Top Surgery

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Available Summary:

"In 2022, Video Journalists Baz Macdonald and Anna Harcourt and I collaborated on a short documentary for Re: News, following my journey in the days leading up to surgery. Baz Macdonald was awarded Video Journalist of the Year at the 2023 Voyager Awards, and ‘Top Surgery’ was also a finalist for Best Feature Video (Single Video Journalist). The judges said: “Through clever storytelling Baz Macdonald humanises some of the more challenging issues society is grappling with. The stand out was Top Surgery. A beautifully crafted story which captured a level of intimacy and vulnerability that is rare to see. This issue is a complex and contentious topic in societies worldwide and this story broke down the complexity and politics with the most intimate of insights.” Baz also wrote an accompanying article on how the public health system in Aotearoa is failing trans people. The article goes into more detail around my financial journey to getting top surgery, and some of the statistics surrounding gender affirming care in Aotearoa." -Hancox-Monk's website.

Jack's Summary:

In this documentary short, a Aotearoan non-binary person named Stevie Hancox-Monk talks about their decision to have top surgery. They discuss their dysphoria, which has been present from a young age, and say how excited they are to finally have a flat chest. They talk about their post-op clothes wishlist, which is comprised of shirts that they currently do not feel comfortable wearing. They also stand in front of a mirror, topless, and react to what they see. “I guess I want to share my experience,” they explain, “I want people to see how hard it is. Not so they can feel sad, but so they can understand what it’s like [and] understand why this kind of healthcare is important”.

Viewers should proceed with caution because, at one point, Stevie says that they have previously tried to damage their chest and have experienced intense mental anguish and anger.

After surgery, they cry with happiness and say, “It feels right, y’know? Which is so cool. It’s just so cool. I’m really, really happy.”