Welcome to Queer Window, MovieJawn’s new column where we share stories and perspectives from queer cinema old and new in order to explore the breadth of LGBTQ+ lives on screen.

by Katharine Mussellam, Staff Writer

For 2SLGBTQ+ people, not knowing the history of one’s communities can lead to a sense of rootlessness. Given that trans history in particular is not widely known, many people (including some queer folks) assume that trans people are a new phenomenon. This makes the documentaries No Ordinary Man (dirs. Aisling Chin Yee and Chase Joynt, 2020) and Framing Agnes (dir. Chase Joynt, 2022) as vitally important as ever. Through scenes based on archival material, brought to life by trans performers and interviews with historians, these films bring to light American trans histories while interrogating common narratives surrounding trans people.

No Ordinary Man tells the story of jazz musician Billy Tipton. He played with his trio at various clubs, rubbed shoulders with jazz greats, and recorded two independently produced albums in the 1950s, before choosing a quiet life with his family. Tipton never intended to disclose his identity, but it was spread through the media after his death. In the documentary, Tipton’s story is explored, in part, through trans performers reading scenes from Tipton’s life as “auditions” for a hypothetical dramatic film about his life.

Framing Agnes explores archival material held at UCLA of meetings between Dr. Harold Garfinkel and trans individuals who came to his clinic in the 1950s. One of the subjects in the archive is a trans woman known as Agnes (Zackary Drucker), who medically transitioned and lived a quiet suburban life. The transcripts of conversations with Agnes and other individuals are portrayed in the film as interviews with a talk show host to evoke media history, from the media frenzy surrounding Christine Jorgensen’s transition in the 1950s to talk show appearances by trans people in the 1990s and 2000s.

One of the through-lines between these two documentaries is the critique of narratives surrounding visibility and secrecy. Tipton’s story of living as a man is told in archival television material as a shocking story of deception, even as his own family asserts that he was a man, and a good husband and father at that. TV show hosts try to get at some sense that there was a “tell” to give away Tipton’s “true” self, despite indications he already lived as his true self. Agnes’ story is also one commonly understood as one of deception, as she claimed to have an intersex condition so she could access medical transition. The film critiques the view that she simply lied, instead suggesting that she did what she could to gain access to care in a system that was not designed for her. Both stories ask us to question why supposed “deception” was something these individuals engaged in for their own well-being and safety to live as their true selves in a world that can often be hostile towards trans people.

In addition to reenacted scenes, the featured trans performers each share how they encountered the stories of the people they portray and how their own stories are similar. For the actors in No Ordinary Man, Tipton’s story gives them a sense of history of transmasculine experience different than in the famous story of Brandon Teena, who was tragically murdered in a hate crime. Tipton’s is instead a story of someone who lived a longer, full life. As they consider the scenes they act out, the actors reflect on their own artistic journeys and what meeting other trans men has meant to them. The actors in Framing Agnes also relate to the people whose stories they tell, whether that be the pressure to tell a story of one’s life that others accept, finding community with other LGBTQ+ people, navigating and sharing transition resources, or facing gendered and racial harassment. By drawing parallels between the experiences of trans people then and now, the film connects trans histories to the present. Trans people, including trans youth, are not new, and have their own stories and communities.

Each documentary portrays diverse trans experiences of the past and present, but also acknowledges the gaps in those histories and that there is more to their stories than trans identity. Tipton is now a visible trans figure, but would not have been if not for the disclosure after his death he didn’t consent to, and there is only so much we can know about how he would describe himself as he was a private person. Agnes’ story indicates she was not visibly trans and did not have connections with a trans community. Trans visibility can help others to find themselves and each other, as well as aiding in bringing to light diverse experiences, but it also comes with downsides. Not being visible can mean safety and freedom from wider public scrutiny. The subjects of these documentaries are just people who simply wanted to live their lives on their own terms.

But while the films consider why one would choose not to disclose one’s identity to everyone, the film doesn’t make expected distinctions between the past and present. We may think of the present as a time where trans people are able to be much more open and have access to more resources than before, but the film challenges that linear view. Agnes may have been isolated, but Georgia (Angelica Ross) spoke about her partner knowing she is trans, Barbara (Jen Richards) knew many other trans women who exchange information about trans medical care, and Jimmy (Stephen Ira) was a teenager who transitioned with his mother’s support. These stories show that self-actualization was possible at that time.

Today, trans stories continue to be misrepresented and sensationalized, even in cases when the tellers’ intentions come from a well-meaning place. Through the dynamic work with their collaborators in each film, Chase Joynt and Aisling Chin Yee instead tell trans stories with depth and nuance. These documentaries are also engaging and creative, and it is a pleasure to get to know the people depicted, to be reminded of the dynamic realities that make up trans history, and the people who were a part of building communities that continue to thrive.

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