Transgender people, of all of those in the LGBTQA community, are arguably confronted with the most challenges. Not only do they face the psychological and cultural difficulties associated with all people who don’t conform to heteronormativity, but they also face the physical and normative challenges associated with the process of becoming the gender that best represents them. Transgeneration is a documentary that pulls back the curtain on the lives of four transgender college students, and allows us to see the real deal when it comes to the ups and downs of living transgender. The four students; Gabbie from Boulder, Colorado; Lucas from Northampton, Massachusetts; Raci from Los Angeles, California; and TJ from East Lansing, Michigan; all have one thing in common—they are all out transgendered people. All of them face common and disparate difficulties, but all of that is contained in this short documentary.
Gabbie is a little awkward at first, but grows out of her shell. Majoring in computer science and a lover of video games, she breaks the social norms for girls; however, she gains friends and enters the homecoming parade. Gabbie, shows how someone who is insecure and lonely can find a safe avenue to open up within the LGBTQA community. Gabbie passes as a born-female to most of her peers. On top of that, she receives support and funding for physical transitional surgery from her parents, a gift which is too rare. These things make it easier for Gabbie than for many others to transition.
While Lucas appears to have a strong resolve and a firm grasp on his identity, he actually struggles with figuring out everything. This leads him and his roommate, a fellow transgender, to drop out of the campus’s transgender activist group and to discuss the dissolving it. Lucas is one of the more troubled students during the primary portion of the documentary for this reason, and my heart goes out to him for it. Facing harassment not shown on the camera, Lucas continues all of the way through despite the forces against him. Thankfully, by the end of the film, Lucas is able to accept himself. With the help of friends, Lucas overcomes his problems.
Raci is the most naturally appearing of all of the students. Despite being born a male, Raci has the boon of being a fiercely attractive woman, which helps to compensate for partial deafness. This balance of boons and burdens helps and hurts Raci, as she misses class or has trouble learning due to her hearing disability; however, she is also liked by the men on campus. Raci is a good person at heart. She receives a Fulbright scholarship which allows her to attend college despite her family being poor. Raci is also immensely thankful to her family, as they are accepting and willing to help as much as they can. Unfortunately, Raci’s remains so fearful of being exposed throughout the film that she actively avoids certain activities or people due to the possibility of being outed to her peers. Raci even has trouble receiving a kiss from a man in her drama course since she is afraid he will know that she is transgender.
TJ focuses less on his transgender identity. As an advocate for “radical” ideologies, TJ spends most of his time on screen attending political rallies and explaining how he is one of the only logical people in the groups. TJ is shown in the worst light, and he receives the least amount of time in the documentary, possibly because he is not as open about his own feelings. In the few parts that cover his transgender identity, TJ talks about his clubs and friends rather than explaining his interpersonal life, woes, and joys.
Transgeneration is not as long as it should have been. While a powerful tool to look into the lives of a select few, the documentary leaves much to be answered. It ends abruptly as well. While these things are a sign that the work being done is good, the lack of content causes me to have a neutral stance on my rating of the film. This documentary is, for many, a first look into the world of transgender people, and while it serves its purpose well enough, but I think it needs to have more material to do the community justice.
