Stories, interviews, mutual aid efforts, organizations, and events that bring transgender communities together. This section highlights grassroots activism, community achievements, and opportunities for connection and solidarity.
ROD is an international database that includes available data dating back to 1970. The site distinguishes between several acts that lead to transgender death – including targeted violence, suicide, medical malpractice, and police brutality.
Remembering Our Dead estimates that 276 transgender people died unfairly from January 1st, 2025, to November 20th, 2025. 204 deaths were the direct result of anti-transgender violence, 53 were via suicide, 2 occurred due to medical malpractice, and 4 died in police custody. The remaining 13 are uncategorized due to a lack of public information.
44 of the 276 deaths occurred in the United States, accounting for 16% of the global rate, and places the USA as the second most deadly place to be transgender after Brazil. Despite claiming to be the most prosperous country in the world, the United States has a long-standing history of being devastatingly deadly towards transgender individuals throughout the years that Remembering Our Dead has collected data.
Knowing this information, what is the best way to honor the dead? Hundreds of individuals are unfairly taken each year, regardless of the number of vigils held. How can one take meaningful action?
If you have not done so yet this year, read through the lives of names and stories lost within the past year. Remember that each person was more than a mere name; they were a three-dimensional person with loved ones, hobbies, and passions.
Parker Savarese
Elisa Rae Shupe
Aubrey Dameron
Tahiry Broom
Sam Nordquist
Ervianna Johnson
Amyri Dior
Linda Becerra Moran
Jordan “JJ” Maye
Charlene Cook
Katelyn Rinnetta Benoit
Kaitoria Le’Cynthia Bankz (“Kai”)
Norah Horwitz
Kelsey Elem
Shy’Parius Dupree
Karmin Wells
Charlotte Fosgate
Jonathan Joss
Tessa June
Jax Gratton
Laura Schueler
Hope Lyca Youngblood
Emma Slabach
JJ Godbey
Christina Hayes
Gabrielle Nguyen (“Cam”)
Lily-Dawn Harkins
Kia-Leigh Tabitha Roberts
Kamora Woods
Arty Cassidy Beowulf Gibson
Nathaniel Pabón Cruz (“Nata”)
Dream Johnson
Blair A. Sawyer
Rosa Machuca
Kasí Rhea (“Kaeyy Holmes”)
Onyx Cornish
Aurora Pellegrina (“Alexa”, “Luna”)
Robyn James Post
Blake Sturm
Blaze Aleczander Balle-Mason
Scarlett
Tiara Love Tori Jackson
Lia Smith
Marisol Payero
Reach out to LGBTQIA+ organizations and groups near you to find information on community vigils. Around the world, people organize gatherings for TDOR to emphasize the reality that the dead may be gone, but they will never be forgotten. Even if you do not live in an area hosting a TDOR vigil locally, there are several public events hosted online.
With each passing year, the list of dead grows exponentially, and it becomes easier to fall into grief or fury that nothing changes. While we live in a time where transgender people are more easily documented and identifiable for data compared to decades ago, we still live in a society that demonizes transgender identity. For each transgender person remembered authentically as who they were, there are others who are misrepresented by their obituaries and media reporters. The TDOR list continues to grow just as hate and bigotry festers, leading others to commit acts of grotesque violence or pass anti-transgender legislation to make our existence illegal.
How will you make this TDOR different from previous years? How do we keep ourselves alive and fighting against inequality? Troubled times make it easy to give into fear and grief, which is why suicide and mental health crises are at an all-time high amongst transgender people.
We live in a society that incentivizes anger – it gets the most attention and the world has no shortage of things to be outraged over. If you must be angry, be furious over the lives that have been unfairly taken and take action. It is exhausting to witness cisgender allies tear up at vigils and fail to do anything more meaningful than light a candle. Vigils are important and we need to be remembered, but greater action is necessary to curb the ever-growing list; there are thousands of ways to take action if you take the time to look.
When communicating with federal officials, emphasize phone calls and in-person visits. Emails and written letters are overwhelmingly unread and unanswered. All constituents have the right to call their official’s office and discuss issues. Depending on their schedule, you may not speak to your official directly, but all phone calls are answered by assistants who are required to report high-interest matters to your representative. While this process can be exhausting, it’s a highly effective form of lobbying that anyone can do – which is why conservatives use phone lobbying so readily.
Organizing a vigil or related event for Transgender Day of Remembrance? Don’t let the event be entirely somber. Use the weight of TDOR to move people to action, remind them that they have a right to be angry in a world where their transgender siblings are no longer alive.
Lastly, remember that resilient survival is its own act of rebellion. In a county that condemns transgender identity, each day you continue to survive is another day you live in spite of their agenda.
Looking for more educational guides?
Browse Trans Solidarity Project’s guides, or check out these posts:
For the majority of US history, individuals were criminalized for crossdressing – but Halloween provided a singular day out of the year that anyone could bend the rules. With enough confidence, Halloween afforded people in the past the perfect excuse to crossdress for an assumed laugh.
Today, we live in a society where we are freer to express our gender identity regardless of sex assigned at birth – although these rights are under attack by religious fundamentalists. Yet, Halloween still provides comfort since it embodies the spirit of exploration. It’s a costume, you’re dressing up; you’re entitled to have fun with it.
Clothing has no gender. It is possible to still feel a certain way about clothing due to our gendered notions of clothing, and therefore possible to feel dysphoric because clothing may not affirm our gender identity. These two statements can coexist. Further, you’re not less authentic or transgender because you like or dislike specific styles.
