Finding Kim

Available Summary:

"A Seattle transgender man begins to embark on his gender transition at 50 years old." -IMDb.

Jack's Summary:

Overall, I really enjoyed this documentary. It's so rare to get this extensive an insight into a mature-aged FTM transition. 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 American man. In a very beautiful (but sad) interview, he compared discrimination against trans people to his experience of racism. I loved his empathy.

There is some misinformation from cis 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 It's worth noting that his opinions are outdated and incorrect. I recommend the books Top to Bottom, a Memoir and Personal Guide Through Phalloplasty and Hung Jury: Testimonies of Genital Surgery by Transsexual Men if you're seeking accurate and balanced perspectives on female-to-male bottom surgery. Don't listen to Savage. There is a lot of stigma against phalloplasty, and trans male bottom surgery overall, and Savage happily perpetuates that.

Savage also offers a perspective on coming out which doesn’t take into account abusive families who put trans people in genuinely unsafe (and even deadly) situations. He also places the onus on trans people to answer all questions from cis people, even “the average Joe 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 in this documentary.

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 (beyond disagreeing with some of his views) I found his confrontational and aggressive manner quite anxiety-inducing... and his rhetoric has only gotten more hostile since then. 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 for men who feel similarly. Any negative commentary you might associate with Angel isn't included in Finding Kim, so I still highly recommend this film.

One comment that I will make is that not all trans men, contrary to some of Kim's comments, hate our chests. Whether for medical, personal, or trauma-related reasons, not all trans men desire top surgery, even some trans men with bigger chests. And that is totally okay. No two trans men are the same, and no two trans men have exactly the same feelings about their bodies. Trans men are a diverse lot, and that includes body diversity.

Lastly... Kim says that he was inspired by Stone Butch Blues, which is wonderful in itself, but he does label it as an FTM book. I would say that's a misinterpretation of who Jess Goldberg is.

WARNING: Graphic, uncensored footage of surgery being performed.

The trailer, watchable here, also includes discussions of surgery and footage of blood.