Thank you for mentioning Behind the Looking Glass. As one of the trans widows appearing without animation, I tell you, every word is true. I appear about half way in, wearing green, then join the chorus of older trans widows in a few places in the second half. Later on, Vaishnavi plans to release some of our interviews as raw footage--there's quite a lot of it. My comments on the early Nutrix pamphlets, "Letters to the Editor from Female Impersonators," presented by Genevieve Gluck.
I watched this yesterday. This is a profoundly important documentary. Don't be fooled by Moonlit Night's comment; this documentary is about the women, not the men. The women deserve to have their stories told, how these 'transitions' ruin families. These women are some of the bravest and strongest people I have ever seen.
Wow, this was a fantastic film. At first, the thought of a long animation-focused film worried me, as I thought it might prove distracting from the dialogue. A few minutes later, when they worked in clips of actual women, I was able to settle in and actually enjoy the animation, rather than see it as a distraction.
The way this film built through a series of topics, presented in the women's voices only, reminded me of my consciousness-raising groups, which, through listening to women speak, rather than conversing back and forth, led attendees to understand the presence of misogyny and the need to speak out and claim our voices. Pornography as an influence was brought in but not overplayed. The similarity to other forms of abuse patterns was worked in through many comments, without becoming didactic. The non-trans widow speakers interspersed throughout the film helped make connections, rather than coming across as "experts," which would have dimmed the voices of the trans widows themselves. The focus on the effects on children was a wake-up call about yet another way in which children are damaged by the trans agenda. The animation itself was beautifully done. I loved the cats in various scenes and the dog in Tinsel's segment moved exactly the way dogs move in real life. The quote by Andrew Dworkin in the credits was a punctuating gem.
I am left with hope and pride at the strength of the women who spoke their truth to power. Overall, this was a well-designed film that allowed the trans widows to speak loudly, strongly, and courageously for themselves.
Sorry for seeming picky, but in the interest of accuracy -- it was the late great Andrea Dworkin's quote at the end of the film (maybe that was a typo?) Otherwise, what a good review, and you expressed it so well! I agree. It was a moving and informative film. So glad it was made!
Thank you so much, Lisa, for posting this magnificent, heartrending film. Sundar, the affected women, and other spokespeople give much needed, eloquent voice to the issues for families, all too often ignored or seen only as props for the supposed “hero” of the transition “journey.” It is not only necessary viewing, but also tremendously uplifting to hear from those who have been harmed and learn how to better be supports and allies. Salute, also, to our own Ute Heggen, who has bravely spoke out about her own experience for so long.
I wonder if anyone has given thought to a documentary, or any writings, about parents who have been left behind by their 'trans' adult children? Another issue we can't talk about as the world, whether secretly or boldly, wants to say that these parents must have done something wrong to have their own children walk away from them. My own incredibly beloved son declared his trans-ness at 33 and left us in the dust but not before he screamed as us, vilified us and of course called us transphobic. He was living with us at the time so he could go back to school and get on his feet. We did ask him to slow down and we were very worried about medications he was on that were changing his personality. No amount of trying to connect has been fruitful. We are in our late 60's and 70's and just heartbroken. No family wants to talk about it for fear they too will fall off of their virtue signaling pedestals. My son who I thought I was so close to acted like someone I didn't now and treated me in a way I have never been treated in my life....by anyone. I miss the 'old' him dearly and am deeply heartbroken and feel unsupported by family and the world in general. We haven't heard from him in over 2 years.
I’m so sorry. There are so many heartbroken parents out there. That story needs to be told, too. I’m not minimizing trans widows, don’t get me wrong. But to have your child go through this, even as adults, it’s so sad.
Normally I avoid one-sided, advocacy-oriented documentaries. However, the people featured in this film are never going to get evenhanded treatment (or even the time of day) from any other media outlet, so I was looking forward to hearing their stories. Unfortunately I was so disappointed in the way the information was presented that it was a struggle to keep watching.
The prolific use of animation and drawings is very distracting and in some cases just plain weird. I can understand why one might choose to represent an anonymous interviewee as an animated figure (instead of, say, as a silhouette). But even when people were not anonymous, the video of an actual person was pasted into a drawing of someone watching a screen, which just looks silly. I got so distracted by the artwork that it was hard to pay attention to the content.
The arty techniques, combined with the eerily dramatic musical score and the repetition of the same points multiple times by different speakers, made the film a bit tedious. I felt that it did not give the subject the serious treatment it deserved. (It was also odd that the film did not have embedded subtitles for the speakers of other languages. One shouldn't have to turn on closed captioning in order to see those.)
