AMC theaters canceled screenings of a documentary that showcases the experience of detransitioners following a pressure campaign by the Queer Trans Project.
The movie, ‘No Way Back: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care,’ shares stories of five young people who detransitioned after going through medical treatment to attempt to change their gender.
The film also features medical experts speaking about the ‘harm’ being caused by healthcare professionals pushing and promoting transitions.
The film’s producers claim AMC tabled screenings that were due to begin on June 21 following pressure from the group, which did not have access to the entire film and therefore based its assessment exclusively on the trailer and press surrounding the film.
AMC has not offered an official statement about pulling the film, but Fox reported that a source with insight into the move claimed it was made due to poor ticket sales.
One of the detransitioners featured in the film, Laura Becker, spoke with Fox & Friends on Monday about the apparent stifling of the film.
‘I think it’s incredibly dangerous to set this precedent of suppressing free speech, suppressing viewpoints that basically are just unpopular or difficult to deal with,’ she said.
The Queer Trans Project is a national group that, among other things, sends ‘Build-a-Queer kits’ to transitioning LGBTQ+ individuals, which include chest binders and tucking tape.
The group launched an aggressive online campaign to encourage protestors to send letters to AMC executives to pull the release of the documentary.
When the film was pulled from theaters before its scheduled release date of June 21, the group posted a message to its Instagram page that read: ‘We did it! Our community’s swift action is a testament to the power of advocacy and the importance of raising our voices against harmful content.’
‘Your collective efforts have made a significant impact, and the decision to pull No Way Back from AMC theaters is a step towards 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 showcases the importance of addressing mental health issues rather than jumping straight into transgender medical treatment.
The Queer Trans Project celebrated its successful pressure campaign to get the film pulled from theaters
The film posted a statement reacting to its cancelation on its website
Becker began transitioning to male when she was a teenager. She took testosterone and had her breasts removed before deciding to detransition at 22.
‘I think that there is 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 being fast-tracked on a conveyor belt-like system to getting surgery and hormones which create permanent damages instead of addressing their actual mental health concerns.’
Becker went on to say that she feels the issue is nonpartisan, but is thankful that conservatives are speaking up.
‘There are many moderates, liberals and independents, such as myself and the filmmakers who are just trying to increase awareness about mental health issues and medical ethics,’ she said.
‘It’s not political, it is pro-gay. It is 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 speak up about it.’
On the movie’s website, a large banner reads: ‘We’ve been canceled! Intolerant, illiberal, histrionic IGNORANT loudmouths who have not even seen the film have pressured AMC theaters to make the hard decision to cancel our dates! DO NOT LET THEM WIN!’
Cat – one of the five individuals profiled in the film – discusses choosing to detransition
Laura Becker told Fox & Friends she believes AMC pulling the film is a suppression of free speech
A statement from Deplorable Films, the movie’s distribution company, backed the filmmakers and clarified that they will stand behind the movie.
‘The filmmakers (some of whom are gay and/or have gay children) are dedicated, life-long, Liberal Democrats,’ the statement said.
‘The film is not anti-trans people, nor is it even anti sex-change surgery; there are trans people in the film speaking against the sudden rush to powerful drugs and major surgeries that [have] increased exponentially in the past decade, and which have statistically caused far more pain and suffering than they’ve prevented.’
The website says the film will be made available for streaming and on DVD ‘as soon as possible.’
AMC has not offered an official statement about pulling the film. The film was set to open in an unknown number of theaters but was set to play in many large cities. A post last week by the film’s officials noted it was set to play in cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.
In total, 27 states were set to show the film in at least one theater.