1. Pop Culture Icons
Later in this list, I’ll go over specific trends for 2025 – this section is related to generic characters, actors, and other entities. You can dress up as literally anyone or anything. Don’t let this list (or any list, for that matter) stop you from having a good time.
Queer people make fantastic fanbases. We hyperfixate and gravitate towards content more heavily than general audiences (Is it autism? Well, correlation isn’t causation.). This category includes characters from any media format, like anime, television, film, comics, and books. These are all fair choices and provide a bonus that you’ll feel especially connected to this costume.
The only caveat to these costumes is that the more obscure or less-known your content is, there is lower the chance people will recognize or understand your costume. Be prepared to explain it. Over and over. If you’re going for a costume to lend towards passing, obscure costumes won’t add much since there’s no recognizability factor.
2. Can’t Go Wrong with the Classics
Halloween costumes are generally less diverse for men compared to women. In the words of Mean Girls, “Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” Feminine costumes range without limits (“A sexy quint from sexy Jaws catching sexy sharks, sexy Eleanor Roosevelt or sexy Rosa Parks, I can be a sexy pirate or a sexy ballet dancer. I can be a sexy doctor and cure some sexy cancer!”).
The most traditional costumes for men include vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and Frankenstein. All of these costumes have a distinct masculine association that can invoke gender euphoria – so they’re fairly common picks amongst transmasculine folks.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a costume more “boy” than superheroes. There’s something remarkably masculine about them, and even if there are valid criticisms regarding the superhero film industry, most of these characters are literally made to become costumes.
However, there is one major aspect to keep in mind here. Most superhero costumes are more boyish rather than inherently masculine. The classics (Superman, Batman, Thor, Iron Man, etc.) are going to be considered childish due to how they’re already marketed. Instead, consider superhero costumes marketed towards adult men – like Deadpool and Wolverine (which are both topical this year due to their 2024 release).
There’s something incredibly boyish about it all, which may be one reason transmasculine people romanticize the Wild West. At its core, cowboys revolve around rugged individualism. It’s also a predominantly male occupation, so cowboy costumes are fairly easy to pass in.
Most known for his work on The Last of Us and The Mandalorian, Pedro embodies the healthy masculinity that transmasculine people seek. He’s also gone on the record as an unapologetic transgender ally. And, regardless of his role, Pedro is identifiable, which makes all of his characters and persona easy to costume.
7. Into the Wasteland
With its new live-action television series, Fallout is back in the public eye with a new influx of its fanbase. Fallout, Mad Max, and similar content all fall into a general dystopian sci-fi apocalypse category – which inspires many with gender envy and euphoria. Gender expression in these futures is always less strict than reality and still offers fantasy-based escapism. After all, these realities present dire circumstances where gender identity and roles matter little compared to nuclear war and the apocalypse.
The entire film is about self-discovery and finding one’s authentic identity in a mass-marketed world. Regardless, Ken offers a wealth of costume ideas that range from complex and fabulous to simple outfits that are easy to throw together.
9. Rock Out!
We’ve returned to an era where male rock stars are becoming looser with gender expression based on current fashion trends. Machine Gun Kelly, Yungblud, and Bad Bunny toy with gender expression and societal expectations similarly to male stars in the 1980s.
During that time period, gender-bending glam fashion and androgyny were at their peak. David Bowie, Prince, and Freddie Mercury were just a handful of a (then) new music scene that rebelled against the status quo of gender. And given these factors, rock star personas are relatively easy for transgender people to use as costumes since they’re highly recognizable and simpler to pass in.
10. Or Simply Go Meta
If you’ve got a sense of humor and don’t want to go all out with any of the above costumes, you could go with something self-referential. Wear a button or pin that says “Trans Icon” or “GOP Nightmare Fuel.” Get a shirt with “I’m the scary transgender person the media warned you about” or “Boo! Transgender!” written on it. You’ll get points for cleverness, but these costumes are understandably less interesting than others.
Remember: You can dress up as literally anyone or anything. These are just suggestions to get you inspired.
As a final note, make sure you put comfort first when deciding a Halloween costume. Physical and emotional comfort will play a massive role in whether your Halloween will turn out well – so weigh the pros and cons between creativity, safety, and dysphoria.
If you regularly bind, make sure your body is able to handle several hours of compression while you’re out. And lastly, Halloween is the hallmark of autumn, which means it’s easier to layer outfits. Many guys mistakenly believe baggy clothes will help them pass better, but the more effective route is layering your outfit to successfully hide curves that may cause gender dysphoria.
Looking for more educational guides?
Browse Trans Solidarity Project’s guides, or check out these posts:
Movies are an important part of culture – for some, film provides a simple stress release and a means to entertain ourselves; for others, it is another teaching tool that allows us to critique society through art.
Movies also influence us, inspiring us to be creative – and they hold the potential to feed propaganda, too. Despite its relatively short history compared to other art forms, film has become incredibly integrated into daily life: you won’t find a person who doesn’t like movies to some degree, whether they’re action-packed time-wasters or thoughtful stories that reveal new insights through their narratives. Each person who watches a film will take away a different message, which is why movies are a great format when books or traditional art fail.
Throughout my work, I’ve put together many lists like this. While everyone is capable of theoretically learning about other cultures and perspectives, most are unlikely to. Unless it’s directly in their face, few go out of their way when they could watch the latest release from Marvel or Disney. I’ve spent plenty of time trying to make digestible recommendations to get folks interested in transgender media. To celebrate Pride, here are the most popular movies mentioned when looking for trans-specific films.