I know this is a minority view. I understand that this kind of documentary is how many people prefer to have information presented to them. It just wasn't for me.
Fair enough! I had trouble with the subtitle issue, too. I think the stories are important, and I thought the montage of AGPs captured the issue well. I understand these criticisms.
Liking this not because I agree with everything but I think it is important to critique this as a creative endeavor as much as it being an endeavor about justice and advocacy. I didn't mind the drawing but the dramatic score and the heavy-handedness in some places felt unnecessary. I am also wishing there was some mention of AGP being one subset of trans-ID males or that there are spouses with different kinds of experiences. This would lend more credibility these womens stories and not easily engender the critique fr that this paints a broad brush of all Trans-Id men that is likely to come from the pro-trans folks. But as the former partner of a narcissistic (nonTrans-identified) male, the themes and struggles of these women rang true. Because these women have been ignored, and I know what it is like to be suffering in the shadows while the abuser throws a pity party and garners sympathy and is celebrated, I am willing to let some of my issues go.
We like what we like. I was a little skeptical, even put off by the animation at first, but it grew on me. Kind of reminded me of seeing a puppet version of Antigone many years ago, it seemed weird and silly, then I became absorbed by the story, and it worked.
No one asked you to write a review. These are immensely important stories of the true harms and experiences of the victims of transsexual selfishness. I “watched” the entire doc while doing chores which means I listened to the documentary without watching the animation. I would recommend you do the same if you were so distracted. But, you’re clearly mansplaining and an AGP yourself so, maybe go dilate or make a TikTok or something. Stop bothering women.
I have to say, this reminds me of speaking out about the domestic violence in my first marriage. There was a lot of pushback, friends who then avoided me and strong pressure not to talk about the fact that my clean & sober, 6’3” husband would beat me up every 6 months. Particularly in the 12 step community. No one knew how to handle it. I divorced him (it took me a few years) and I then became a peer counselor for survivors, then worked with women who were court ordered to classes I taught on the cycle of domestic abuse. So much sympathy for the abusers. It’s odd how women who speak out about the wrongs perpetrated on us by men are made to feel we should just shut up and go away. It’s so frustrating!
Watched it earlier and it really shows how evil this movement really is. It must be truly terrifying to find yourself in the horrible situation these women are in ,through no fault of their own ,and the damage to their children must be profound and long lasting. God help them .The narcissism of these men is off the scale
I was a trans widow before trans even was a word. I remember walking down the street smashing bottles, infuriated that no one could see my pain, with our mutual friends looking at at me side-eye when i didn't 'celebrate' my boyfriend's debut in tank top and bra straps. The man I loved was sailing off to Fantasy Island, and I was to be ashamed for feeling bereft. It took many years before I realized that my pain had a name: it's called grief.
One day little Teddy's dad showed up to school dressed like a women at a parent meeting with his wife sitting next to him not making eye contact and pretending as if there was no elephant that suddenly appeared in the room. The next day little Teddy announced to his 5th grade class that he was now the only boy in his family. His younger sister was in Kindergarten and probably didn't realize what was happening yet. We got out of that "progressive" school straightaway but the very "inclusive" staff and teachers were celebrating and affirming him and referring to him as one of Teddy's mom's. The entry way of his classroom had all the sanctioned social justice identity flags with the transgender flag being the most prominent, so I'm sure Teddy felt reassured that the way his dad was acting at home was totally normal and healthy. Like a gaslighting flag. I'd love to send this video to his wife.
I have always wondered about what happens to the wives, partners and children behind these “stunning and brave trans identifying men.”
As it makes clear on here there is little to no support for these collateral damage who are real people desperately in need of help. Society wants to help women and children who are abuse victims (though there is far too little available). The rhetoric of endorsing the trans identity (especially trans women) though puts these women in a position of being the side issue or even the instigator of the abuse. It’s incredibly risky to speak out because trans identity overrules everything even with regards to DV and child abuse.
Mixed feelings on this. The filmmaker obviously tried to be a little artsy with what is a standard talking heads video, but why in the world use untranslated interviews? Sure, it makes SOMETHING stand out—pretentiousness. So I ended up being disappointed that a la Gypsy you hadda have a gimmick.
Thank you for mentioning Behind the Looking Glass. As one of the trans widows appearing without animation, I tell you, every word is true. I appear about half way in, wearing green, then join the chorus of older trans widows in a few places in the second half. Later on, Vaishnavi plans to release some of our interviews as raw footage--there's quite a lot of it. My comments on the early Nutrix pamphlets, "Letters to the Editor from Female Impersonators," presented by Genevieve Gluck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1pS2szvqXo&t=61s
I watched this yesterday. This is a profoundly important documentary. Don't be fooled by Moonlit Night's comment; this documentary is about the women, not the men. The women deserve to have their stories told, how these 'transitions' ruin families. These women are some of the bravest and strongest people I have ever seen.
