documentary rants and raves

This past month, I have had the privilege of watching groundbreaking documentaries dealing with important issues in the LGBTQ community. The one that has had the most effect on me was 'Southern Comfort,'

Southern Comfort is a documentary that came out 10 years ago and follows final year of transman, Robert Eads. Before I can go any further, let me just say that this man is one of the most amazing queer figures I have ever seen. He is a Southern Gentleman, oozing with charm and wisdom. He's your typical mans man, rugged bearded hunter with cowboy boots and hat and a love for country music. We then meet his girlfriend, Lola Cola. An elegant transwoman with Betty Boop humor and whit. As we begin to peek into their beautiful Romance and their history of meeting in SoCo (an annual Southern United States convention exploring trans life and issues), we learn that Robert is suffering from Ovarian Cancer. As Robert put it, its quite ironic that the only part of him that was still a woman was killing him. When first diagnosed with terminal cancer, Eads contacted nearly fifty doctors each refusing treatment due to the face that he is transgender. The film explores the lives of other trans men and women and their stories of growing up in the South. In the end, Robert passes away. There is little doubt that he could have at least suffered less and lived a little longer had he not been forced to suffer without treatment.
Whatever happened to that oath that doctors take vowing to treat anyone and everyone? I try not to ponder this too much because it is too saddening a thought that there are people on this Earth who have the means of making life so good for others, but by choice make it worse.


This is definitely the best film I've seen all year, and probably the most important I'll see in a while.