Nearly every movie on this list is categorized as “indie” – transgender stories aren’t seen as compelling or profitable enough for big producers yet. 3 Generations centers on a transgender boy as he navigates coming out to his family. Notably, this film has bad reviews, but it always gets suggested when you search the internet for transmasculine films due to the extreme lack of them. If you’re looking for something trans to watch, go for it – but there are better movies on this list. 3 Generations falls short because of it focuses too much on the cisgender family members. It holds a lot of potential for telling a great story but flubs portraying gender identity. Critics generally agree that the film had good intentions but forces too many compromises for the transgender main character to appeal to the cisgender adults around him.
Content Warning / Available on… Roku Channel, PLEX, The CW, Peacock, YouTube, Google Movies, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango
A much better movie about transgender people dealing with family, 52 Tuesdays explores the relationship between a transgender man and his teenage daughter after he comes out. The daughter is limited to only see him on Tuesday evenings for the next year (hence the film title) and the drama that always comes with transition. The main gripe comes from it being released in 2013, right before transgender people were thrown into the media spotlight, so there’s lots of problematic reviews attempting to explain transness.
Content Warning / Available on… Kanopy, YouTube, Google Movies, Amazon Prime, Fandango, Apple TV
Marina is a Chilean transgender woman who, after her boyfriend dies suddenly from a brain aneurysm, has to deal with his family as they harass her. Death is a complicated process, and she’s strung through the wringer as they take away everything from her. The movie even won an Oscar in 2018 – it’s bittersweet and manages to relate well to real trans issues. Chilean activists credit the film as a major help in advancing a gender identity law in 2018 that finally allowed transgender Chileans to change their legal gender.
Content Warning / Available on… Peacock, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango, Netflix*
Adam (2019)
Transmasc* | 73% RT | Comedy | NR | 1h 35m
Based on the novel Adam, the movie follows cisgender teenager Adam while he lives with his older sister – who is involved in New York City’s LGBTQIA+ scene. Adam eventually develops a crush on a lesbian girl who assumes Adam is a transgender man. Adam goes with it, lying about his sex assigned at birth and gender identity. The premise is overused, and the lesbian girl comes out as bisexual by the end of the movie after Adam reveals he’s actually cisgender. Adam still tells an interesting story, but it has a lot of potentially problematic issues. Sexuality is fluid and complicated, but the movie normalizes cis men’s fantasies about turning lesbians; lesbians are attracted to women, but Adam fuels lesbian attraction to transgender men; and of course, any movie that associates transgender people with lying should be taken with a grain of salt.
On the other hand, the movie is directed by a transgender man (Rhys Ernst), who made slight changes to the original book due to criticism. For what it’s worth, Adam does show how folks’ minds can be opened once they engage with other communities.
Content Warning | Available on… Tubi, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Roku Channel, YouTube, Google Movies, Fandango, Apple TV
Another recommendation due to the lack of actual transmasculine films, Albert Nobbs is interpreted as transgender… ish. Albert is a butler in 1800s Ireland who has lived as a man for thirty years to work despite societal restrictions. It’s difficult to decide whether Albert is a cisgender woman trying to survive in a male society or if Albert is a transgender man existing in the few routes possible to him, like IRL figures like Albert Cashier. While most folks involved in the film likely lean into the former interpretation, I believe the movie is significantly more interesting if you view Albert as a very early transgender man. However, the 1800s is a brutal time to be alive – disease and abuse are rampant, and Albert does eventually die by the end.
Content Warning | Available on… YouTube, Google Movies, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango
Alice Júnior (2019)
Transfemme | Comedy Drama | NR | 1h 27m
This movie is so small that it doesn’t have a Rotten Tomatoes score – but the three critics that have reviewed it have had positive things to say. Alice is a transgender girl who makes YouTube videos, forced to move out to the conservative Brazilian countryside and attend a Catholic school. It’s a coming-of-age story about Alice getting her first kiss despite bullying and harassment.
Content Warning / Available on… Kanopy, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
Another Oscar-winner, All About My Mother is considered a classic among transgender films. After her son is killed in a car accident, Manuela recouncils with her ex-partner Lola – a transgender woman who never knew she had a son with Manuela. Along the journey, she meets other folks in the trans and sex work community. It’s messy, just like real life, and explores motherhood, HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, and topics that scare traditional Hollywood away.
Content Warning / Available on… Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
As We Like It / Jie Da Huan Xi (2021)
Transmasc* | NR | Romantic Drama | 1h 47m
As a Taiwanese retelling of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, the film explores Orlando and Rosalind’s love – but every single role is played by a woman to play on the historical reality that women were banned from the theater during Shakespeare’s time. It’s mild and a good watch if you’re seeking something more interesting than the classic Shakespeare version. It’s up to you to interpret the characters as transgender men in straight relationships or lesbians defying traditional gender roles.
Content Warning / Currently unavailable to stream in the United States
This Taiwanese film is based on the real life of Parinya Charoenphol, a self-identified kathoey who participated in professional boxing to help pay for her gender affirmation surgery. Despite its age, the movie manages to be a decent representation – it’s packed full of action, and transgender stories are rare in the sports movie genre.
