Friday, October 23, 2020 2:30 PM 14:30 . Aaron Barnhart has written about television since 1994, including 15 years as TV critic for the Kansas City Star. His parents decided that he is "gender expansive." For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Her parents and grandmother are accepting and compassionate. It confirms the pain, uncertainty, and endless search for holistic personhood. When her mom tries to wheedle her into appearing at yet another event, the little girl finally lashes out: I just dont even wanna have a book. Parents need to know that Transhood is a documentary that follows four transgender-identified children (whose ages at the beginning are 4, 7, 12, and 15) over five years of their lives in Kansas City, Missouri. Their feelings remain potent and tangible throughout: After all, kids are kids, no matter their upheavals. En cliquant sur Accepter tout, vous acceptez que Yahoo et nos partenaires traitent vos informations personnelles et utilisent des technologies telles que les cookies pour afficher des publicits et des contenus personnaliss, et des fins de mesure des publicits et des contenus, dtude des audiences et de dveloppement de produit. These kids frustrations range from gender dysphoria to celebrity fatigue to being outed by others before they were ready to do it on their own. Liese says that this scene with Jay was such a pivotal and huge moment for the film, because it can represent what can happen, and what happens frequently when trans people disclose their identities. People ask me, how do kids know when they are four years old? Though it will no doubt draw ire from some, Transhood a new HBO documentary that premieres tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PTreally just wants viewers to know that transgender kids . Parents may also find that some therapists are not on their side. It was definitely the hardest thing I think, to come out to her during the film, and that was the first person I ever told, he says. I quickly realized that is not the question. "I've known Leena since the day she was born and have taken care of her since she was two months old so I've seen lots of changes," her grandmother told TODAY. "And in my generation, you didn't even say the word gay. They also meet their parents, following along as the children navigate changes in their identity, coming out to their . A new HBO Max documentary, Transhood, follows for five years the lives of four Kansas City, Mo. Shot over five years in the Kansas City area, "Transhood" follows four children starting at ages 4, 7, 12 and 15 as they navigate emotional, social and sometimes physical transitions. Ive done too much in this world. Grandma, a seamstress, stayed at home fashioning dresses for customers. Cutting my hair was one of the biggest things that happened to me through the transition because it made me feel like I am me, he says. November 12, 2020. Transhood is a 2020 American documentary film directed and produced by Sharon Liese. (Of course, completely disobliging parents likely wouldnt let their child explore gender diversity at all, let alone allow a camera crew to record it for the whole world to see.) The human brain is not fully developed until around the age of 25, according to theUniversity of Rochester Medical Center, so why would any reasonable human being think that is OK to have a child born male live as a female? Its something you discover about yourself, he says. However, at least one scene should serve as a warning to any parent thinking of allowing their child to transition. Gender specialists dont know who the trans kids are. We're really not trying to change people's minds Leena said. Filmed over five years in Kansas City, this documentary follows four kids - beginning at ages 4, 7, 12, and 15 - as they redefine "coming of age." These kids and their families reveal intimate realities of how gender is re-shaping the family next door in a never-before-told chronicling of growing up transgender in the heartland. Moving and thought-provoking, the film explores how these families struggle and stumble through parenting, and how the kids are challenged and transformed as they experience the . His favorite celebrity profiles include Cher who said their interview was one of the most interesting of her career as well as Kylie Minogue, Candice Bergen, Patti Smith and RuPaul. The HBO documentary tracks the children over five years, but regrettable outcomes from transgender treatments often occur years, even decades, later, when the thrill of transition wears off. Theyre children featured in a documentary on HBO. I can see that grandmas withholding of love for the four-year-old boy Walt set in motion the desire to punish myself for being a boy. Jackson is one of four transgender kids profiled in " Transhood ," a tender-hearted documentary that humanizes trans kids while avoiding many of the