Susan's Place Transgender Resources

If you were in a position that a world class documentary group wanted to make a documentary about your transition would you allow them to film the surgery?

If they agreed to pay for the surgery.

If they paid for it then maybe. Otherwise, no way!

Exactly; they are going to make money from their film, so I would expect to be compensated. If it were 20 years ago I would consider doing it for free as a public service for trans awareness, but not now; how many millions does Caitlyn Jenner make from her reality show?

I know where you are coming from and have thought about this since we last spoke.

My answer now would be no.

There are aspects of peoples life that should be private, no matter how much you desire to help the community, I would consider your privacy in the coming years. Once it is filmed and shown it is in the public record.

There are plenty of documentaries etc on the procedure without you having to be potentially open to public comment.

Just my $5

At the end the want their money back ... Haha NO!

I think it would have to be a very personal decision, and depends on why you're doing any of it in the first place.

I'd not be part of a documentary in the first place, but if I was then I'd ask why not? Is there some cultural hangup or taboo you'd be breaking by doing so? Is there any negative do doing so?

Would it help others by doing so? Would it help the person doing it, and I think more in the sense of being able to help others? One possibly selfish positive aspect would be to show others just what strength you have to go though all this. It would show its not something undertaken lightly. SRS and FFS is pretty disturbing, and not sure I could watch any of it.

I wouldn't do it, but for some people I'd see it as a good thing to do.

Fill Jill, Vol. 1... The Movie. In IMAX 3D. Coming soon to theaters near you. 

Yeah, umm no.

Somehow or another I got a news film crew following me around in my second year of transition and by the time it hit the small screen they'd turned it into a freak show.  So no never again, never never never never.............

I'm going to describe further. I live in Hong Kong where only 29 people have changed their ID card by gender in its history, it is NOT a well know subject matter, and people here need to be educated and have someone with the courage to openly come out. I am a celebrity of sorts and by far the most well know TG to have ever come out. The filming will be done by a world class documentary and news producer with Oscar nominations. My only goal is to help our community and to express my personal transition, I do not represent our TG community. They want to film and the hospital and surgeons have agreed, maybe they will try harder.......???? I have yet to agree.

Cindy, we will talk as so much has happened so quickly.

I'm here Hon you have my number

I would personally be comfortable with it.  I would not recommend somebody else to, if they were not comfortable with it.

For cash monies!  8)

First thank you all for your reply and after much consideration I have decided that I will allow the filming but that my recovery and rebirth as a female will not be filmed. That the next filming will be some 6 months after my surgery at my coming out party in Hong Kong.

All my proceeds will be donated to help our cause including Susan's Place who has made this journey so much smoother and allowed me to meet so many wonderful friends.

Keep tuned and I will let you all know more about this documentary.

As I said.

Love you and I'm with you, even when we disagree!

Love

Cindy

If they paid me sure, otherwise no. However, considering the possibility of why this question came up there are a few other reasons why I would and that is to bring attention to something that so desperately needs it. Hugs
Mariah

Quote from: warlockmaker on December 07, 2015, 04:30:58 AM
First thank you all for your reply and after much consideration I have decided that I will allow the filming but that my recovery and rebirth as a female will not be filmed. That the next filming will be some 6 months after my surgery at my coming out party in Hong Kong.

All my proceeds will be donated to help our cause including Susan's Place who has made this journey so much smoother and allowed me to meet so many wonderful friends.

Keep tuned and I will let you all know more about this documentary.

I think it is the right decision.

You additionally might provide them with information that a neovagina can turn into a mucosa and is the real thing...
so they show in their report its not some kind of show but a real transformation...


gendercare dot com/library/italiano_paper1.html

"From months to sometimes years after skin grafting, the graft loses all of its skin properties and adapts to its environment, becoming a mucosa... (Sherfey, 1973)."

"they also showed that some artificial vaginas are capable of lubricating as well and as rapidly as any normally constituted vaginal barrel .. (Masters & Johnson, 1966)"

"Those post-operative male-to-female transsexuals who amuse themselves with the peculiar statement that they still have a penis, but that it's just turned inside-out should note that not only do they not have a penis, but they don't even have skin of the penis any more ....
It also responds to hormones in an identical way as does a normal vagina..."


hugs

It's a wonderful  decision that will certainly help everyone. Good luck with the documentary and hugs
Mariah

Quote from: warlockmaker on December 07, 2015, 04:30:58 AM
First thank you all for your reply and after much consideration I have decided that I will allow the filming but that my recovery and rebirth as a female will not be filmed. That the next filming will be some 6 months after my surgery at my coming out party in Hong Kong.

