- AMC has pulled the film, No Way Back: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care, from theaters ahead of its June 21 release date
- A group called the Queer Trans Project ran a successful pressure campaign to force AMC to withdraw the film
- The film tells the stories of five people who underwent sex reassignment treatment at a young age and regretted it
AMC theaters have canceled screenings of a documentary showing the experiences of detransitioners following a pressure campaign by the Queer Trans Project.
The film, No Way Back: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care, tells the story of five young people who came out of transition after undergoing medical treatment that involved attempting to change their gender.
In the film, medical experts also talk about the “damage” caused by medical professionals driving and facilitating transitions.
The film’s producers allege that AMC, under pressure from the group, who did not have access to the entire film and therefore based their assessment solely on the trailer and press surrounding the film, proposed screenings to begin on June 21.
AMC has not issued an official statement on the film’s cancellation, but Fox reported that a source with insight into the postponement claimed it was due to poor ticket sales.
One of the detransitioners appearing in the film, Laura Becker, spoke to Fox & Friends on Monday about the film’s apparent suppression.
“I think it’s incredibly dangerous to set this precedent of suppressing free speech and suppressing viewpoints that are fundamentally just unpopular or difficult to manage,” she said.
The Queer Trans Project is a national group that, among other things, sends “build-a-queer kits” to LGBTQ+ people in transition, including chest pads and duct tape.
The group launched an aggressive online campaign to encourage protesters to send letters to AMC executives to prevent the documentary from being released.
When the film 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 quick action of our community is a testament to the Force advocacy and the importance of speaking out against harmful content.”
“Their combined efforts have had a significant impact, and the decision to remove 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 making positive change happen.”
Becker said she believes the film is important because it emphasizes the importance of addressing mental health issues rather than diving directly into medical treatment for transgender people.
The Queer Trans Project celebrated its successful push campaign to pull the film out of theaters. The film released a statement on its website about its cancellation
Becker began making the switch to men as a teenager. She took testosterone and had breasts removed before deciding to make the transition at the age of 22.
“I think that boundaries and common sense are largely being erased, especially when it comes to healthy child development,” she said, reflecting on her own experience.
“They are made to undergo surgeries and hormones that cause permanent damage on an assembly-line-like system instead of taking care of their core mental health issues.”
Becker said she thought the issue was impartial but was grateful that conservatives spoke out.
“There are a lot of moderates, liberals and independents, like me 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 for, you know, neurodivergent acceptance, all sorts of so-called liberal or progressive values. But in this case, the lines are being pushed to harm people, and liberals are afraid to speak out.”
A large banner on the film’s website reads, “We’ve been cancelled!” Intolerant, illiberal, theatrical IGNORANT loudmouths who haven’t even seen the film have pressured AMC theaters to make the tough decision to cancel our appointments! DON’T LET THEM WIN!’
Cat – one of the five people portrayed in the film – talks about the decision to reverse the transition. Laura Becker told Fox & Friends she believes AMC’s cancellation of the film was a repression of free speech
In a statement, Deplorable Films, the film’s distribution company, supported the filmmakers and made it clear that they will stand behind the film.
“The filmmakers (some of whom are gay and/or have gay children) are lifelong committed Liberal Democrats,” the statement said.
“The film is not anti-transgender nor anti-sex reassignment surgery; In the film, trans people speak out against the sudden onslaught on powerful drugs and major surgeries [have] “In the last decade, the number of diseases has increased exponentially, and statistically they have caused far more pain and suffering than they prevented.”
The website says the film will be available to stream and on DVD “as soon as possible.”
AMC has not issued an official statement regarding the film’s cancellation. The film was scheduled to open in an unknown number of theaters but will run in many major cities. A post from the film’s executives last week indicated that it would be shown in cities including Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.
A total of 27 states should show the film in at least one cinema.