usual gawking pitfalls. , director Sharon Liese conducts a microcosmic kind of longitudinal study on childhood gender transition. In the film, viewers see how Jay expresses his identity, particularly in two scenes with his barber, who is also a trans man. Slinky, fashionable and self-involved, Leena is an endearingly average teenage girl. Through Phoenixs story, Liese shows that every journey is unique when it comes to gender. Watch Now. The drugs are not approved for this use and the outcomes are harmful. Following a . Such is the case with HBO's new documentary Transhood, which follows four transgender individuals Leena, Phoenix, Avery, . Its not cut and dry, she says. Transhood. and they dont need to judge me for it, he says. Sarcastic seven-year-old Avery, via her mothers political activism, soon becomes a literal poster child for trans rights. The soft-focus documentary,shot in Kansas City, Missouri, and follows four children over the course of five years, doesnt mention much science. [10/30/20 - 09:00 AM] HBO's "Transhood" Debuts November 12 Filmed over the course of five years in Kansas City, the documentary is an inspiring chronicle of the lives of four young people and . 20. For a grandparent who grew up in a time when being gay was taboo and the word "transgender" wasn't even on the radar, having a transgender grandchild can be a leaning experience, to say the least. The particulars of Avery, Jay, Leena and Phoenix's gender journeys are unique, yet, they share some experiences in common: Each has transitioned to some extent, that is, found a way to align their outer . Ive done too much in this. Like being a teenager is just hard enough on its own, Leena says during one scene. Leena. Transgender Institute also runs support groups, therapy and mentoring for its young trans community in Kansas City. We just want them to understand our journey and respect us enough to allow us to do our own thing. The film follows four children, beginning at ages four, seven, twelve, and fifteen, as they "redefine coming-of-age". The film follows the story of four children in Kansas City . "I hope that the documentary opens people's eyes and opens people's minds," says one of its subjects Leena, whose later adolescence is documented in 'Transhood' Courtesy of HBO Ultimately, the film is as much a call to action to advocate for legislation protecting trans rights as it is a . Jay, 12; Avery, 7; Leena, 15; and Phoenix, 4. The storyline shows the difficult decisions trans people often make about disclosing their identities. Republicans Should Investigate, Cori Bush Married Her Unlicensed Security Guard While Calling To Defund Police, Questioning Bidens Ukraine Policy Doesnt Make You An Isolationist. Clean your room. Leena's family requested that . Even now, I ask her, Do you ever think youll be public again? and she said, I dont know, but if I do, I want [my advocacy work] to be on my terms, and I dont necessarily want it to be about trans people. It also highlights the grim change that happened when Trump won the 2016 presidential election. Everybody's just got their own walk.. pic.twitter.com/lMTJQy1Ycl. All Rights Reserved. 2023 The Federalist, A wholly independent division of FDRLST Media. In a landmark case in the United Kingdom high court brought by two people treated as children at the nations sole gender clinic, Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS), judges were surprised that GIDS did not track data about their patients, even while under their care. But if it aims to mimic Richard Linklaters time-stretching Boyhood in its observations of change both large and small, those efforts fall short. It left a bad taste in my mouth and validated the concern I had seen on social media prior to watching "Transhood" for myself. Font Size. Be lovers of freedom and anxious for the fray, Study: Obesity Raises Risk Of Early Death By 90 Percent, Liberal Misery: How the Hateful Left Sucks Joy Out of Everything and Everyone, 6 Ways The Censorship Complex Silences Speech It Doesnt Want You To Say Or Hear, American College Of OB-GYNs Bans Pro-Life Doctors From Conference After They Show Up, Passing The Equal Rights Amendment Would Hurt Low-Income Women The Most, Making Tiger Woods Apologize For Teasing Justin Thomas Is Ridiculous, Black History Month Is Lackluster When Elites Obsess Over Race All Year Long, Why Did The IRS Let Biden Off The Hook For His Sketchy Tax Filings? For the parents featured in Transhood, navigating their childs transition as a family is often uncharted territory. Grandma was totally unaware of the damage that she was inflicting, indoctrinating me into enjoying being a girl instead of who I really wasthe scruffy little boy with cowboy boots and torn jeans. Avery, Jay, and Leena, at puberty, each chose to undergo some degree of gender-affirmative medical transition as well. 2023 The Federalist, A wholly independent