AMC cinemas canceled screenings of a documentary about the experience of detransitioners after a press campaign by the Queer Trans Project.
The film, “No Way Back: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care,” shares stories of five young people who went through transition after undergoing medical treatment to try to change their gender.
In the film, medical experts also speak of the “damage” being done by healthcare professionals who encourage and encourage transitions.
The producers allege that AMC submitted screenings to begin June 21 due to pressure from the group, which did not have access to the entire film and therefore based its rating solely on the trailer and press surrounding the film.
AMC hasn’t made an official statement about pulling the movie, though Fox reported that a source with insight into the move claimed it was made due to poor ticket sales.
Laura Becker told Fox & Friends she believes AMC’s pulling of the film is a suppression of free speech
One of the detransitioners featured in the film, Laura Becker, spoke to Fox & Friends on Monday about the film’s apparent choking.
“I think it’s incredibly dangerous to set this precedent for suppressing free speech, suppressing views that are essentially just unpopular or difficult to deal with,” she said.
The Queer Trans Project is a nationwide group that, among other things, sends “Build-a-Queer kits” to LGBTQ+ individuals in transition, including chest straps and tuck-in tape.
The group launched an aggressive online campaign to encourage protesters to send letters to AMC executives to reverse the release of the documentary.
When the movie was pulled from theaters ahead of its scheduled June 21 release date, the group posted a message on their Instagram page that read, “We did it! The swift action of our community is testament to the power of advocacy and the importance of raising our voices against harmful content.”
“Your collective efforts have had a significant impact, and the decision to withdraw No Way Back from AMC theaters is a step toward fostering a more inclusive and respectful environment.
“Thank you for your dedication and commitment to creating positive change.”
Becker said she believes the film is important because it shows the importance of addressing mental health issues rather than jumping straight into medical treatment for transgender people.
The Queer Trans Project celebrated its successful print campaign to get the film out of theaters
The film posted a statement on its website responding to the cancellation
Becker began transitioning to male when she was a teenager. She took testosterone and had her breasts removed before deciding to switch at age 22.
“I think there’s a large-scale eradication of boundaries and common sense, especially when it comes to children’s developmental health,” she said, reflecting on her own experience.
“They are accelerated on an assembly line-like system to surgery and hormones that do permanent damage instead of addressing their actual mental health issues.”
Becker went on to say she believes the issue is impartial but is thankful that conservatives are speaking out.
“There are many moderates, liberals and independents, like myself and the filmmakers, who are just trying to raise awareness about mental health issues and medical ethics,” she said.
It’s not political, it’s pro-gay. It’s pro, you know, neurodivergent acceptance, all sorts of so-called liberal or progressive values. But in this case, the boundaries are being crossed to harm people, and the liberals are afraid to talk about it.”
On the movie website, reads a large banner: ‘We are cancelled! Intolerant, illiberal, histrionic IGNORANT screamers who haven’t even seen the movie have been pressuring AMC movie theaters to make the hard decision to cancel our dates! DON’T LET THEM WIN!’
Cat – one of five individuals profiled in the film – discusses the choice of detransition
A statement from Deplorable Films, the film’s distribution company, supported the filmmakers and clarified that they will stand behind the film.
“The filmmakers (some of whom are gay and/or have gay children) are committed, lifelong Liberal Democrats,” the statement read.
“The movie isn’t anti-transgender, or even anti-sex reassignment surgery; there are trans people in the film speaking out against the sudden influx of powerful drugs and major surgeries that entails [have] have increased exponentially over the past decade, and have statistically caused far more pain and suffering than they prevented.”
The website says the movie will be available for streaming and on DVD “as soon as possible.”
AMC has not made an official statement about pulling the film. The film would open in an unknown number of theaters, but would play in many major cities. A post last week by the film’s officials stated that the film would be playing in cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.
A total of 27 states would show the film in at least one theater.