Transfemme | 89% RT | Romance, Comedy, & Drama | R | 1h 35m
Honestly, I’ve heard a lot of good things about Boy Meets Girl – and it’s a fantastic alternative to those tired of sob stories, tragic tales, and dramas. Ricky, a transgender woman, works as barista in a small Kentuckian town with big dreams of moving to NYC to become a fashion designer. Unlike most movies, Boy Meets Girl uses an actual transgender woman (Michelle Hendley) to star in the lead role.
Content Warning / Available on… Hulu, Roku Channel, Tubi, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango
Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
Transmasc | 91% RT | Historical Drama | R | 1h 58m
There isn’t a more “classic” transmasc film than Boys Don’t Cry – due to the lack of representation and visibility in media, it’s essentially our Brokeback Mountain. It was released in 1999 and portrays the real and tragic murder of Brandon Teena, a victim to an anti-trans hate crime in rural Nebraska.
If you’re looking for a light-hearted movie to watch, do not watch Boys Don’t Cry. Honestly, don’t watch it unless you’re really ready for it. Among transmasc forums, watching it seen as a rite of passage – but it’s a traumatic and gruesome film that brings gravity to trans hate crimes. Beyond that, it’s important to remember this film takes some pretty large liberties from reality: both of his murderers are alive in prison today, and the negligent sheriff Charles Laux was kept until retirement instead of fired for gross misconduct – although Laux did pass away in 2021 (good riddance). There’s also fair criticism in Hilary Swank’s portrayal of Brandon Teena as a cisgender woman. Lastly, I have a personal gripe that Boys Don’t Cry is the transmasculine community’s centerpiece film, but Brandon Teena was kind of… not a great guy. IRL Brandon should absolutely be alive today, but he had a lot of flaws and adored toxic masculinity, which isn’t something young trans guys should be looking up to. Take him with a grain of salt and hope for better stories in the future.
Looking for a more accurate telling of Brandon Teena’s story? The Brandon Teena Story was released a year before Boys Don’t Cry as a crime documentary.
Content Warning / Available on… YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Fandango, Hulu*
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
Transfemme | 58% RT | Comedy Thriller | R | 2h 15 m
Kitten is forced to balance life during one of Ireland’s most dangerous periods in recent history – transgender people don’t stop existing during major events, and she finds herself constantly surrounded by conflict due to The Troubles. Between her troubled youth, joining a punk rock band, and getting involved in sex work, Kitten struggles through external and internal turmoil while searching for her biological mother. Breakfast on Pluto is one of those films that critics hate but audiences love – so it’s got its own cult following.
Content Warning / Available on… Pluto, Roku Channel, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
There are definitely better and worse movies out there, but By Hook or By Crook makes the list due to having a transmasculine main character. Shy is a transgender man who leaves for San Francisco and meets Valentine along the way – the two commit various petty crimes to make ends meet, so my main qualm with the film is similar to Boys Don’t Cry as transmasculine representation. I’m sure Shy is a complex character, but most transmasculine characters focus too heavily on toxic masculinity and fuel anti-trans stereotypes about transgender people being liars and criminals.
Troy suddenly takes his transgender son Joe out into the Montana wilderness to make their way to Canada – without telling Joe’s mother, largely due to her not being supportive of their son’s gender identity. Joe has a rough relationship with both of his parents, since his mother actively preaches against his transgender identity, and his father hasn’t been the most present due to prison and drug addiction. As expected, Joe’s mother reports to the police and has a search out for her missing child – and Troy’s drug addiction eventually catches up to him while on the trail. Compared to the last movie, criticslove Cowboys but audiences are mixed due to the film having a pretty slow pace at times.
Content Warning / Available on… Tubi, Roku Channel, Philo, Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
Ron Woodroof works with transgender woman Rayon after discovering he has AIDS during the 1980s. The health industry is against treating AIDS due to anti-gay politics, and thus Ron is forced to source medication from alternative sources to stay alive. Together, Ron and Rayon distribute treatment to others also failed by the mainstream health establishment.
Dallas Buyers Club is genuinely a good film, and it’s based on the real events Ron Woodroof experienced when creating the Dallas Buyers Club – a front he used to supply medication and supplements relieving AZT symptoms and AIDS.
Content Warning / Available on… YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
Death and Bowling (2021)
Transmasc | Sport-ish Drama | NR | 1h 4m
A relatively short movie, Death and Bowling follows a transgender man who is made the captain of his local lesbian bowling league after the former captain passes away. If you’re seeking something sport-adjacent, it might be a good watch – assuming you can find somewhere to stream it.
Hollywood has never portrayed transgender people fairly – and it likely take decades before we’re accurately and positively represented. Disclosure is a COVID-era documentary that details transgender portrayals in mainstream media and its affects on public opinion on transgender rights. Since it was produced by Netflix, you’ll only be able to stream it via their service.
Sonny is a bisexual man married to both a cisgender woman (Angie) and a transgender woman (Liz) who struggles to maintain control of an escalating situation when he attempts a Brooklyn bank robbery. He draws national media attention and the ire of the FBI, and Dog Day Afternoon shows an accurate portrayal of what Sonny and Liz’s relationship would have been like with a lot of heart. The film doesn’t shy away from portraying anti-transgender harassment and discrimination, and there’s a substantial point in that while Sonny is a criminal, he truly loves Liz and his love for her (and his own bisexuality) aren’t what make him bad.