division of FDRLST Media. Phoenixs parentdivorce, partly over their disagreedment with their childs claims, while other parents get praise for their advocacy. Both were in shock. February 05, 2021. Movie Info. This is what trans indoctrination of children looks like, from HBO's new documentary promoting and celebrating child abuse. The film also ignores the growing evidence that more kids who would grow up to be gay or lesbian are being seduced into the de-sexed, unhealthy, sad, infertile, and unattractive role of transgender men and transgender women. Most children, if not scored by their parents to pro-transgender medical providers, grow to accept their bodies. When we started with Avery and her transition, we didnt feel like there was anywhere to turn to, we didnt know who to talk to or where to go, and we felt desperately lost, says Tom, Averys dad, during the film. And if you really listen to your kid, it's so simple to see. Later they decide he's a girl. Source: Niamh Harris A young "transgender" child went off-script during the recent filming of a new documentary, warning liberals that switching genders has "ruined my life.". 15 . Going through puberty as someone youre not is a little harder.. Their feelings remain potent and tangible throughout: After all, kids are kids, no matter their upheavals. But it is not love, and can have catastrophic consequences. old, dress-wearing Phoenix - who initially describes herself as a "girl-boy, a boy who wants to be a girl" - to Leena, a 15-year-old who's starting to take hormone blockers, dreams of . Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts He loves writing about pop culture, trending topics, LGBTQ issues, style and all things drag. -style over five years, starting in 2015. follows four Kansas City families in various stages of this conversely agonizing and rewarding process. . The documentary Transhood is years in the making as it follows four transgender youths for five years of their young lives. IE 11 is not supported. . During President Donald Trumps tenure, various levels of government have enacted major changes impacting the rights of transgender people and LGBTQ people more broadly, including a declaration that requires schools in Connecticut to ban transgender students from participating in school sports and the rollback of an Obama-era federal rule that protected transgender people from discrimination by homeless shelters and other housing services. I have now found peace, and remarkably even joy, living as Walt. Its not something you just decide. The doctor administering the treatment appears taken aback, because, she says, Usually if something is medically necessary, insurance will cover it., To the contrary, the signs telling these parents that this is not okay are everywhere. But over the years, we realized it wasn't., I honestly thought that we just had a flamboyant gay boy, she added. This is where my crossdressing and gender confusion started. Its a good thing that Avery has opted to take a step back from the spotlight,as Popsugar put it, though its still horribly sad that this confused young boy is still pretending to be a girl with his parents approval and encouragement. People are being hurt. The film follows four families in Kansas City, all of which include a child who identifies as transgender. She just wanted a chance to be a kid, so that was another part of the evolution that I appreciate.. Fortunately, I finally woke up from the delusion, got sober, worked through the pain of childhood with several capable psychologists. Leena's family requested that their last names be withheld to protect their privacy. legal rights, institutions, and civic support. Sign up to get unfiltered news delivered straight to your inbox. Join now to unlock comments, browse ad-free, and access exclusive content from your favorite FDRLST writers. For 80-year-old Shirley, the most important thing is love. Liese also follows Avery, who was 7 when filming began, as she sits for a portrait for the cover of National Geographics 2017 Gender Revolution issue and faces the pressure that comes with media attention. When I was dating Brian, it felt like an authentication, she said. An intimate look at growing up as a transgender child, HBO Max's new documentary Transhood is both eye-opening and emotional. Child exploitation has nothing to do with LGBT rights. Avery Jackson, a 13-year-old trans activist whom you may recognize from the HBO Max documentary Transhood, has grown a lot over the five-year filming period . I am a libertarian, and with that being said, I believe that a consenting adult should be able to do whatever he or she chooses with their own body. Why is that suddenly not on the news, Mom? It has taken me years to adequately assess the full range of consequences inflicted by grandmas gender grooming. 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