Now 19, Leena is one of the subjects in "Transhood," a new HBO MAX documentary that profiles four transgender children and their families in the Kansas City area. Her ruddy-faced dad, who wouldn't look out of place in a beer commercial, emerges . Menu. Another scene shows a mother visibly coaxing her son who no . The question is, how do you not believe them? This was true for Jay, who says he understands why people might have these questions, but who knew that he was trans when he was 5. If I sell my book its gonna go in the news, along with me, for like the fiftieth time at this point and its just making my life worse. Yowsers. 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, with barely a moment to catch its breath. '", Every single family that goes through this has a different experience, Cathy said. The youngest subject in the film, Phoenix, is just four years old when filming began. (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 boy here is 4 years old. by Jonathon Van Maren 12 . Its ruined my life and now everyone in this world is going to know. 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.. Sign up to get unfiltered news delivered straight to your inbox. Filmed. 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. We meet redheaded charmer Leena at age 15, just four years after the start of her social transition. Now 19, Leena is one of the subjects in Transhood, a new HBO MAX documentary that profiles four transgender children and their families in the Kansas City area. While the Midwest, broadly speaking, is a more politically and religiously conservative part of the U.S., Kansas City, like many urban areas, is more progressive, and is also home to the Transgender Institute, an organization that provides resources and support for transgender people and their families. The documentary Transhood is years in the making as it follows four transgender youths for five years of their young lives. This documentary glorifies child exploitation and indoctrination in the name of acceptance and tolerance. 15 . "Is it difficult to be different? A video clip from the HBO documentary "Transhood" ignited major backlash as disturbed social media users expressed anger and dismay at a young boy being encouraged to publicly announce his . Oh my god, so many results already! she jokes, filming herself taking her first hormone pills. For Transgender Awareness Week, TODAY Parents talked with Leenas family about raising their transgender daughter, what they want people to learn from their story and how they deal with haters. Im excited, and now I have the mindset that if people dont like it, thats O.K., he says. Also included is Avery, who was already quoted in the media at the age of 7 and appeared on the cover of National Geographic, among others. The child also insists that he is wearing girl clothes only to be corrected by his mother that they are your clothes, so they are boy clothes.. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three transgender youth has experienced a suicide attempt. Here is just some of it. On Thursday, November 12, HBO premiered the documentary film Transhood, following the lives of four children and adolescents who "identify" (or whose parents have said they identify) as transgender. A young "transgender" child went off-script during the recent filming of a new documentary, warning liberals that switching genders has "ruined my life.". A landmark study by Dr Kristina Olson in 2019 showed that gender-nonconforming kids who go on to transition already have a strong sense of their true identityone that differs from their assigned gender. (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.) So this was something I had to completely learn all about. Premieres: Thursday, November 12 (HBO Max), Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. Im dating a straight man and he sees me as a woman and I was so excited because, like, thats all I wanted. She said that Brian eventually told her that he was using me as a cover up because he was unsure of his identity in the sexual world.. I have now found peace, and remarkably even joy, living as Walt. And he should immediately have his medical license revoked for lying to a child, encouraging him to permanently mutilate his sex organs. children who believe they are the opposite sex. The older the subject, the more theyre able to convey personal agency without parental interpretation. Outcomes are not tracked. Jay, 12; Avery, 7; Leena, 15; and Phoenix, 4. Does Leena have a social media page I . In 2018,Dr. Susan Bradley, a child psychiatrist who founded the Toronto Gender Identity Clinic,toldNational Review: We know from multiple studies that around 80 percent of gender dysphoric children will desist from their cross-sex identification in childhood to identify with their natal sex. Children, on the other hand, do not have fully developed brains and are not capable of making such a life-altering decision. 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! 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. 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 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. Leena is the subject of a new documentary that profiles the experiences of four transgender children and teenagers in the Kansas City area. Parents may also find that some therapists are not on their side. This is where my crossdressing and gender confusion started. 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. "And in my generation, you didn't even say the word gay. 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? She just wanted a chance to be a kid, so that was another part of the evolution that I appreciate.. Transhood Trailer. The kids and their families are generally open about the challenges of growing up transgender and how it . I just realized that these stories really werent being told and there wasnt that kind of trans representation, over time, about kids, says Liese. 