Teen Transexual is a thoughtful look at the life of Lucy Parker, a teenage transsexual living in the British town of Middlesbrough. It is easy to become engaged with Lucy's struggle and Teen Transexual is well worth the watch.
Teen Transexual is presented by BBC America.
- An intimate introduction to Lucy, a teenage transexual.
- It presents many challenges that Lucy faces without making her life seem bleak or hopeless.
- Not for the squimish, as there are scenes of surgery.
- A somewhat formulaic outcome.
Lucy describes the difficulties of realizing her transexual identity.
Born Richard, she chooses Lucy as her new name, after a Sandra Bullock character.
Initially, Lucy fears coming out to her family and worries that she could be, "Hit, punched, insulted or disowned."
Luckily, this doesn't happen, and instead her family rallies behind her journey.
Finances and time restrictions mean that while Lucy can have breast surgery, she cannot yet have genital surgery.
As she says of this, "It just doesn't feel right...it's emotional distress."
Teen Transexual introduces us to 17-year-old Lucy Parker, a young transexual, trying to find her place in the world while navigating a health care system which tells her she cannot have surgery until her 18th birthday.
Lucy has the support of family and friends, but hates her male-born body and feels disassociated from it. At 16 she goes on hormone treatment to prevent the masculinization of puberty. She is desperate for genital and breast augmentation surgery, as well.
The documentary follows Lucy through her first date, 18th birthday, appointments with psychologists and doctors and finally, breast surgery.
Though she has been desperate to make her physical body match her sense of who she is, the surgery presents additional challenges and still leaves Lucy hoping for more.
Lucy's is a story that many transgender teens will be able to relate to. However, American teens unfamiliar with Britain's socialized medicine might be disappointed to find that while we don't necessarily have the same age-restrictions on surgery, we also don't have universal coverage for it.
Ultimately, Teen Transexual is a story that will affect people of all gender identities as it gives us a glimpse of one young person's transition.
