction and Alcohol Use Disorder is also tackled. Depending where you're located, you should be able to watch this show on a number of different platforms.

You can read my full review here. The basic plot of A Good Man is that Benjamin, a trans man, decides to carry a pregnancy because his partner cannot. I did not like this film for many reasons beyond the fact that an actress (Noémie Merlant) was cast to play the trans male lead. It starts out alright and goes very quickly downhill. I would not recommend watching it.

The synopsis is as follows: "Real boys skinny-dip, fight with swords, and learn to masturbate together. At least, that's how the two young transgender men in Silence and Swords imagine boyhood. With a tent and a slightly cliché list of all the things they need to experience, they explore male identity in the vast wilderness of Northern Europe. This educational journey puts their friendship to the test, and forces them into a modern existential battle." The trailer is here.

Mae Martin, a Canadian comedian who now identifies as non-binary and has undergone top surgery, stars in a semi-autobiographical romantic tragicomedy about their sobriety, love life, and trauma. From everything I've heard, it sounds very funny but also very serious at stages. As far as I understand it, at the beginning of Feel Good neither Mae nor their fictionalised self were using the label non-binary, but in season 2 that label is introduced alongside Mae's real-life coming out. Via this link, you can watch the scene where they are encouraged to embrace their non-binary identity. It's very sweet and simple.

Our Baby: A Modern Miracle follows Jake and Hannah Graf, a trans man and trans woman in a self-described heterosexual marriage. Both of them are White and British. 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 Use Disorder, 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.

Season 1 of this wonderful, amazing, genuinely groundbreaking show was also released as a feature film, which is how I watched it. In either category (film or show) Rūrangi is arguably the best piece of trans male media that exists, and it’s certainly my favourite. Plus, most crucially, it's extremely high quality. It's watchable beyond the trans themes, well-written and well-acted. I haven’t yet watched season 2, so this review is only for the film version (AKA season 1), but the trailer for season 2 looks fucking incredible and I have no doubt that it’ll be an amazing watch.

A Māori trans man (Elz Carrad) was cast in the role of Caz, the protagonist of Rūrangi. The majority of the cast and crew were trans, the writer (Cole Meyers) was trans, and the director (Max Currie) was a self-described “salty old homosexual”. Beyond the LGBT+ representation both in and behind the scenes, Māori actors play Māori characters, and average townsfolk are represented by actors who you could easily imagine inhabiting an actual dairy farming community. The film looks, feels, and is authentic.

Caz, the protagonist, returns to his hometown to reconnect with his father. It's a tough reunion. His father initially resists acknowledging his son and is bitter about his child's decade-long absence, during which Caz's mother died. The film tackles transphobia, homophobia, suicide, alcohol misuse, and mental illness, so you should be prepared for that. But it's beautiful storytelling, and not at all cheap or voyeuristic. A theme included in this movie that I didn't expect was Caz encountering exhaustion after years of being an out trans activist, finding himself overwhelmed by the young, desperate trans people who rely on him. I've never seen a film capture that particular struggle, and hadn't realised how badly I needed to that affirmation.

I loved Caz's chemistry with men onscreen, both with his ex-boyfriend (who is coming to terms with his bisexuality) and another male lover. I also adored his friendship with Anahera, a Māori woman who is either lesbian or bisexual, and coming to terms with her own cultural identity.

I can’t recommend Rūrangi enough. It’s awesome.

The synopsis is as follows: "A mother interviews her transgender son as they come to their identity, addressing the conflicts, certainties, and uncertainties." You can watch this documentary here, provided you are located in the USA or have a VPN. Other locations may work, too.

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 collection of interviews, watchable here, is utterly gorgeous. Trans people and their partners are interviewed about love, their relationships, sex, and how things have changed since their transitions began. I particularly adore a conversation between two trans partners, where one says, "Physically, you becoming more masculine... You're super shredded now, you have a deep voice, and yeah, that's what I like. But also, just seeing you become more... yourself." It's such a sweet, rare dynamic to see, and I love the way that the pair laugh together.

The only thing about this video that gives me pause is a brief mention of double binding, mainly because a disclaimer is not provided to educate viewers about how dangerous double binding is. Please see this page to learn more about unsafe binding. My advice is that double binding, or any form of intense pressure on your ribcage, is not safe and should not be attempted. Further, it is an impractical way to bind your chest, as you are likely to end up in so much pain that binding is impossible until your body heals, leaving you worse off in the long run. As lovely as this video is, viewers should have been provided with a disclaimer.

The show features non-binary actors Blu del Barrio and Ian Alexander as partners in an extraterrestrial relationship. Del Barrio's character goes by they/them pronouns in the show. You can learn more here.

This game features a trans male character voiced by trans man August Aiden Black. This character is the first playable trans video game hero, from a major studio and publisher. By all accounts, the game handles his transition and gender very well, and his voice actor made contributions in the development of his storyline and personality. Apparently, the character faces some offensive reactions to his gender identity when he returns to his hometown, but I can find no other reports of transphobia that potential players should prepare for.