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.". When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. The drugs are not approved for this use and the outcomes are harmful. A lopsided majority of voters oppose transgender medical treatment of children. Movies. Thats our natural thing to do, because we are so scared, says Jay. According to GLAAD, only 20% of Americans say they personally know someone who is transgender. 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 . 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. Sarcastic seven-year-old Avery, via her mothers political activism, soon becomes a literal poster child for trans rights. Some of the documentarys sweetest moments come during scenes featuring Leenas family. Republicans Should Investigate, Cori Bush Married Her Unlicensed Security Guard While Calling To Defund Police, Questioning Bidens Ukraine Policy Doesnt Make You An Isolationist. HBO MAX. 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. However, unlike most teens who may lazily envisage a life of shallow glamour, Leena studies up on cosmetology, catwalk techniques and trends in the fashion industry. 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 . By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use. 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. He also sees it as vital to show different aspects of what it means to be trans, and dispel some of the intolerance and misperceptions about trans people. Meanwhile, as Averys mother dives into national community organizing, her young daughters fame soars and soon the girl is authoring childrens books, appearing on magazine covers and becoming a locus of public disgust. The soft-focus documentary,shot in Kansas City, Missouri, and follows four children over the course of five years, doesnt mention much science. People ask me, how do kids know when they are four years old? Font Size. The transgender revolution has been an overnight blitzkrieg. Yet, we see these young people muster prodigious strength facing a world that often denies them their identities. Later they decide he's a girl. We just were not sure what the right way to go about it was, Cathy said. I hope that the documentary opens peoples eyes and opens peoples minds., Avery, one of the subjects of 'Transhood,' with her mother Debi, Leena, whose later adolescence is documented in 'Transhood', What America's Richest Ski Town's Handling of COVID-19 Shows. Now 19, Leena is one of the subjects in "Transhood," a new HBO MAX documentary that profiles four transgender children and their families in the Kansas City area. Sarcastic seven-year-old Avery, via her mothers political activism, soon becomes a literal poster child for trans rights. Movie Info. All Rights Reserved. I crashed, entered alcohol rehab, and started therapy. 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. Grandma, a seamstress, stayed at home fashioning dresses for customers. Director Sharon Liese told Time magazine: People ask me, how do kids know when they are four years old? 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). My grandparents lived on the outskirts of Los Angeles in a little shack behind an automobile junkyard. Dr. Michelle Cretella, executive director of the American College of Pediatrics, recently said: The fact is many kids under the age of seven are still developing cognitively. Transhood. As a Kansas City native, Liese knows the midwestern city well and was able to deeply embed with the four families she followed. 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. The story of 4 year old Phoenix was fascinating. 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. Transhood is filmed in director Sharon Liese's hometown of Kansas. Ive done too much in this world. Her parents and grandmother are accepting and compassionate. Why arent we talking about that anymore? I had no knowledge of what it meant to be transgender, Mike told TODAY. Avery at one point says, Why do I have to grow up? Leenas mom Cathy said her daughter, who was born male, began articulating that she wanted to dress as a girl when she was about 3 years old. 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. 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. Grandmom Shirley hopes that people watch their story and it makes them more accepting" of others. Its not unusual that kids know [that they are trans] when they are young, says Liese. The eye-opening and heartfelt . 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. Transhood is a film about four transgender kids over the span of five years. What Parents Need to Know. 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. 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Ready for Tolkien Battle, Aminah Nieves, Mo Brings Plenty on Why 1923 Doesnt Look Away: We Have to Allow the Audience to Witness, The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News. Children are not sexual objects, nor should they be treated as such. Friday, October 23, 2020 2:30 PM 14:30 . Just as my grandma disrupted my normal boy development by affirming me in a dress, the adults in the documentary are disrupting the normal development of four children by allowing them to experiment with social transition, that is, the adoption of a false identity. cumbersome ordeals even many adults wouldnt be able to shoulder. When we tell these young kids the lie that they might be born in the wrong body, its psychological abuse because we are disrupting their normal cognitive and psychological development.. A couple of years ago, you wanted people to know, Averys mom says, completely dismissing his dissatisfaction with his circumstances. My web site, sexchangeregret.com, has many real-life examples of the results of changing genders taken from the headlines and from the letters I receive on a steady basis. Follow. Transhood