Content Warning / Available on… Hulu, Paramount+, fuboTV, Sling, Roku Channel, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
There are very few full-length Native American transgender films. Drunktown’s Finest was directed and performed by Native American artists and tells three separate stories that collide together – one of which focuses on transgender woman Felixia. Reservations are underfunded hellscapes drained of resources and disconnected from the rest of the country, and the three main characters are all seeking something beyond their Navajo town.
Content Warning / Available on… YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
I wouldn’t actually recommend Ed Wood if you’re wanting a real transgender movie, but it’s still on this list. It portrays the real life of Ed Wood, the American filmmaker behind numerous pulp films between the 1950s to 1970s – including Glen or Glenda, the central film Wood is trying to create in Ed Wood. Glen or Glenda was one of America’s very first movies with transgender representation, which is why Glend(a) is depicted as a transvestite and also why Ed Wood was awarded Worst Director of All Time at the 1980 Golden Turkey Awards. Ed Wood was directed by Tim Burton, who was fascinated by the exploitation culture dominating 1950s Hollywood.
Content Warning / Available on… Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
Emilia, a Mexican cartel boss, transitions as a transgender woman to finally live as herself with the help of doctors, lawyers, and other experts. Even though it’s difficult to leave her past life behind, Emilia manages to and even creates a nonprofit for victims of cartel violence – but it all comes crashing down when Emilia’s ex-wife finds new love and separates her from her children.
Critics enjoy Emilia Pérez, and it’s based on an opera libretto. It even features an actual transgender actress in the lead role – but audiences have absolutely trashed its ratings. Most of the hate reviews relate to it being a musical, since the public is seemingly exhausted of live-action musical movies, BUT Emilia Pérez has also been criticized for being poor representation of the transgender community as well as Latin America. There’s a heavy focus on the necessity of gender-affirming surgery, and of course – the movie centers on a transgender woman being a high-profile criminal, aggressive, and ultimately a liar despite it being released in 2024.
Two-Spirit / Transfemme | Dramatic Fantasy | R | 1h 37m
After a devasting earthquake hits Oaxaca, Mexico, a fashion designer joins a community muxes for research. The earthquake has a profound emotional impact on the community, and the film follows them process these emotions while fighting for legal recognition as a third gender in Mexico.
Content Warning / Available on… YouTube, Google Movies, Apple TV
This is an artsy movie, born out of Japan’s New Wave era and combines arthouse and experimental cinema with the documentary genre. Funeral Parade of Roses follows Eddie, a transgender woman, as she navigates the queer scene in Tokyo. It takes direct inspiration from the Greek classic Oedipus, where Eddie eventually murders her mother and unknowingly sleeps with her father.
After his release from prison, Enrique returns home to find his wife having an affair and a new daughter – Vanessa has come out as a transgender woman and is transitioning despite Enrique’s lack of acceptance. The film focuses heavily on Enrique and Vanessa’s relationship as he struggles coming to terms with cisnormative ideas and toxic masculinity. It’s based on the Bronx neighborhood of the same name, and Gun Hill Road is notable for being one of the first films to have a transgender actor portray a transgender role.
Content Warning / Available on… Tubi, YouTube, Google Movies, Amazon Prime, Fandango
I included Hedwig and the Angry Inch on this list, but Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything!, and similar films get an honorary spot here. Hedwig isn’t actually trans, and honestly, the premise is pretty problematic – but the film is based on the campy rock musical released in 1998. Hedwig is a gay man born in East Germany, persuaded to have a sex reassignment surgery to travel to the United States as her boyfriend Luther’s wife. Her surgery is botched, Luther leaves her for a man, and the Berlin Wall falls to combine East Germany with West Germany. Driven by the allure of stardom, Hedwig goes on a journey to become a musical sensation despite trials, copyright infringement, and general misery.
Is Hedwig transgender? I’d argue possibly more so than the lead characters in Priscilla and To Wong Foo, but these films barely pass by as queer camp classics. It’s important to remember that Hedwig all hinges on the premise that Hedwig was forcibly given a botched sex reassignment surgery – she eventually accepts her identity as a woman, but that’s a pretty harmful trope to perpetuate since anti-transgender activists foam at the idea of transgender people being persuaded into bodily mutilation.
Content Warning / Available on… Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Fandango
After huffing a magic can of aerosol, Trinity discovers she can speak with the dead – and Holy Trinity is an hour and half comedic fever dream as she grapples with this power. Alongside her, Trinity is joined by nonbinary lead character Baby, who follows her alternative sexuality and spirituality journey.
Andrea is the eldest child of a dysfunctional Italian family during the 1970s who bonds with a Romani girl and his mother Clara eventually after coming out as transgender. Things have to break before they get better, which includes Andrea’s family. Andrea, Clara, and Sara all feel like outsiders to the rest of the world – whether they’re trapped in a body they don’t identify with, a loveless marriage, or a hostile world.
Content Warning… Tubi, Freevee, YouTube, PLEX, Amazon Prime, Fandango, Google Movies
Lingua Franca (2019)
Transfemme | 87% RT | Romantic Drama | NR | 1h 35m
Olivia is pursuing a marriage-based green card to avoid ICE deportation while taking care of Olga, a Russian-Jewish woman living in Brooklyn in the early stages of dementia. Lingua Franca is Isabel Sandoval’s third feature film, and she stars as the lead character in addition to directing, writing, and producing the movie. It’s pretty well-liked, and it’s a solid choice if you’re wanting to support a transgender creative.
