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10 uplifting trans films to celebrate Trans Awareness Week & where to stream them
From love stories to vampy teens, these films celebrate trans joy.
Trans Awareness Week kicks off today and what better way to ring it in than with stories that not only explore trans identity but also celebrate it. After all, now’s is really the time to reflect and uplift the trans community. While remembrance of trans struggles is certainly important, it’s equally crucial to lean into trans joy, as there’s no greater feeling than to embrace — and be embraced for — living your most authentic life.
Film is an excellent medium for reflecting positive trans narratives and there are some great ones out there. From comedies to love stories — both of falling in love with others, and learning to love yourself — to a few awesomely campy trans horror films, these streamable movies are a great way to kick off the week. Take a look.
All film descriptions are courtesy of their respective studios and networks.
Synopsis:Anything’s Possible is a delightfully modern Gen Z coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal gets a crush on her, he musters up the courage to ask her out, despite the drama he knows it could cause. What transpires is a romance that showcases the joy, tenderness, and pain of young love.
Why we love it: This sweet love story truly has it all: It’s funny, romantic, uplifting, and real.
Where to watch:Prime VideoSynopsis: Transfinite is a sci-fi omnibus feature film composed of seven standalone short stories where supernatural trans and queer people from various cultures use their powers to protect, love, teach, fight and thrive.
Why we love it: The trans-POC representation alone makes this collection a must-watch, but it’s also a fascinating sci-fi exploration of identity.
Where to watch:Rent on Prime Video
Synopsis: A transgender teenage girl on summer vacation in Los Angeles fights to survive after she falls in with four queer feminist vampires who try to rid the city’s streets of predatory men.
Why we love it: Trans, feminist vampires using their creature of the night powers to take out predators? What’s not to love?
Where to watch:Prime Video, Hoopla, Vudu
Synopsis: Two drag performers and a transgender woman travel across the desert to perform their unique style of cabaret.
Why we love it: This film is a classic for a good reason: It’s still a joy to behold in all its sumptuous glory.
Where to watch:Tubi
Synopsis: Kurt is an outcast in a conservative town who dreams of moving to the city to be a famous drag queen. Kidnapped by a predatory old vampire, Kurt is rescued and resurrected by a gang of rebellious vamps who feed on bigots and abusers. As a vampire, he finally knows empowerment and belonging, but until Kurt faces the monster, he will never truly be free. The exciting debut from Australian trans teen filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay, So Vam is a low-budget, high-energy tribute to teen vampire classics, from a distinctly Gen Z, genderqueer POV.
Why we love it: Directed by trans teen Alice Maio Mackay, this movie about a queer kid discovering his found (undead) family with a trans vampire is just so very cool.
Synopsis: Boy Meets Girl is a poignant, sexy, romantic coming-of-age comedy about three 20-year-olds living in Kentucky. Robby (Michael Welch, Twilight) and his best friend since childhood, Ricky (Michelle Hendley), a gorgeous transgender girl, have never dated. Lamenting the lack of eligible bachelors, Ricky considers dating a girl. In walks Francesca (Alex Turshen), a beautiful young debutante waiting for her Marine fiance to return from the war. Ricky and Francesca strike up a friendship, and maybe a little more, which forces Robby to face his true feelings for Ricky.
Why we love it: Fun and quirky, this romantic comedy is just the kind of easy breezy watch you may be craving.
Where to watch:Prime Video, Tubi
Synopsis: In the ‘90s, Laurence tells his girlfriend, Fred, that he wants to become a woman; they confront the prejudices of their friends, ignore the council of their families, and brave the phobias of the society they offend.
Why we love it: Honestly, it’s just so achingly romantic.
Synopsis: A knight framed for a tragic crime teams with a scrappy, shape-shifting teen to prove his innocence. But what if she's the monster he's sworn to destroy?
Why we love it: A shapeshifting punkrock ENBY monster girl helping her bestie reunite with his prince charming. Period.
Where to watch: Netflix
Synopsis: A woman returns home to care for her ailing mother who she hasn't seen in years in this tender portrait of family, forgiveness, and acceptance.
Why we love it: My god for the performances alone! While this film definitely skews bittersweet its the hope we feel at the end that lands it on this list.
Synopsis: When teenage YouTube sensation Alice Junior moves from big city Brazil to the conservative countryside, she learns to harness the power of her trans identity and fulfill her dream: landing her long overdue first kiss.
Why we love it: Because its the coming of age story we've always wanted to see but SO rarely (if ever) get to see on the screen.
Where to watch:Kanopy, Rent on Prime Video
Rachel Shatto, Editor in Chief of PRIDE.com, is an SF Bay Area-based writer, podcaster, and former editor of Curve magazine, where she honed her passion for writing about social justice and sex (and their frequent intersection). Her work has appeared on Dread Central, Elite Daily, Tecca, and Joystiq. She's a GALECA member and she podcasts regularly about horror on the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network. She can’t live without cats, vintage style, video games, drag queens, or the Oxford comma.
Rachel Shatto, Editor in Chief of PRIDE.com, is an SF Bay Area-based writer, podcaster, and former editor of Curve magazine, where she honed her passion for writing about social justice and sex (and their frequent intersection). Her work has appeared on Dread Central, Elite Daily, Tecca, and Joystiq. She's a GALECA member and she podcasts regularly about horror on the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network. She can’t live without cats, vintage style, video games, drag queens, or the Oxford comma.
