“Real Boy” free screening in Tulsa

Circle Cinema, Indie Lens Pop-Up and Open Arms Youth Project present a film screening of Real Boy.

A moving and intimate story of a family in transition, Real Boy follows the journey of trans teen, Bennett as he navigates adolescence, sobriety and the physical and emotional ramifications of his changing gender identity.

Through the process, his mother, Suzy makes her own transformation - travelling a difficult road toward accepting that the daughter she raised as Rachael is now her son Bennett. Filmed over the course of four years, Real Boy is a love story about a mother and son who rediscover connection with each other and find support from their communities, reminding us that families are not only given, but chosen.

Real Boy has screened at more than 70 festivals worldwide, received 20 awards and will be broadcast on PBS’ Independent Lens in June 2017.

Youth Today said, “This is a film about what it feels like to want to be loved by the people you’re closest to and how painful it is when something gets in the way of it.”

UCLA's Williams Institute estimates there are 1.4 million transgender people in the United States. But according to a GLAAD/Harris Interactive poll, only 16 percent of Americans say they personally know someone who is transgender. A recent Pew poll shows that 87 percent of Americans say they personally know someone who is lesbian, gay or bisexual.

The same study said if a stereotypical or defamatory LGB image appears in the media, viewers can compare it to real people they know. But when a stereotypical or defamatory transgender image appears in the media, the viewer may assume that all transgender people are actually like that; they have no real-life experience with which to compare it.

The screening will be held Tuesday, June 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are free as long as they last.

The screening will be held at Circle Cinema, 10 S. Lewis Avenue, Tulsa. Pre-film activities begin at 6:30 p.m.; Film Screens at 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. with a post-film discussion at 9 p.m.

For more information, call (918) 585-3456 or visit www.circlecinema.com.

Copyright 2017 The Gayly – June 5, 2017 @ 1 p.m.