It’s that time of year again when ReelOut delivers free Pride screenings to Kingstonians; this year, with a bit more of a twist.
On June 19, ReelOut Queer Film Festival celebrated its 15th anniversary of supplying Kingston with free Pride month screenings with a showing of the documentary, Heightened Scrutiny.
Directed by Sam Feder, an American filmmaker whose works include the 2SLBGTQIA+ themed documentaries, DISCLOSURE (2020) and Boy I Am (2006), Heightened Scrutiny follows the journey of Chase Strangio, a transgender attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), as he fights in the United States v. Skrmetti case to declare Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth as unconstitutional.
The film features interviews with trans youth and adults who reflect on how their daily lives are shaped by transphobic attitudes and policies.
For Matt Salton, executive director of ReelOut, the decision to choose this film was reflective of the festival’s acknowledgement of the discrimination that trans youth have recently faced in the United States. The choice was made in collaboration between staff at ReelOut, the Downtown Kingston Business Improvement Area (BIA) and Kingston Pride .
“For the most part, we’ve always screened something silly and fun, but it seemed pretty tone deaf to use such a large platform—literally and figuratively—for something frivolous when certain members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community are fighting for their lives and their freedoms,” Salton wrote in an e-mail statement to The Journal.
The decision to select Heightened Scrutiny because of its connection to real-world issues is demonstrative of ReelOut’s missionto provide representation for 2SLGBTQ+ communities by showcasing a diverse selection of queer films. This goal has long been fulfilled through the festival’s collaboration with Queen’s University, as well as its community-based initiatives.
Salton expressed that accessibility is a year-long priority for the festival. “We all need to be mindful of anyone who feels they can’t attend due to financial, physical, or emotional barriers,” he said. “ReelOut use[s] donations from the public and private sector sponsorships to leverage all the complimentary tickets we give out.”
The selection additionally marked importance because of Heightened Scrutiny’s critique of the rise of anti-trans rhetoric in the mainstream media. Sam Feder expressed in a 2024 interview with Sundance Film Festival that these attitudes, often present in speculations about the ethics of gender affirming care, have had the power to inform anti-trans legislation—an important connection to keep in mind when considering both the United States’ and Canada’s attacks on the rights of trans youth.
With many trans people facing widespread prejudice, including exclusion from sports and exclusion under the law, Heightened Scrutiny offers a much-needed counter-narrative that focuses on how this prejudice directly impacts the livelihood of transgender people.
By ensuring accessibility toward the promotion of 2SLGBTQ+ stories this Pride month, ReelOut has once again demonstrated the power of film in connecting communities and portraying marginalized stories—a legacy that has held true throughout the Festival’s 15 years.
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disclosure, documentary, Reelout, ReelOut Queer Film Festival
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