Transgender – Page 8 – Discover great gay stories.

Short Film Spotlight: Walk for Me

Set in present day New York City, the new twelve-minute short film Walk for Me is a contemporary coming out story that packs an emotional punch.

A conflicted teenager (newcomer Aaliyah King) is torn between their devotion to their mother and their desire to be their authentic self.

When their mother (“The Chi” and “The Get Down” star Yolanda Ross) finds women’s underwear and a flyer to a Gay Ball in their bedroom, she decides to track down her child and confront them. Arriving at the ball, the mother is shocked to find that her child has been taken under the wing of an adoptive Ball mother, Paris Continental (Brenda Holder), and assumed the identity of Hanna.

The mother is confronted by a choice: deny her child or accept her for who she really is.

Winner of the 2017 Mexico International Film Festival Gold Palm Award, Walk for Me has earned stellar reviews. Emilie Friedlander of Thump said “Walk For Me isn’t just a ballroom story. It’s also a story about motherhood, and the complexities of family life for queer teens like Hanna. Through a delicate choreography of loaded glances and small hand gestures, it captures Hanna’s struggle for acceptance from her biological mother, as well as her discovery of a second support system.”

In Shadow and Act, writer Aramide A. Tinubu said “Director Elegance Bratton highlights one of the most pivotal moments in a young trans person’s life… It is the exact instant that will either lead to final rejection or acceptance from her mother.”

Walk for Me is now available on Dekkoo.

Pride Month Spotlight: Real Boy

Real Boy is the coming-of-age story of Bennett Wallace, a transgender teenager finding his voice – as a musician, a friend, a son, and a man.

Directed by Shaleece Haas, the film follows Bennett over the first three and a half years of his transition – as he grapples with issues of identity, sobriety, and connection to the people he loves. And the person he loves most is his mom, Suzy, who struggles to accept and understand his decision to transition.

As Suzy works to overcome her misgivings, Bennett finds support in the people who understand him best – his musical hero Joe Stevens, a celebrated transgender musician fighting his own demons; and his best friend Dylan, another trans teen on a similar path to young manhood.

At its heart, Real Boy is a story about growing up. It’s a story about the meaning of family, given and chosen. And it’s a story about how our search for identity isn’t just personal, but involves those closest to us.

One of our Pride Month selections, Real Boy is now available on Dekkoo. You can watch the trailer below.

New This Week – 6/7/19

A surprise federal court ruling in 2013 legalized gay marriage for Utah – triggering a fierce battle in a state where Mormon church values control the Legislature and every aspect of public life. ‘Church & State’ is available to stream now as part of our 2019 Pride Celebration.

Hassan Kendricks is a conflicted teenager torn between his devotion to his single mother and his desire to be himself. When his mother, Andrea, finds women’s underwear and a flyer to a Gay Ball in her son’s bedroom, she decides to track Hassan down and confront him about his decisions. Stream the gay short “Walk For Me’ now on Dekkoo.

In the first Australian feature film to showcase Auslan (Australian sign language) a sensitive writer grapples with a speech impediment as his profoundly deaf boyfriend provides strategies to restore his confidence. Watch ‘A Silent Agreement’ now playing on Dekkoo.

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Coming next week: Dekkoo Films presents ‘Faces’.

New This Week – 5/24/19

At her debaucherous 40th birthday party, serial relationship-killer Jackie meets handsome and charming thirty-something River-the perfect guy, who happens to be gay. Their ensuing adventures in self-medication, late-blooming, and questionable judgment lead them to discover a raucous new breed of primary relationship. Stream both seasons of ‘The Benefits of Gusbandry’ now on Dekkoo!

In this moving short film a family is transformed when its patriarch is revealed to be transgender. ‘Violets’ is available now on Dekkoo!

A married, Orthodox, Jerusalem butcher and Jewish father of four falls in love with his handsome, 22-year-old male apprentice, triggering the suspicions of his wife and the disapproval of his Orthodox community. Stream ‘Eyes Wide Open’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A coming-of-age sports movie meets a tale of cyber-bullying,and sexuality. –The Hollywood Reporter

New This Week – 4/12/19

After being dumped, Drake takes out his pain on a tight group of gay friends through temptation and deceit, will he succeed in destroying their lives? Watch ‘Whirlwind’ now available on Dekkoo!

Rachel is a young aspiring transgender woman. After a series of coincidental encounters with a handsome man, she impulsively takes a chance on a one night stand. ‘Almost Saw the Sunshine’ is now available on Dekkoo.