I couldn’t agree more. It’s a very difficult watch but so important.
Wow, this was a fantastic film. At first, the thought of a long animation-focused film worried me, as I thought it might prove distracting from the dialogue. A few minutes later, when they worked in clips of actual women, I was able to settle in and actually enjoy the animation, rather than see it as a distraction.
The way this film built through a series of topics, presented in the women's voices only, reminded me of my consciousness-raising groups, which, through listening to women speak, rather than conversing back and forth, led attendees to understand the presence of misogyny and the need to speak out and claim our voices. Pornography as an influence was brought in but not overplayed. The similarity to other forms of abuse patterns was worked in through many comments, without becoming didactic. The non-trans widow speakers interspersed throughout the film helped make connections, rather than coming across as "experts," which would have dimmed the voices of the trans widows themselves. The focus on the effects on children was a wake-up call about yet another way in which children are damaged by the trans agenda. The animation itself was beautifully done. I loved the cats in various scenes and the dog in Tinsel's segment moved exactly the way dogs move in real life. The quote by Andrew Dworkin in the credits was a punctuating gem.
I am left with hope and pride at the strength of the women who spoke their truth to power. Overall, this was a well-designed film that allowed the trans widows to speak loudly, strongly, and courageously for themselves.
Your observations are so thoughtful and beautiful! I hope Sundar and others in the film might pass by here and see what you’ve written.
Sorry for seeming picky, but in the interest of accuracy -- it was the late great Andrea Dworkin's quote at the end of the film (maybe that was a typo?) Otherwise, what a good review, and you expressed it so well! I agree. It was a moving and informative film. So glad it was made!
Thank you so much, Lisa, for posting this magnificent, heartrending film. Sundar, the affected women, and other spokespeople give much needed, eloquent voice to the issues for families, all too often ignored or seen only as props for the supposed “hero” of the transition “journey.” It is not only necessary viewing, but also tremendously uplifting to hear from those who have been harmed and learn how to better be supports and allies. Salute, also, to our own Ute Heggen, who has bravely spoke out about her own experience for so long.
Thank you for publicizing this!
I wonder if anyone has given thought to a documentary, or any writings, about parents who have been left behind by their 'trans' adult children? Another issue we can't talk about as the world, whether secretly or boldly, wants to say that these parents must have done something wrong to have their own children walk away from them. My own incredibly beloved son declared his trans-ness at 33 and left us in the dust but not before he screamed as us, vilified us and of course called us transphobic. He was living with us at the time so he could go back to school and get on his feet. We did ask him to slow down and we were very worried about medications he was on that were changing his personality. No amount of trying to connect has been fruitful. We are in our late 60's and 70's and just heartbroken. No family wants to talk about it for fear they too will fall off of their virtue signaling pedestals. My son who I thought I was so close to acted like someone I didn't now and treated me in a way I have never been treated in my life....by anyone. I miss the 'old' him dearly and am deeply heartbroken and feel unsupported by family and the world in general. We haven't heard from him in over 2 years.
I’m so sorry. There are so many heartbroken parents out there. That story needs to be told, too. I’m not minimizing trans widows, don’t get me wrong. But to have your child go through this, even as adults, it’s so sad.
Normally I avoid one-sided, advocacy-oriented documentaries. However, the people featured in this film are never going to get evenhanded treatment (or even the time of day) from any other media outlet, so I was looking forward to hearing their stories. Unfortunately I was so disappointed in the way the information was presented that it was a struggle to keep watching.
The prolific use of animation and drawings is very distracting and in some cases just plain weird. I can understand why one might choose to represent an anonymous interviewee as an animated figure (instead of, say, as a silhouette). But even when people were not anonymous, the video of an actual person was pasted into a drawing of someone watching a screen, which just looks silly. I got so distracted by the artwork that it was hard to pay attention to the content.
The arty techniques, combined with the eerily dramatic musical score and the repetition of the same points multiple times by different speakers, made the film a bit tedious. I felt that it did not give the subject the serious treatment it deserved. (It was also odd that the film did not have embedded subtitles for the speakers of other languages. One shouldn't have to turn on closed captioning in order to see those.)
I know this is a minority view. I understand that this kind of documentary is how many people prefer to have information presented to them. It just wasn't for me.
Fair enough! I had trouble with the subtitle issue, too. I think the stories are important, and I thought the montage of AGPs captured the issue well. I understand these criticisms.