Content Warning / Available on… Tubi*, Netflix*, Amazon Prime
Major! (2015)
Transfemme | Documentary | NR | 1h 35m
While most people are aware of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, less know about Miss Major Griffin-Gracy – a formerly incarcerated transgender woman of color who has fighting for transgender rights for over 40 years, including during Stonewall. Major! is a documentary film giving insight to her life thus far and the campaigns she has been a part of. Miss Major survived Attica State Prison, sex work, and a lifetime of anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimination, and her story is one of the few from the frontlines of Stonewall.
Nonbinary actor Lío Mehiel plays Feña, a young transgender man attempting to rekindle former relationships with his father, estranged half-sister, and straight ex-boyfriend. After coming out and transitioning, Feña has lost a lot of people in his life – within 24 short hours, he’s sept through the extremes of human emotion as people finally re-enter his life.
Content Warning / Available on… Amazon Prime, Netflix*, Google Movies, Fandango, Apple TV
Ludovic is unapologetically herself, and My Life in Pink is her journey in getting her family and community to accept her identity as a transgender girl. She might just be seven years old, but she knows she’s a girl – her parents struggle adjusting to this new knowledge as they try to impress their new neighbors. The film has a lot of funny moments as well as tough ones: Ludo attempts suicide during the film after being assaulted and she’s ostracized by her community, but her parents accept her gender identity by the end of the movie despite her age and it being the 1990s.
Content Warning / Available on… YouTube, Amazon Prime, fubo, Google Movies, Apple TV
After being framed for the queen’s murder, Ballister Boldheart goes into hiding and meets Nimona who takes interest to Ballister for his “villainous” deed. The two have to find evidence to clear Ballister’s name, but he’s led to believe that Nimona is an ancient monster from historical legends. The film is about friendship and acceptance of one’s self – Nimona has lived their entire life feeling like they can’t fit in anywhere due to their magical shapeshifting powers. Nimona is implied to be nonbinary and genderfluid, even though the film uses predominantly feminine pronouns to refer to them.
Ruth Applewood shocks her wife after celebrating their 25th marriage anniversary with her plans to transition into a woman in the rural Midwest. Her transition drives the family apart, but they eventually find their way back to each other after months of conflict and harassment.
I want to write an additional note that while the film has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and pretty good audience reviews, the inspiration behind Normal is problematic. In an HBO interview, writer and director Jane Anderson said she hadn’t sourced any actual transgender people when creating the book or movie, and based the premise of the film by viewing transition the “ultimate betrayal” of love. The film wouldn’t hold up well if created today, especially with that mindset.
Based off Virginia Woolf’s novel, Orlando follows an androgynous nobleman who transforms into a woman. The story begins in the early 1600s until the present day (1992) due to Queen Elizabeth I’s magical wish for her to not fade, wither, or grow old. Virginia Woolf was queer herself, and Orlando has inspired many others with different takes on the story – including the 2023 documentary Orlando, My Political Biography, which has gotten even better reviews than the original as it combines Woolf’s story with a modern understanding of transgender identity.
Content Warning / Available on… YouTube, Google Movies, Amazon Prime, Fandango, Apple TV
Paris Is Burning is one of the LGBTQIA+ community’s most classic films, giving an inside look at NYC’s ballroom culture during the late 1980s. It was the Golden Age of New York’s underground scene for queer and transgender people of color – and without ballroom culture, we wouldn’t have modern drag today. There’s a touch of how many transgender people identified more safely as just gay drag performers, but it also capitalizes on how social these events were in a time LGBTQIA+ people were forced underground due to the AIDS epidemic.
Of course, I feel inclined to note Paris Is Burning has its own controversies: while the film is integral to queer history, it can also have flaws. The Black and Brown performers in the film were generally exploited and the profit made wasn’t distributed well – which is why multiple performers in the movie later took director Jennie Livingston to court. Others have pointed out that Livingston, at the end of the day, was a cisgender white woman. Without her, Paris Is Burning may have never existed, but she still took advantage of a vulnerable community for her own gain.
Enjoy Paris Is Burning but want something more contemporary? Kiki was released in 2016 and is regarded by critics as a sequel to the original documentary – although there are notable differences, such as Kiki‘s focus on youth, activism, and the realities of living in NYC’s underground scene.
Content Warning / Available on… Max, Hulu, Roku Channel, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Fandango, Apple TV
I’ve tried to watch Romeos a few times, but I can never make it very far into the film before switching to something more enjoyable – it’s a German romantic comedy drama from the early 2010s, and there’s just something about it that I can’t fall in love with. Despite that, I’d still recommend it if you’re looking for something pretty cheesy or if you’re looking for a gay romance featuring a transgender man – Romeos is remarkable in the fact it’s one of the very few movies out there that is both transmasc and MLM.
Content Warning / Available on… YouTube, Amazon Prime, Fandango, Google Movies, Apple TV
After leaving his rural hometown to move to Auckland, Caz starts anew as he transitions as a transgender man. Years later, he returns to Rūrangi and has to face all of the people he abandoned when he left for the big city – include his father, childhood best friend, and ex-boyfriend.
Transfemme | 89% RT | Biographical Drama | R | 1h 52m
Based on the real relationship between Barry Winchell and Calpernia Addams, Soldier’s Girl is a drama about Barry’s murder – he was murdered in 1999 by his fellow soldiers for dating a transgender woman (Addams), and his death played a big role in Don’t Ask Don’t Tell discussions. Calpernia is a showgirl in Nashville where Barry is stationed, and Barry becomes subject to harassment and violence when his jealous roommate Justin Fisher spreads rumors about Barry and Calpernia’s relationship.
