Fortunately, I finally woke up from the delusion, got sober, worked through the pain of childhood with several capable psychologists. Were socialized to believe vanity is a harmful, even toxic, personality trait, but vanity can be a lifeline for marginalized people, helping to buoy self-confidence and the projection of power. Original . 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. Offering no narration, expert talking heads or text interstitials, Liese forgoes contextualizing the culture wars and instead lets her subjects speak for themselves. Leenas ambition speaks to that assuredness, even as her physiological dysphoria continues to smother her. Transhood Leena at a modeling audition in "Transhood." In Transhood, director Sharon Liese documents the lives of Phoenix, Avery, Jay, and Leena, four transgender children and teenagers living in Kansas City, over the course of five years. Like any child, I basked in grandmas undivided attention and wanted to please her. But, if you can believe it, there are plenty of other confounding moments. Their pathos, however, doesnt always localize where youd expect. Filmed. It follows four so-called "trans" (a term loved by those who want to pigeonhole them) children for five years and describes what would seem impossible. His parents decided that he is "gender expansive." The minors are 15-year-old "Leena," 13-year-old "Jay," 7-year-old Avery, and 4-year-old Phoenix (these are the ages they are first . Toward the end of the documentary, Leena, who was 19 when filming ended, discusses future plans for gender confirmation surgery with her parents and gender affirmation surgeon Dr. Marci Bowers. A young "transgender" child has gone off-script during the recent filming of a new documentary, saying that switching genders has "ruined my life." Avery, a biological male who lives his life as a girl, blasted his activist mother in the upcoming pro-transgender documentary entitled "Transhood.". Its these scenes that help to normalize, for viewers, the transition process for children and young people, emphasizing that it is a social process first, during which they may alter their hairstyle, clothing or pronoun preference before considering medical changes. 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. Phoenix at 4 is seen identifying as a girl-boy. He later identifies as a girl and by age 7 is seen identifying as male. The four young people director Sharon Liese followed in her hometown between 2014 and 2019 show different facets of what it can mean to be trans or gender fluid. People are being hurt. Follow. She helped me stand on a small stool for fittings and hemming. I do not understand how anyone on the political left could think that having children live as the opposite gender and brainwashing them to believe they are anything besides what they were born isnt child abuse! In less than a decade, the Democratic party, the media, the entertainment industry, and much of academia have thrown their weight behind . But some trans children may co-opt the language of abuseto describe a home life where their gender choice was not embraced, either in part or at all. In this clip, you see a mother reading a transgender childrens book titled Jacobs New Dress to her 4-year-old son, Phoenix. Aaron Barnhart has written about television since 1994, including 15 years as TV critic for the Kansas City Star. Leena. Forty percent of all homeless youth are LGBTQ. Genre: Documentary. There are many exceptions to this, of course;some trans children have suffered abuses at the hands of their families. Ive done too much in this world. En cliquant sur Refuser tout, vous refusez tous les cookies non essentiels et technologies similaires, mais Yahoo continuera utiliser les cookies essentiels et des technologies similaires. What I have seen in the film leads me to believe that these kids are being exploited as political props for an agenda to normalize transgenderism as a whole. Leena, Phoenix, and Jay, ranging in age from 4 to 15) as they redefine "coming of age." . A new HBO Max documentary, titled Transhood, is pushing the claim that parents must unconditionally accept their childrens claims to be members of the opposite sex. To be clear, Olson is not leading a studyshes conducting an experiment on vulnerable children. [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 . "While every journey is different, these families share their honest and varied experiences as the young people display incredible . I think it had the most of her voice, rather than her parents (which certainly is affected by age, as she was a high school freshman when filming started). For younger, more rambunctious subjects like Avery (7 at the beginning of filming in 2014) and the gender-fluid Phoenix (4), the camera often has to chase them, making it difficult to capture in a cohesive way how they personally explore their gender identity. Anyone who would try to equate the two issues is either lying or delusional. Hair is important to 18-year-old Jay, from Kansas City, Mo. The secret crossdressing game with grandma went on for about two years and ended abruptly when my mom and dad learned about it. A new documentary film explores the lives of transgender kids at different stages in their lives and how they are navigating their everyday lives while Anyone can read what you share. These organizations also stress the importance of supportive parenting and social environments, as Leena and Jay experienced, when making decisions about their healthcare from their families and medical professionals. Transhood is a film about four transgender kids over the span of five years. . We're really not trying to change people's minds Leena said. In addition to Transhood and the TRANSlation Summit, HBO Max has plenty of content to celebrate Transgender Awareness Week (November 13-19).One of them is the new HBO Max original Veneno which . It takes place over five years. But if it aims to mimic Richard Linklaters time-stretching Boyhood in its observations of change both large and small, those efforts fall short. All the while poor Jay comforts her, no doubt feeling some semblance of guilt over something that is not at all his fault. Westernjournal.com reports: I find myself angered by the trans communitys continual push to normalize the sexualization of children. by Jonathon Van Maren 12 . An upcoming