Trinidad

2016 • 85 minutes

About this movie

Fascinating documentary examination of a small Colorado town that has become the "sex change capital of America", thanks to a local doctor whose clinic has perfected genital reassignment surgery.

Ratings and reviews

WARNING: NSFW images of pre-op and post-op vaginas and penises spliced throughout. Do not watch in a public library like I did! Exposition-wise, "Trinidad" begins like, "Hi, welcome to Trinidad, CO, this is a conservative community of small-town America located in the Southwest. This town also happens to be sacred grounds for transsexuals who come here to be re-born." The trans women interviewed give the usual spiel I hear in every introductory documentary about transgender people ever: "I am trans, this is how I always knew, this is how my family reacted, and be true, be you." Schoolchildren even give their two-sense on gender stereotypes. Yup, pretty standard "Transgender 101" film. Fortunately, this is just for the first half hour or so. Where the documentary picks up the pace is when it begins exploring the contentious politics and perspectives regarding transgender healthcare in Trinidad. Synopsis: In building off of the work of Dr. Bieber, Dr. Marci Bowers -transgender herself- moves from Seattle to begin practicing GAS in Trinidad. Dr. Bowers and her friends renovate "Morning Glory" from a townhouse into the world's first trans-built, trans-organized recovery house for transgender patients who have undergone gender affirming surgery (GAS). Enraged, some transphobic Catholics and Protestants of Trinidad respond by forming the "Committee of the Willing" in reaction to the establishment of "Morning Glory," surgical practice of Dr. Bowers, and the labeling of Trinidad as the "sex-change capitol of the world." In letters to the editor of the local newspapers, the reactionary committee releases a stream of bigotry. As a counter-protest, other Trinidad residents unleash a wave of support and affirmation for their fellow transgender residents in letters to the editor too. It is a stimulating case study on societal attitudes towards transgender people on a microcosmic scale. As a transgender person headed into the world of transgender healthcare, this will definitely remain on my radar.