Content Warning / Available on… Tubi, Crackle, Roku Channel, Amazon Prime
Ren is an aspiring writer who accompanies her parents and younger sister to a beach resort and Something You Said Last Night follows her trying to navigate the resort, relationship with her loving but overbearing parents, and desire to be independent.
Content Warning / Available on… Pluto, Tubi, Sling, Xumo, Roku Channel, Plex, Fandango, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Google Movies, Apple TV
Robert Eads was a real transgender man who died of ovarian cancer due to doctors wrongly believing his life wasn’t worth potential harm to their reputations. The film’s title comes from the Southern Comfort Conference, a real major transgender conference that was considered the largest in the United States from 1991 to 2019 – Robert’s ultimate goal was to live long enough to attend. He transitioned later in life, so the movie touches on many of the tough relationships older transgender people have with their parents, children, and even grandchildren – but Robert has always been content living with his chosen family, including his transgender girlfriend Lola.
During the early months of the COVID pandemic in Brooklyn, Bahlul joins his uncle Terry as he recovers from a broken leg. Stress Positions is narrated by Karla, a bisexual/lesbian transgender woman living in the same building. Critics are generally impressed by the film, but it has a lower score by audiences – likely due in part to America’s exhaustion of thinking of the pandemic.
Content Warning / Available… Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
Leo, a transgender man, goes on an unplanned weekend trip with his best friend Eleanor. It’s their first time spending time together since Leo has transitioned, and Leo has been looking for a break from all of his auditions, acting classes, jobs, and situationships. Spending time with Eleanor begs the question: can bad sex and good friends mix?
Content Warning / Available on… Tubi, Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Fandango, Apple TV
I often group Tangerine with Gun Hill Road – both are great films, but they have hard moments due to how well they portray reality for transgender women in tough situations. Sin-Dee and Alexandra are transgender sex workers who find out their pimp has been cheating with a cisgender woman. They eventually get the attention of Razmik, an Armenian cab driver and chaser who leaves his family on Christmas Eve to meet them across town. Between the two films, I enjoy Tangerine more – but both have their moments.
Content Warning / Available on… Max, YouTube, fubo, Sling, Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Fandango, Redbox, Apple TV
Magdalena emerges from the Cruces River after being left for dead many years ago. She returns to her family’s dairy farm to find her husband Enrique (who understandably has a heart attack upon seeing his dead wife), daughter Cecilia, and grandchildren. Due to pollution, fish are dying at an astronomical rate and the environment is collapsing in The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future‘s arthouse style.
Content Warning / Available on… Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
Fergus is a member of the Irish Republican Army during the later years of the Troubles who kidnaps a Black British soldier as collateral for an imprisoned IRA member they want released. He eventually finds himself in London and meets meets Dil, a transgender woman he falls in love with. Unlike Breakfast on Pluto, Fergus plays an active role in the Troubles – he’s expected to assassinate a prominent British judge, and the Troubles were messy.
Content Warning / Available on… Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
Based on the real life of Lili Elbe, one of the earliest individuals to ever receive bottom surgery, as she sheds the masculine gender roles she’s been forced to endure throughout her life. After years of being unable to be “cured” of being transgender through psychotherapy and other pseudo-conversion tools, she’s recommended a new but controversial surgery. Lili is the first person Dr. Kurt Warnekros has performed the surgery on, and like, real life, Lili dies after complications from the second round of surgery.
The Danish Girl was one of the first big movies to feature a transgender lead character in mainstream media – the film won multiple accolades, including an Oscar. However, it was also criticized for having a cisgender man play Lili’s role: Redmayne’s portrayal of Lili was one of the first big discussions on the importance of having transgender people play transgender stories.
Content Warning / Available on… Amazon Prime, Netflix*, Google Movies, Fandango, Apple TV
Frustrated by his father controlling his life, Joe escapes to the woods with his best friend Patrick and a new companion named Biaggio, who just happened to tag along for their adventure. They build a house out in the woods while the rest of the world fears Patrick and Joe have gone missing, and things go awry when Joe invites Patrick’s crush out to their hidden home. Biaggio is implied to be agender, and while they don’t use the term outright, Biaggio is confident in their nonbinary identity.
Content Warning / Available on… Paramount, Roku Channel, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
Following How to Survive a Plague, David France produced The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson to chronicle the suspicious death of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries co-founder Marsha P. Johnson, one of the most prominent figures in the Stonewall Riots and gay liberation movement along with Sylvia Rivera. When Marsha died in 1992, police ruled it as a suicide despite evidence suggesting foul play – the film re-examines the events leading up to police finding Marsha’s body floating in the Hudson River.
Decades after its initial release, the Wachowski sisters who wrote and directed The Matrix franchise have stated the films are an allegory for transgender identity – which makes sense if you take in account the Wachowskis came out as transgender women in 2012 and 2016. Like Fight Club, The Matrix is adored by cisgender straight men for a lot of the wrong reasons, but the film has a lot of heart that made into a classic. The red pill has been likened to real red estrogen pills, and the Matrix’s sense of disconnect is meant to portray gender dysphoria. In the Wachowski’s original script, Switch was meant to be a woman in the Matrix and a man in the real world – but the idea was scrapped since “the corporate world wasn’t ready.”
If you’re looking for a transgender story, I would recommend other movies on this list before The Matrix – but it should stay on your radar if you’re up for critiquing a sci-fi classic with a modern transgender lens.
