Pete

Watch.

Available Summary:

"Pete is an animated short based on a true story about gender identity, Little League Baseball, people who inspire change by being themselves, and superheroes who allow change to happen." -YouTube.

Jack's Summary:

Bret Parker, who worked as an animator in The Incredibles and Finding Nemo, directed this short film and based it on her wife's gender non-conforming childhood; her wife is named Pete Barma and is referred to by they/them pronouns in this interview. In that same article, Parker explains that Pete is intended to be both "both personal and universal", with themes that are relatable for many different LGBT+ demographics. That absolutely comes across in the film itself. The central character is potentially relatable for trans guys, non-binary people, butches, and others.

The central plot is that Pete wants to play Little League Baseball with the boys, but is not allowed to. Pete's mother advocates for this to happen, and initially things are fantastic, until spectators at a game notice the flower pattern of Pete's underwear through their white baseball trousers. The film starts with Pete being affirmed and accepted by neighbours and friends, but they are yelled at and demeaned by players' parents who yell, "Get out of there, little girl!" and other equally mature comments. An older Pete, narrating the memory of their childhood, remarks, "I guess what I hadn't known is that the world outside my cul-de-sac wasn't ready for me to be Pete yet. But I didn't know how to be anything else."

After the game, an opposing player approaches them and simply says, "Hey, Pete. Good game." Pete's coach, who initially didn't allow them to join Little League, keeps them in the team. Pete's teammates praise their performance during the game, and the film ends on a happy note. The overall message, which I found quite lovely, is that allies can come from unexpected places, and there are many good people who support and affirm gender-diverse people.

As the short film is set in the 70s, it depicts a mother standing up for her gender non-conforming child the only way she can, proudly saying, "That's my daughter," when irate spectators are demanding to know who Pete's parent is. In this interview, Parker says, "It was important for us to represent the time period and, for Pete and mom, the understanding of any language around trans or non-binary children did not exist in 1975. Mom instinctively understood and supported Pete’s chosen identity but, for her, Pete was still her daughter. That was not separate from her acceptance of Pete’s choices to play ball, present like a boy, and just be Pete. But at that time in the world, both Pete and mom understood that the choices were limited. Therefore, she defended Pete in the only way she knew how to at the time. This incredible defence, love, and support, combined with the complexity of not understanding what it meant to be trans, informed the rest of Pete’s life and identity."