Liking this not because I agree with everything but I think it is important to critique this as a creative endeavor as much as it being an endeavor about justice and advocacy. I didn't mind the drawing but the dramatic score and the heavy-handedness in some places felt unnecessary. I am also wishing there was some mention of AGP being one subset of trans-ID males or that there are spouses with different kinds of experiences. This would lend more credibility these womens stories and not easily engender the critique fr that this paints a broad brush of all Trans-Id men that is likely to come from the pro-trans folks. But as the former partner of a narcissistic (nonTrans-identified) male, the themes and struggles of these women rang true. Because these women have been ignored, and I know what it is like to be suffering in the shadows while the abuser throws a pity party and garners sympathy and is celebrated, I am willing to let some of my issues go.
I liked it. Different strokes.
I'm a tough customer. Should have kept my criticisms to myself, knowing how strongly people feel about the topic. (And well they should!)
We like what we like. I was a little skeptical, even put off by the animation at first, but it grew on me. Kind of reminded me of seeing a puppet version of Antigone many years ago, it seemed weird and silly, then I became absorbed by the story, and it worked.
No one asked you to write a review. These are immensely important stories of the true harms and experiences of the victims of transsexual selfishness. I “watched” the entire doc while doing chores which means I listened to the documentary without watching the animation. I would recommend you do the same if you were so distracted. But, you’re clearly mansplaining and an AGP yourself so, maybe go dilate or make a TikTok or something. Stop bothering women.
Actually, I asked that people discuss in the comments.
My daughter will be relieved to learn that her mom the transphobic TERF is in fact an AGP man!
These Ultras are out of pocket
And a lesbian, too, I’m sure.
The first comment says it all. !! Do you (Moonlit Knight) have ADHD? 10 mins and you
Think you know it all ?
I have to say, this reminds me of speaking out about the domestic violence in my first marriage. There was a lot of pushback, friends who then avoided me and strong pressure not to talk about the fact that my clean & sober, 6’3” husband would beat me up every 6 months. Particularly in the 12 step community. No one knew how to handle it. I divorced him (it took me a few years) and I then became a peer counselor for survivors, then worked with women who were court ordered to classes I taught on the cycle of domestic abuse. So much sympathy for the abusers. It’s odd how women who speak out about the wrongs perpetrated on us by men are made to feel we should just shut up and go away. It’s so frustrating!
Watched it earlier and it really shows how evil this movement really is. It must be truly terrifying to find yourself in the horrible situation these women are in ,through no fault of their own ,and the damage to their children must be profound and long lasting. God help them .The narcissism of these men is off the scale
Watched it last night and was excellent thanks for promoting it here!
Thanks for sharing this. I just tried sharing it on Facebook and it was instantly (within half a second) removed by the speech police.
I was a trans widow before trans even was a word. I remember walking down the street smashing bottles, infuriated that no one could see my pain, with our mutual friends looking at at me side-eye when i didn't 'celebrate' my boyfriend's debut in tank top and bra straps. The man I loved was sailing off to Fantasy Island, and I was to be ashamed for feeling bereft. It took many years before I realized that my pain had a name: it's called grief.
One day little Teddy's dad showed up to school dressed like a women at a parent meeting with his wife sitting next to him not making eye contact and pretending as if there was no elephant that suddenly appeared in the room. The next day little Teddy announced to his 5th grade class that he was now the only boy in his family. His younger sister was in Kindergarten and probably didn't realize what was happening yet. We got out of that "progressive" school straightaway but the very "inclusive" staff and teachers were celebrating and affirming him and referring to him as one of Teddy's mom's. The entry way of his classroom had all the sanctioned social justice identity flags with the transgender flag being the most prominent, so I'm sure Teddy felt reassured that the way his dad was acting at home was totally normal and healthy. Like a gaslighting flag. I'd love to send this video to his wife.
I have always wondered about what happens to the wives, partners and children behind these “stunning and brave trans identifying men.”
As it makes clear on here there is little to no support for these collateral damage who are real people desperately in need of help. Society wants to help women and children who are abuse victims (though there is far too little available). The rhetoric of endorsing the trans identity (especially trans women) though puts these women in a position of being the side issue or even the instigator of the abuse. It’s incredibly risky to speak out because trans identity overrules everything even with regards to DV and child abuse.
Mixed feelings on this. The filmmaker obviously tried to be a little artsy with what is a standard talking heads video, but why in the world use untranslated interviews? Sure, it makes SOMETHING stand out—pretentiousness. So I ended up being disappointed that a la Gypsy you hadda have a gimmick.