Content Warning / Available on… Peacock, Sling, YouTube, Google Movies, Fandango, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
While on this list, The Silence of the Lambs is NOT a movie to celebrate or inspire pride – but it’s important when discussing transgender history and visibility in film. Even though Buffalo Bill explicitly states he is not transgender, transgender identity is central to the film and the movie plays a major role in how transgender people were portrayed as psychopaths in mainstream media until recently. Bill is a serial killer who purposely targets women to assemble a flesh suit for himself – since he is routinely kills women to be a woman, it’s hard to separate Buffalo Bill from transness. The Silence of the Lambs did fantastically well both critically and commercially by using these references of Buffalo Bill as transgender, but LGBTQIA+ activism being a minor issue during the time period meant there wasn’t enough backlash to really force the question. The film’s success encouraged a new era of mocking transgender people – and it incited fear that transgender people are deranged and violent freaks.
Even if the public wasn’t ready to really separate Buffalo Bill from transness, The Silence of the Lambs did create a minor turning point in transgender cinema: unlike previous films that use “transgender psychopaths” like Psycho and Dressed to Kill, The Silence of the Lambs did go to incredible efforts to state Buffalo Bill is not transgender – but of course, that doesn’t matter too much if they’re still profiting off the public’s belief that he is.
Content Warning / Available on… Max, Hulu, YouTube, Sling, Roku Channel, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango, Google Movies
Kristen Lovell and Zackary Drucker follow Black and Latina transgender women who work as sex workers in NYC’s Meatpacking District during the 1980s and 1990s in an area referred to as “The Stroll” prior to its gentrification. It provides another viewpoint of what transgender people were experiencing in NYC to other films like Paris Is Burning.
Content Warning / Available on… Max, Hulu, YouTube, Sling, Roku Channel
J is thirteen years old and lives in Chicago and has been recently told they have to “pick” a gender due to the effects of long-term puberty blockers decreasing bone density. There’s some truth to this – puberty blockers do decrease bone density and can become a clinical concern for those on them for a long period of time, which is why they’re used for transgender youth prior to moving to traditional HRT. However, this isn’t really something J would be concerned about at thirteen – transgender youth are generally expected to be on puberty blockers until sixteen, and bone density concerns are easily addressed with the medical care that accompanies puberty blockers being prescribed.
Disregarding this technicality, They is… okay. There aren’t many films that feature nonbinary stories, which is why it didn’t get forgotten about completely.
Content Warning / Available on… Crackle, Google Movies, Fandango, fubo, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
Again: there are not many nonbinary films out there. This will change in the next decade or so; I remember ten years ago when there were about one or two transmasculine films out there but a wealth of short films. Nonbinary media is currently in a similar boat, so I feel confident in predicting there’ll be a good variety to pick from in time.
They / Them is a slasher set at a conversion camp for LGBTQIA+ youth, focusing on nonbinary Jordan who is constantly harassed by camp staff like the other campers, and the new camp nurse Molly who disagrees with the camp’s mission. It has a good premise, since it hinges on the disgust and rage LGBTQIA+ people have for despicable “conversion camps” like the one in the film – but it bombed due to its clumsy formatting and predictable ending.
Filmmakers have always been clumsy when portraying transgender people, and they were definitely clumsy in Laure/Mickaël’s character as a transgender kid. It’s unclear whether Laure/Mickaël is meant to be nonbinary, transmascline, or a lesbian girl, since the film ends with them presenting with their female birth name after being harassed for the entire movie for presenting as a boy. It reminds me a transmasculine version of My Life in Pink if it had a worse ending that left the main character “fixed” as cisgender. It’s considered a noteworthy film when discussing trans media, but it wouldn’t stand if released today.
One week before her bottom surgery, Bree receives a call from seventeen-year-old Toby from a NYC jail claiming to be her son. Bree’s therapist forces her to make contact with Toby in order to proceed with her surgery. Thus, she flies out to find Toby, who ran away from his stepfather’s home, and finds out his mother died years ago via suicide. She convinces Toby she is a Christian missionary and plans to bring him back to his stepfather while on a country-wide road trip – and the two inevitably bond along the way.
Content Warning / Available on… Starz, YouTube, Hulu, fubo, Sling, Roku Channel, Amazon Prime, Philo, Google Movies, Fandango, Apple TV
Transmitzvah (2024)
Transfemme | Comedy | R | 1h 42m
Rubén (aka Mumy Singer) embraces her female identity and rejects her planned Bar Mitzvah. Years later, she returns home after tragedy strikes the family as a famous Yiddish singing sensation, and Transmitzvah is their family coming to terms with who they are, together.
There aren’t many films that feature transgender people pursuing parenthood after transition – and Two 4 One is one of them. Adam is a transgender man who has a one-night stand with his ex-girlfriend to help artificially inseminate her with an at-home pregnancy kit. An accident causes them both to become pregnant, and the film follows Adam grapple with being pregnant and his sense of being a man.
Content Warning Unavailable / Available on… Tubi, Amazon Prime, Fandango, YouTube, Google Movies
Link impulsively runs away with his younger brother Travis from his abusive home in a run-down Canadian trailer park to find his mother, who he recently discovered was alive after believing for years she was dead. They meet Pasmay, a Mi’kmaq pow wow dancer who becomes interested in Link when they meet at a grocery store. The three of them go on a journey to find Link and Travis’ mother, and the boys rediscover their Indigenous heritage along with way.
