Born to Be

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Available Information:

Born to Be follows the work of Dr. Jess Ting (he/him) at the groundbreaking Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery. There, for the first time ever in New York City, transgender and gender non-binary people have access to quality gender-affirming care.

With extraordinary access, this documentary offers an intimate look at how one doctor’s work impacts the lives of his patients as well as how his journey from renowned plastic surgeon to pioneering gender-affirming specialist has led to his own transformation.

-Official website.

Jordan (They/Them). Jordan is nonbinary and uses the pronouns "they" and "them." A decade ago, Jordan's family and friends didn't understand what they were going through. Now, with Jordan's nurturing spouse Alister by their side, they have the support they need to go through their transitioning. The surgery Jordan undergoes is called the radial forearm flap (a key procedure that uses skin and tissue from the arm for the construction of a penis) and happens to be one of the first of its kind to be performed in New York.

Shawn (He/Him). Shawn, who calls himself a "stealth male," signed up for the "Ting Phalloplasty," a type of surgery still in experimentation that Dr. Ting invented that adds realism and sensitivity to the phallus. It's potentially a game-changer in the field of gender affirming surgery, but it requires several stages of surgery, and a great deal of collaboration from patients who sometimes are eager to faster results. As a father of children from different relationships, Shawn has fought many battles to survive, including psychological traumas and financial hardships. And in the middle of his surgical transitioning, he lived in a homeless shelter.

-Official website, participants list.

Note from Jack:

I have not watched this film yet. Viewing it in my country is proving difficult.

It's worth mentioning that the facility shown in the documentary (Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery) has negative reviews online. Having never attended this facility, I cannot offer any insight in this regard... but viewers should certainly do their homework before approaching any surgeon.

Another Note...

A fellow trans man, who has contributed to this site by providing many valuable media recommendations, has let me know that the surgeon featured in this documentary had extensive contact with American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, even after Epstein's 2008 criminal conviction. My friend shared this article with me, which clarifies that Dr. Ting has no allegations against him personally, but the information available is still disquieting and suggests, at minimum, incredibly poor judgement and wilful ignorance.