What's the T? is asked in this candid, brave, and often humorous documentary, which examines the lives of five dynamic Bay Area transwomen as they discuss passing, living stealth, getting clocked, and building sisterhood and community. While all of these women have gone through similar experiences and faced similar challenges, each of their tales is incredibly unique. Cassandra Cass, a buxom blonde bombshell of a performer in San Francisco, ponders where her desire for her current self-image sprang from. Rakash is getting her degree as an RN and is an up-and-coming star in NYC’s ballroom scene. Nya, an ingénue from ASIA SF, has identified as trans since the age of 14. “It’s expensive to be a girl,” she quips, in discussing shopping for make-up. Vi Le tells that when she was young, her parents threatened to drop her off in the Castro if she kept up her gender-bending ways. Mia Tu Mutch, a youth advocate for the SF Youth Commission, had very conservative parents who wanted to send her to “masculinity” classes. These women are functioning both beyond and within the familiar transfeminine story that has been told before, and the film does a loving and lively job of uncovering their truths.

— K. TAFFYJANE

PRECEDED BY:

A DIFFERENCE

Shot largely in San Francisco, A Difference takes a look at the intersection of FTM transsexuality and racial difference, and how sexism and racism in society impact aspects of daily life.

Co-presented by:

Tom Waddell Health Center, TG Clinic