pro-transgender documentary entitled "Transhood" follows the story of four children in Kansas City and their journey as activists for the transgender community. Transhood. It puts off a vibe strikingly similar to the case ofJames Younger, the 7-year-old old boy in Texas who was being forced to live like a girl by his mother against the wishes of his father,who maintainsthe boy is being used. The documentary Transhood is years in the making as it follows four transgender youths for five years of their young lives. Leena's family requested that . But, as one states, Id rather have a healthy son than a suicidal daughter.. The book talks about a boy who made himself a dress and asserts the nonsensical notion that there are all sorts of ways to be a boy. 1,655 likes. Pour en savoir plus sur notre utilisation de vos informations, veuillez consulter notre Politique relative la vie prive et notre Politique en matire de cookies. Its ruined my life and now everyone in this world is going to know. The soft-focus documentary,shot in Kansas City, Missouri, and follows four children over the course of five years, doesnt mention much science. Commenters have savaged the clips, with one pundit suggesting that the kids' parents should be hauled "away in handcuffs." Filmed over five years, HBO's 'Transhood' follows four children as they grow up transgender in Kansas City. Bowers is a man who identifies as a woman. Oh my god, so many results already! she jokes, filming herself taking her first hormone pills. Grandmom Shirley hopes that people watch their story and it makes them more accepting" of others. (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.) Its the parents here Im more worried about. She just wanted a chance to be a kid, so that was another part of the evolution that I appreciate.. Blogger. Jay, 12; Avery, 7; Leena, 15; and Phoenix, 4. Two of the children, 12-year-old Jay (a girl who identifies as a boy) and 15-year-old Leena (the opposite), have been placed on hormone pharmaceuticals by their parents in order to suppress their natural puberty. The older the subject, the more theyre able to convey personal agency without parental interpretation. Leena shrugs off their rejection with heartbreaking aplomb: Over the film's five-year timeline, alongside a world of physical changes, we see the subjects' skins thicken before our eyes. Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting. Im excited, and now I have the mindset that if people dont like it, thats O.K., he says. There are other people hurting. The film follows the story of four children in Kansas City . children who believe they are the opposite sex. "Transhood" leads with its most prominent subject, Avery Jackson, a rainbow-haired preteen transgender girl who became something of a symbol for the movement following her appearance on a National Geographic cover in 2017. . Filmed over five years in Kansas City, this documentary follows four transgender kids - beginning at ages 4, 7, 12, and 15 - as they redefine "coming of age.". Transhood rolls fluidly over the years, as the children grow into their bodies and gender expressions, consider hormone blockers and, for Leena, gender confirmation surgery. We just want them to understand our journey and respect us enough to allow us to do our own thing. Absolutely, it is, I ain't gonna lie at all, but still the bottom line is you tell your kid, 'Hey, hit the dishes. In any case, this appears to be a horrible case of child exploitation in the name of a political agenda that should make anyone who cares about personal liberty sick. 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? As she worked, she smiled and remarked how cute I looked. I think a lot of that is what made her decide that she didnt want to be so public at the time. Transhood. I just want to stay a kid., In another scene, 15-year-old Leena discusses a classmate, a boy, who broke up with her. Today, watching this documentary, I marvel at how the events of my childhood groomed me into believing that identifying as the opposite sex was the solution to my gender confusion. I see now that medical transitioninjecting female hormones and undergoing multiple surgical proceduresto destroy the male me was a form of self-abuse not unlike drinking to excess. We Have A Lifestyle Crisis, Every Bite Of Processed Food Is Killing You: Study, NYT Contributor Is Terrified Of New Childhood Obesity Guidelines For All The Wrong Reasons, 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? Scene from HBO's pro-trans documentary. Leena, who we meet at age 15, takes her family and best friend on an unexpected emotional journey as she . You wonder if they are going to run or stay. Although Jay and Mildred, who was one of Jays first relationships, part ways after that scene in the film, Jay says Mildred contacted him after recently watching the film and told him how much she enjoyed it. When they do reach adolescence, receiving gender-affirming care is often life-saving for the young . HBO unveiled a new trailer for Transhood on Friday, three weeks ahead of its premiere, introducing viewers to Jay, Avery, Leena and Phoenix, who range in age from 4 to 15 at the film's start . According to a 2018 report from the Human Rights Campaign, over half of transgender or gender-expansive youth say they have been mocked by their family for their identity, and three in four hear their family make negative remarks about LGBTQ people. Why is that suddenly not on the news, Mom? I cant make everyone like me and understand, but at least they can watch this film, and hopefully they can see that [being trans] is O.K. Transhood is not about protecting or advancing the rights of the transgender community but is yet another push by people who lack any sort of moral values to make child exploitation acceptable as long as its veiled under social justice. Self-destructive thoughts and actions took over. 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. From there, the damage mounted: out-of-control drinking, copious amounts of female hormones to look like a woman, divorce and loss of family, loss of career, and drug abuse, culminating with gender affirming surgery at age 42. 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. With Avery Jackson. November 12, 2020. 