Discussion Guide - The stories in Transhood underscore the reality that there is no "single path" for young people who are discovering and articulating their gender identity. Transhood. A youngtransgenderchild went off-script during the recent filming of a new documentary, warning liberals that switching genders hasruined my life., Avery, a male who lives his life as a girl, blasted his far-left activist mother in an upcoming pro-transgender documentary entitledTranshood.. Transhood. Gender specialists dont know who the trans kids are. , we watch moms and dads struggle with and also support their childrens transitions. But only a stupid or sick person would believe that the best way to treat a gender-dysphoric child is to affirm his or her mental state with irreversible hormone treatments and surgeries, before the child is even old enough to sign a consent form. And in the story of Phoenix, who was 4 when Liese started filming, we see how childrens relationships with their gender identity are not always clear-cut. 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. The trailer also ignores the revolutionary ideological demands behind the transgender movement and its impact on the legal rights, institutions, and civic support for all women and girls. When I was dating Brian, it felt like an authentication, she said. In less than a decade, the Democratic party, the media, the entertainment industry, and much of academia have thrown their weight behind . Research psychologist Kristiana Olson of the University of Washington, an advocate for transitioning children, put it this way: We just dont have definitive data one way or the other. She is leading a study to track outcomes of several hundred children over 20 years to be able to, hopefully, answer which children should or should not transition, she said. The documentary began shooting when Leena was was around 15. Following the families over several years allowed Liese to see the young people as they grew up and experienced different triumphs and challenges. 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. The Tragedy of Transhood. I quickly realized that is not the question. 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. Self-destructive thoughts and actions took over. Her light-heartedness initially masks her overwhelming sense of corporeal imprisonment. I just dont want to even have a book. 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. I think a lot of that is what made her decide that she didnt want to be so public at the time. 15-year-old Leena, a transgender girl with designs on a Victoria's Secret modeling career and reassignment . 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. Watch on HBO Max. 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 . All the while poor Jay comforts her, no doubt feeling some semblance of guilt over something that is not at all his fault. For 80-year-old Shirley, the most important thing is love. And as the years went on, we started to realize that there was something else involved., Around the age of 11 Leena began expressing herself as transgender, her mom said but not without some pushback from her parents. In this clip, you see a mother reading a transgender childrens book titled Jacobs New Dress to her 4-year-old son, Phoenix. They also meet their parents, following along as the children navigate changes in their identity, coming out to their . Viewers follow Leena, 15 when filming began, and her family as they navigate her later adolescence, the disappointments of her first relationship and her goal to have gender confirmation surgery when she turns 19. 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. Looking back on the film now, a year since filming ended, Jay feels he has changed a lot. But if it aims to mimic Richard Linklaters time-stretching Boyhood in its observations of change both large and small, those efforts fall short. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Forty percent of all homeless youth are LGBTQ. Filmed over five years in Kansas City, Transhood chronicles the lives of four young people (aged 4, 7, 12, and 15 at the start of filming) and their families as they navigate growing up transgender in America's heartland. With Avery Jackson. Part of the films goal is to frame these kids as just kids: rowdy, hyper, moody. It left a bad taste in my mouth and validated the concern I had seen on social media prior to watching "Transhood" for myself. As she worked, she smiled and remarked how cute I looked. The judges lambasted GIDS for not having any evidence showing the efficacy of their treatments and concluded that the evidence they presented to the court showed the treatment is as yet innovative and experimental.. The film follows four families in Kansas City, all of which include a child who identifies as transgender. Dr. Cretella, a strong advocate for children, says: When we tell children, parents or the general public that you can be born in the wrong body, that is science fiction and it is gaslighting. All rights reserved. 8 min read. Clean your room. 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. 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 . , director Sharon Liese conducts a microcosmic kind of longitudinal study on childhood gender transition. The storyline shows the difficult decisions trans people often make about disclosing their identities. Leena's family requested that . She parades him around to show him off while he is visibly in despair. I tried to play football, ride dirt bikes, shoot BB guns but none of that stuff she cared for. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Transhood (2020) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting. HBO Max released on Nov. 12 a documentary called "Transhood," which chronicles the lives of four transgender children over a period of five years. 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