In the upcoming week, a nationwide screening of an anti-trans healthcare propaganda film is causing significant backlash, with activists mobilizing in response.
Titled “No Way Back: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care,” the documentary aims to discredit and expose the alleged “harm” associated with medical transition. The movie features interviews with six individuals who describe themselves as “detransitioners” and includes several so-called “experts” who have consistently voiced opposition to transition-related care. Among the film’s endorsers, the prominent presence of Megyn Kelly speaks volumes about its underlying stance, despite a press release claiming a non-religious, non-political, and non-ideological perspective.
Details regarding the filmmakers and production companies behind “No Way Back” are scant. Panacol Productions and Deplorable Films are listed as the production entities, but it appears they were specifically created for this project. The latter, Deplorable Films, describes itself on its website as “a new label for the distribution of films that the illiberal ideologues in Hollywoke—and their comrades in DC—are afraid you might see.” An attempt to research Panacol Productions leads only to an outdated version of the film’s website.
The movie is attributed to a director named L.E. Dawes, but this is a pseudonym, as revealed in a Dallas Morning News op-ed written by Dawes earlier this year. Dawes claims to be a female director with a decade of filmmaking experience, even having sold a movie to Netflix. Notably, Dawes describes herself as the “mother of a trans-identified child,” a phrasing commonly used by parents who deny their child’s transgender identity.
While “No Way Back” has been available for viewing on Vimeo for some time, AMC Theatres has scheduled one-day screenings of the film across cities in the country next Wednesday, as announced in a Twitter thread by the movie itself.
Upon discovering this announcement, Cielo Sunsarae, the executive director and founder of the Queer Trans Project, felt compelled to take action. The organization’s website now features an email template urging supporters to contact AMC’s executive leadership, expressing disappointment with the decision to screen “No Way Back” and demanding the cancellation of the screenings. The website also highlights that one of the film’s interviewees, Michael Biggs, testified in support of Florida’s Senate Bill 254, which has banned care for trans minors and significantly limited access to care for trans adults. While a federal judge has partially blocked the enforcement of the measure, restrictions on adult care remain in place.
In a statement to Them, Sunsarae expressed deep concern over AMC Theatres’ choice to screen this anti-trans film during Pride Month, stating that it perpetuates harmful stereotypes and misconceptions while contradicting the principles of inclusivity and acceptance that Pride represents. The Queer Trans Project strongly condemns this decision and calls on individuals to voice their disappointment and demand the immediate removal of the film from AMC’s screening choices. By doing so, they aim to send a powerful message that hate speech and discrimination have no place in society.
Adding to the criticism, Alexis G. Williams, the director of development at the Queer Trans Project, emphasized the distress caused by AMC’s decision, particularly considering that one of the company’s board members, Keri Putnam, co-founded ReFRAME—an organization dedicated to advocating for gender equity in media. Williams pointed out the contradiction between screening such a film and the values championed by industry individuals striving for equality and fair representation.
Transonic Media Labs has reached out to AMC Theatres for comment and will provide updates upon receiving a response.