What does it truly feel like to be lonely? A young man ravished, worn and depleted embarks on a journey through his own mind, revisiting a summer romance and the ghost of a past love. Stream ‘Caught In a Landslide’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A lonely young gay man joins a self-help group after a friend urges him to improve his social life.

New This Week – 2/22/19

In a remote fishing village in Iceland, teenage boys Thor and Christian experience a turbulent summer, as one tries to win the heart of a girl, while the other discovers new feelings toward his best friend. When summer ends and the harsh nature of Iceland takes back its rights, it’s time to leave the playground and face adulthood. ‘Heartstone’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

After four years of escorting to pay for college, Dane struggles to transition into a new reality and must say goodbye to one particular client. Don’t miss the wonderful gay short ‘Getting Off’!

‘The Constitution’ tells the story of four people who live in the same building, but avoid each other because of the differences in their lifestyles, sexual habits, nationality and religion. Stream it now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A documentary series that follows men who have always dreamed of letting their inner drag queen out!

The new doc Words explores gender identity in NYC

“I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word.” – Emily Dickinson

In a generation built on texts, tweets, memes, and irony, what has become of the weight of our words? In what way does communication serve as a form of self-expression, and self-expression a form of communication?

Director A.J. Mattioli’s new documentary Words explores how people navigate gender and identity in the open and evolving landscape of New York City. Using some of NYC’s most gender fluid scenes as a backdrop, Mattioli investigates how masculinity, femininity and everything in between are contextualized in a range of environments, from the theatre world to early childhood education.

Featuring exclusive interviews from a variety of artists, activists, icons, and innovators, Words is a poignant and powerful tribute to the language we use to shape our identities.

Check out the trailer for Words below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 11/9/18

Colin is a stud. Stew, not so much. They’ve been virtually inseparable since college. But now Colin has fallen for a much younger man. ‘Daddy’ is available to watch now on Dekkoo!

When his bathroom mirror reflection begins to separate from him, a mixed race teen must navigate a landscape of identity and change to come out to his parents before it’s too late. The gay short film ‘Iconoclast’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

Marianna is an attractive 40-year-old woman who has just sued her parents in order to obtain a sex change. Confronted with the idea of losing what she holds dearest to her – her family – she must face the chilling reminder of the sacrifices one takes to be themselves. Watch ‘Marianna’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A tender, entertaining look at clashing cultures and love.

Don’t miss the acclaimed doc Red Without Blue

An award-winning documentary originally released in 2007, Red Without Blue is a groundbreaking artistic examination of gender, identity, and the unswerving bond of twinship, despite transformation.

An honest portrayal of a family in turmoil, the film follows a pair of identical twins as one transitions from male to female. Captured over a period of three years, directors Brooke Sebold, Benita Sills and Todd Sills document the twins and their parents, examining the Farley family’s struggle to redefine themselves as a unit.

The twins’ early lives were quintessentially all-American: picture-perfect holidays, supportive parents who cheered them on every step of the way. By the time they were 14, their parents had divorced, they had both come out as gay, and a joint suicide attempt precipitated a forced separation of Mark and Alex for two and half years.

Through extensive, deeply candid interviews with the twins and their family, Red Without Blue recounts these troubled times, interweaving the twins’ difficult past with their efforts to find themselves in the present.

The film follows the painful steps of Clair’s transition, including electrolysis and the difficult decision to proceed with bottom surgery. Through its portrayal of these articulate and independent twins, each haunted by the painful experiences of their adolescence, the film questions normative standards of gender and identity – as Mark and Clair reassert their indescribable bond as identical twins. Through the power of the their voices, we hear the story of a family’s redemption from a dark past, and ultimately, its revival to the present.

Check out the trailer for Red Without Blue below and watch the full film on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 11/2/18

Gay writer/director Don Roos (‘The Opposite of Sex’) returns in prime form with a wicked ensemble comedy about a group of gay, lesbian and hetero friends and family connected by secrets and lies. Watch ‘Happy Endings’ now on Dekkoo!

Cancer patient Hannah fears her husband Elwood will have no one to care for him after she’s gone. Long suspecting Elwood had feelings for another man in his youth, Hannah sets out to find his unrequited love in hopes of reuniting them. Stream the gay short film ‘Elwood Takes a Lover’ now on Dekkoo!

The intimate bond between two identical twin brothers is challenged when one decides to transition from male to female; this is the story of their evolving relationship, and the resurrection of their family from a darker past. Stream ‘Red Without Blue’ on Dekkoo now!

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Coming next week: The feature-length directorial debut of actor Gerald McCullouch, who most gay cinema fans will recognize as one of the leads of BearCity.