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Filmmaker Luchina Fisher’s couldn’t have timed the release of her excellent new Netflix documentary “The Dads” any better. Currently, with such rabid anti-trans rhetoric from right-wing conservatives getting such dangerous traction in the media, it’s refreshing to get this view from some heartfelt acceptance of transgender youth.
Fisher’s film is of five fathers of transgender children — Stephen Chukumba, Frank Gonzales, José Trujillo, Peter Betz and Wayne Maine who bond during a weekend fishing trip in rural Oklahoma. As they cast their lines into the river, the men find common ground in their unconditional love for their children, whose rights are at risk of being rolled back across the country and around the world.
It’s an eye-opening picture as it usually women/mothers are often seen as the main advocates for gay and trans youth, and Fisher’s film makes us rethink their paternal stance against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation.
Joining the fathers is Dennis Shepard whose 21-year-old son Matthew a student at the University of Wyoming, was brutally murdered. some 25 years ago. He and Matthew’s mother Judy, have been relentless ever since in their fight for LGBTQ rights and hate crime legislation in the United States.
Sadly the reality of this fight has been badly set back this year as Republican state representatives have introduced more than 500 bills targeting the LGBTQ community, with 84 of them being passed into law, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. The majority of these bills target the trans community, with student-athletes being banned from competition and minors being prohibited from accessing certain kinds of gender-affirming health care.
Wayne Maine told NBC News that “The Dads” presents a new opportunity to win the hearts and minds of audiences who may be unaware of the values they share. It’s an opportunity that should not be missed by anybody!
Labels: 2023, Dennis Shepherd, documentary, Luchina Fisher, Netflix, supportive fathers, The Dads, transgender