15 . By sharing personal realities of how gender expression is . Movies. Later they decide he's a girl. The question is, how do you not believe them?. The Tragedy of Transhood. The boy here is 4 years old. The older the subject, the more theyre able to convey personal agency without parental interpretation. The film premiered at the AFI Docs Festival on June 19, 2020 and was released on HBO and HBO Max on November 12, 2020. Following the families over several years allowed Liese to see the young people as they grew up and experienced different triumphs and challenges. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. Slinky, fashionable and self-involved, Leena is an endearingly average teenage girl. 17 States Support Texas Lawsuit Filed With The Supreme Court, MADE IN CHINA: Swalwell Blames Trump for Chinese Spy Story Theyre Not Gonna Silence Me, by Sean Adl-Tabatabai in Sponsored 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. Does Leena have a social media page I . There is much testimony among parents of trans kids who have been told by therapists that lack of support for these children is the same as harming them. If a Christian couple had a son who came out as a homosexual and the parents response was to send him to a so-called straight camp, the establishment media and their progressive allies would have a field day plastering the couples faces nationwide, branding them as bigots and homophobes. A second segment posted to Twitter by Walsh shines a light on just how far these so-called parents are willing to go to push a new sexual identity onto their children. This is where my crossdressing and gender confusion started. Transhood accomplishes the opposite of what it set out to do. I crashed, entered alcohol rehab, and started therapy. They also meet their parents, following along as the children navigate changes in their identity, coming out to their . Equipped with more information about transitioning online, some teens may feelmore empowered than ever to strike out on their own, perhaps maintaining the belief their parents dont love them. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Her sobering interviews at the tail-end of filming will genuinely leave you more interested in learning the details of her personal biography than in studying the early gender journey of her middle child. 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. HBO Max released on Nov. 12 a documentary called "Transhood," which chronicles the lives of four transgender children over a period of five years. But now?, Avery: Yeah, I did but that was a stupid, silly mistake and now I dont., To that end, 4-year-old Phoenix, who begins the movie by wearing dresses and referring to himself as a girl-boy, ultimately reverts back to identifying as male. The HBO documentary, which follows four transgender and gender-nonconforming children in Kansas City, Mo., over five years, races through their changing and evolving understanding of themselves . We meet redheaded charmer Leena at age 15, just four years after the start of her social transition. Ultimately, the film is as much a call to action to advocate for legislation protecting trans rights as it is a portrayal of the complexity of transgender lives. Unfortunately, this kind of unconditional love is more uncommon than not. The United States was founded on theideals that every individual deserves tobe free and that includes children who are being abused and indoctrinated by their parents about sexual identity long before they should even be thinking of the words. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. This documentary glorifies child exploitation and indoctrination in the name of acceptance and tolerance. By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use. Its not cut and dry, she says. 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. For 80-year-old Shirley, the most important thing is love. It takes place over five years. In another, a woman who identifies as a man is seen cutting the hair of teenage Jay, while explaining, Ive had a complete, total hysterectomy.. For the parents featured in Transhood, navigating their childs transition as a family is often uncharted territory. "Is it difficult to be different? With meticulously manicured talons and a glossy copper mane flowing down her back, she dreams of becoming a runway model. Transhood Review: Five Years Pass as Transgender Kids Grow Up, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/movies/transhood-review.html, Leena is one of the subjects of the documentary Transhood.. 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 . My first few years after surgery were exhilarating, but unhappiness steadily grew until I decide to detransition back to life as Walt around eight years later. Child exploitation has nothing to do with LGBT rights. All rights reserved. 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. So I had no idea what transgender meant. And the parents of spirited four-year-old Phoenix believe their child is gender nonbinary due to their preferred play styles and self-referral as a girl-boy., While Leena commands your attention from the moment shes on screen, its the parents of the other three children who nearly steal the film as they candidly delve into the complications of raising trans children in a culture that invalidates their kids humanity. "And in my generation, you didn't even say the word gay. I remember sitting on the porch, watching grandma cut and stitch pieces of purple chiffon cloth into a beautiful full-length evening dress for me, her four-year-old grandson. Although Phoenixs parents eventually divorce and have different views on parenting Phoenix, Liese says that the message from that story is that you really just need to love your kids, and let them lead, and that you can never go wrong by affirming your child.. ", How Teddy Geiger is blazing trails for LGBTQ musicians. The other two, 7-year-old Avery (a boy who identifies as a girl) and 4-year-old Phoenix (the same) are not receiving hormone drugs but they are dressed in female clothing and referred to as girls. Avery, Leena, and Phoenix. I think people perceive being transgender as something evil only because they don't know what's going on., Its still children and feelings, and theres still gotta be that love, and theres still gotta be the rules, he added. "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. 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