Big Open Closet: Trans in Russia

Watch.

Available Summary:

"A documentary film about being transgender in St Petersburg in Russia, presented by Owl and Fox Fisher. This is the first specifically trans-related documentary film on day to day trans life and the specific issues that trans women, trans men, and non-binary people are facing in Russia. With special thanks to Jonny and all our contributors." -YouTube.

Jack's Summary:

I highly recommend watching this (unfortunately short) documentary, to gain insights into the experiences of trans and gender-diverse people in Russia.

The Russian people interviewed include Mark, who tells interviewers about their first time injecting testosterone only the night before. They are wonderfully authentic, full of joy, and a delight to listen to. They flex their arms and, putting on an exaggerated deep voice, say, "I'm going to become really masculine," making the interviewers laugh. Their partner, Jonny, is also trans and uses testosterone.

J, one of Mark's flatmates, describes what it was like to come out as trans in Siberia, and the experience of being forced to stay in a psychiatric hospital in order to be allowed to transition. While in the hospital, they were examined by a gynaecologist, a neurologist, and an ophthalmologist. They also had to answer a personality test that consisted of 500 questions. They laugh about their experience, as does their flatmate, but you should proceed with caution if hearing about such an experience might upset you. J says that they saw things in the hospital which they will never be able to forget.

The interviewees discuss sexual abuse in Russia, and the expectations of masculinity and manhood which are placed upon trans women and transfeminine people. "As a construct," Jonny explains, "A man who lets go of his masculinity is perceived as weak and something that shouldn't exist." Jonny also adds that non-conformity can put any person in danger, saying, "It's about disability, it's about race, it's about ethnicity, it's about your mental health, it's about anything. As soon as it's recognised that you don't fit into the major normative... You're just... nobody."

After this, a trans woman named Kate is interviewed about how being publicly outed affected her life. Loren, a trans doctor, is interviewed alongside his wife Nadezhda. Unfortunately, their interview is very short, and we do not get to learn much about the pair.

Ari, a non-binary person, talks about the difficulty posed by the Russian language, in that speakers have to use gendered language whenever they talk about themselves. "For practicality, I ask people to please refer to me with masculine pronouns and language," they say, "Which is the way I have referred to myself since my childhood... But I feel that I am neither a man nor a woman. I think the idea that gender can be more than two is enough to blow people's minds".

A young trans person talks about living in a closed military city, and having a lack of information about gender. They talk about the struggle of being diagnosed in order to be allowed to transition, and how this can lead to misdiagnoses and incorrect assumptions from practitioners. They, and their young friend, talk about being asked questions relating to their genitalia, even though such questions are obviously irrelevant and traumatising. "I am afraid of going to the hospital," the young person says, "It's a problem."

The two interviewers/filmmakers, Owl and Fox Fisher, attend an LGBT+ festival called Queerfest. The festival was attacked in the past, but there are no instances of violence or anti-LGBT+ sentiments at the event which is filmed. In fact, it seems joyous and incredibly lovely, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a crowd gathered to celebrate. There are several lingering, beautiful shots of anonymous LGBT+ people who have attended the event.

Prior to discussing the increasing hostility, mistreatment, and difficulties experienced by Russian trans people, the English filmmakers pointedly emphasise the following: "Often, people speak about queer people in Russia, and they talk about how brave they are to be out, and speak as if they need to be saved by more progressive countries. But it's not about them being brave, and they don't need to be saved by us, or anyone that doesn't live in their community and culture. All we can do is support them on their own terms. They need to lead the way."