Friday, July 21, 2023

Changing the Game (2019)

This TV movie documentary was made before the current rabid fearmongering against trans people, with a focus on young trans athletes, fully boiled over, but there was still plenty of anti-trans sentiment in the U.S. at this point. The film looks at the obstacles these kids face from multiple angles as they’re just trying to play their sport.

We chiefly follow the stories of three trans high school athletes, with a fourth coming in near the end. Mack is a champion wrestler from Texas, but the “champion” title is thorny for him: his school is forcing him to compete in the girls’ wrestling league, when all he wants is to wrestle other boys. Sarah is a skier from New Hampshire, who embraces her state’s “Live Free or Die” motto to make noise for her rights. Andraya is a track star from Connecticut who just wants to run in peace, but she deals with hateful comments from other kids’ parents at every meet.

I love that each kid’s story is so different, looking at different challenges from different angles. Sarah and Andraya are both able to compete in events according to their gender identity. Sarah had to fight to achieve that, giving speeches and educating people to secure her place, but now that she’s on the team, she doesn’t seem to receive a lot of pushback. Andraya’s school was behind her from the start, but while they support her, they can’t stop the adults shouting at a teenager about her “unfair advantage.” Meanwhile, Mack is forced against his will to compete on a team that doesn’t match his gender identity, but he still receives hate for it. At his meets, parents boo him and shout that he shouldn’t be allowed to compete against girls, since he’s on testosterone. Like, people, he doesn’t want to compete against girls. He keeps saying that, but y’all won’t let him compete against boys like he wants!

Regardless of their individual circumstances, each kid has extra muck that they have to deal with when they really just want to be concentrating on their spot. For Mack and Andraya especially, it can drag them down, turning what’s supposed to be a fun character-building activity into something that makes them feel bad about themselves. As Mack is training for his second state championship, he’s dropped into the middle of a media circus. In one scene, he reads through the comments on a news story about him, including dehumanizing insults and people hoping he’ll kill himself—as he explains, he’s bullied by adults way more than he is by other teens.

Fortunately, each kid also has people in their corner who love and support them. Sarah’s parents encourage her advocacy and take her to testify at a state congressional hearing about an anti-discrimination bill, and she loves hanging out with her friends. Mack lives with his grandparents, who don’t quite understand everything but fight fiercely for their grandson’s happiness, and he can open up to his girlfriend about the stuff he’s going through. Andraya’s mom is her biggest cheerleader and ready to do anything to protect her daughter, and through Andraya’s example, another Black trans girl at her school, Terry, finds the courage to be herself and join the team too. All three—now four—kids have supportive coaches who push them to be the best that they can be.

I recognize that the film is largely preaching to the choir, since I doubt hateful people would be watching this documentary anyway, but I hope anyone who’s confused or uncertain about the topic of trans kids in sports watches it. I feel like no one who gives it a genuine chance could come away saying that these kids are in any way deserving of the horrific shitstorm that bigots are putting them through.

Warnings

Strong thematic elements (including discussion of suicide,) discussion of violence, and language (including transphobic insults.)

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