All my proceeds will be donated to help our cause including Susan's Place who has made this journey so much smoother and allowed me to meet so many wonderful friends.

Keep tuned and I will let you all know more about this documentary.

Paranoid stealth as I am due to men, no way. Maybe when Im old and I get bored with all men, then maybe.

You could allow them to film it and decide if you want to let them use it later. They could put make a version with that material and you could review it to see how you like it. I assume you have all the legal agreements in place.

Hi:

In 2004 I had my pre-op, op, 1 mo and 3 mos post-ops documented for the Nov. sweeps here in the US.  There was a lot of trepidation over me doing it from my community and a few others who expressed fears it would be exploitative. I insisted "we" meet face-to-face before I agreed to the project - I got a good vibe from the interviewer (an twice Emmy winning documentarian).  Please understand, no matter what you are told you WILL NOT HAVE EDITORIAL RIGHTS OF REFUSAL.  The director was upfront about that, but that's just the way it is in the bizz.  Sooo, I had decided if I was ever uncomfortable in front of the camera I would walk.  That never happened; they were pretty classy.  However, there were several times when the interviewer really got inside my head and what I did and said in response was occasionally raw, emotional and pained . . . I had been told to expect that.  The film crew was compassionate but it was a fairly unvarnished version of how I got there, why I was having surgery, and what it was like mentally and physically post-op.

It all went well, though living with a film crew from 5:30am 'til bedtime was intense.  When they were onsite I had no life that wasn't choreographed by the interviewer, director and video-photographer.

I was not paid and at the time doing it for the community seemed worth it - it was!  I did have a lot fun, and at the same time exposed my private life to the nation via 17.5 minutes of interview/life-style related filming boiled down from over a 100 hours of filming - they often did an A and B roll.  The special was nominated for an Emmy though we didn't win.

Just understand, you will lose a good deal of your anonymity for a few years.  This lasted about three years and I was often stopped while traveling, about town and just about any other place you can imagine, especially the lady's room/lounge.  The Chicago airport (ORD) was good for multiple inquiries as I changed planes for quite awhile.

Good luck and enjoy the ride - it's definitely a trip!

TTFN,

Rachel

P.S. I've tried to be balanced in my experiences with you. Bottom line: If the interviewer is good you are in for a ride; if the interviewer doesn't get underneath your veneer then why do the special - no one will care.  I admire your courage, BTDT and glad you are going to do it too!

P.S.S. PM me if you want.

P.S.S.S.  They miked me the first day and of course I had to use the bathroom at work.  Yep!  Everyone was laughing as I can out and a helper came and showed how to turn off the mike . . .  :o ??? groan!!!  I was assured I had done the academy proud!    :) ;) :D ;D  that's show bizz!

Sure, I don't see any reason why not, theres loads of people who have had it filmed, as long as it is being used for decent educational purposes / medical reasons etc

Do you want to live a stealth life?  If so, then a decision to let anyone document this on film will follow you for the rest of your life.  The Internet will never allow it to die.  It may sound like a great idea now......but ten or twenty years later you might see this as a major mistake that you greatly regret. 

If you did choose to allow your surgery to be documented I feel very confident in saying that you will have no say in how that footage is used nor will you have any control over the script of the documentary.  You will almost certainly be made to sign a blanket release.  Documentaries rarely if ever pay for any interviews or pay persons who are being highlighted in the video.  First, most people who produce documentaries are not loaded with money.....and second, and perhaps most important, what they do is seen as a form of journalism and paying for interviews, or the right to document a personal event, would be seen as damaging the credibility of the content.  The general thought is that if you pay people for an interview you are going to get the response that you are seeking to support your contention.

Even if you were paid it would not be much if anything.  Unlike Caitlyn Jenner, you are not a former gold medal winner nor part of the Kardashian family.  Finally, a documentary is a "one off" and not a reality series concocted by a production company to sell to some cable channel.  Thus, there would be no long term contract or residuals for reruns of the content at a later time.   

Again, before I said "yes" I would give all of this careful consideration and weigh it against the value of your privacy and how much you want to live the rest of you life like a normal woman in society.

I practice media law......and for what it is worth that is my two cents!

Whatever you choose  I wish you only the best of luck!

Oh, yes I would, in fact I will, for similar reasons, since I'm in a very similar situation.

Well, minus being a celebrity. And the Oscars nominated documentary producer. But now that I think of it I can probably have my award winning (not Oscars ) documentary director cousin film it. It's still a long time before I can do it, though.

I'm glad you decided to do it. As some others have mentioned, this type of exposure has its disadvantages, but if you can take the heat it will greatly help others. So thank you for doing it.