Growing Up Coy
| Growing Up Coy | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Eric Juhola |
| Produced by |
|
| Music by | Christopher Libertino |
Production company | Still Point Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 83 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Growing Up Coy is a 2016 documentary directed by Eric Juhola and produced by Still Point Pictures.
Plot
The film follows Jeremy and Kathryn Mathis and their five children over several years in Colorado. One child, six-year-old Coy Mathis, is a young transgender girl who had come out as transgender in kindergarten. She was able to use the girls' bathroom freely until the first grade when the principal informed the parents that moving forward, Coy would only be able to use the boys bathroom or the nurse's bathroom. Rather than comply, Jeremy and Kathryn pulled their kids from school and worked with the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund to file a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Division.
While awaiting a decision, the Mathises went public with their case and became a magnet for the issue in an international media firestorm, including a notable appearance on Katie and a spread in Rolling Stone. The film goes on to show how the media pressure put strain on Jeremy and Kathryn's marriage, eventually leading to their separation. In the end, a ruling came down in their favor, enabling transgender people across the state to use facilities that match their gender identity.
The ruling was the first of its kind in the United States, and had ripple effects across the country. Shortly after the ruling, California enacted its own
Reception
The film has been written about in major publications and lauded for its timeliness and sensitivity around a controversial topic. Cara Buckley of The New York Times wrote that the film could not be timelier, with transgender issues at the fore.[7] Nigel Smith of The Guardian wrote that the film was urgent viewing and more than a simple advocacy film.[8] Daniel Walber of NonFics wrote that the film is a real interrogation of what happens to those who take on the important legal battles of our time. Juhola and Stulberg ask the audience to quite seriously consider what we expect from our civil rights heroes, particularly the ones who do not get to fly home to the big city after the battle. Their message is not simple or straightforward, but contemplative and admirably honest.[9]
References
- ^ a b "Growing Up Coy". Human Rights Watch Film Festival. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
- ^ "Still Point Pictures". StillpointPictures.com. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
- ^ "New Documentary Highlights Landmark Transgender Bathroom Fight". The Takeaway. WNYC. January 13, 2017. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
- ^ "Award Winners – Raindance Film Festival 2016". Raindance Film Festival. October 2, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
- ^ "2016 Award Winners". BendFilm. October 9, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
- ^ Busch, Anita (December 15, 2016). "Netflix To Stream 'Growing Up Coy,' Documentary About 6-Year-Old Who Began National Transgender Bathroom Debate". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
- ^ Buckley, Cara (June 6, 2016). "'Growing Up Coy' Explores the Fallout After a Family Fought for Its Transgender Child". New York Times. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
- ^ Smith, Nigel (June 15, 2016). "Growing Up Coy review: candid chronicle of fight for transgender rights". The Guardian. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
- ^ Walber, Daniel. "Human Rights Watch: 'Growing Up Coy,' and How to Transcend 'Issue'". Medium. Archived from the original on February 26, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.