When documentary film maker Louis Theroux educates, entertains and also emotively covers a certain subject, then I think you will pretty hard pressed to find a better documentary.  This is what he indeed did last Sunday on BBC2 when he covered the somewhat controversial subject of ‘transgender kids’.  The programme dealt with children in the Sans Francisco region of America who had experienced gender dysphoria and some were receiving medical treatment to enable them to become the gender they wanted to be.  I am a massive Louis Theroux fan and I would go as far to say that I think this is one of the best documentaries he has ever made. It was extremely informative  and moving in a way that I had not expected it to be prior to watching.

In the documentary Louis introduced us to a variety of families who had children in them that were going through this process. There were two children and families in particular that really touched and moved me.  The first was a five year old child who was christened Sebastian as a boy, but now insisted on being seen as a girl and being called Camille.  It really opened up the debate has to how old a person should be upon changing their gender identity? For instance, can a child as young as this really know they are the wrong gender? Furthermore, how did Camille’s parents know for sure that this was not just some kind of game or phase that their child will grow out of in time? I guess the answer having watched the documentary, is that they can not be one hundred per cent sure of anything. For example, they openly said to Louis that they would have no problem if one day Camille came up to them and said she would rather be seen as Sebastian once again. What moved me here was how loving and supportive Camille’s parents were.  They simply loved their child no matter what and to see them support their child this way was a lovely thing to see. I also loved Louis’ interaction with Camille. He was at his gentle probing best with this little bundle of joy and Camille seemed to love him.

The second family had a teenager in it called Nikki, who was once a male and called Nick.  We saw in the documentary how Nikki had already started medical interventions in her quest to become a female. eg estrogen hormone injections.  She also indicated a desire to pursue having sex-change surgery in the not too distant future. Again I was bowled over by how supportive her parents were.  Her Father said that he was supporting her gender change so early on in life because he worried if left until adulthood, then this would make the transition a lot harder for her.  It was incredibly moving to see their support for Nikki, as well as it also be very moving to hear what a traumatic experience it had also been for them as parents. Whilst Nikki was out of the room her supportive Mother broke down in tears and said how they had sort of been on a grieving process concerning the son they once had. She worried about Nikki’s future due to the prejudices in society. I was deeply moved by the final trip we saw Nikki take to her hospital clinic.  She was anxious, frustrated and cut a somewhat forlorn figure to her doctors. I am ashamed to say this but up to that point I had never really contemplated the amount of anguish and mental struggles that a transgender person goes through.  I felt sad for Nikki in a way. Sad at all the upcoming medical and societal battles that would come her way in life. She was a shy beautiful human being, yet the road ahead for her did not seem an envious one. Again with Nikki and her family, Louis excelled at playing both the interviewer and the ‘supportive friend’ type figure.

As I sat down to watch this programme I was not fully sure of what to expect if I completely am honest.  I like to think of myself as a broad minded person however I did wonder to myself if I might find it a bit too uncomfortable to watch in places. In reality it was the exact opposite to being uncomfortable to watch, I found it life affirming in a way.  The subject of transgender children is one that needs more public discussion in my view.  The kids at school bullied Nikki with homophobic names because they are uneducated to know any better.  Only with documentaries such as this that seek to both educate and inform us on the subject, will such attitudes thus change.  How young you allow your child to change his or her gender is an interesting debate to have.  Louis Theroux needs congratulating for highlighting such an topic in my view, documentaries do not come much better than this!