THE STORY – Families with trans kids must decide: remain in states banning gender care and risk their children’s health, or relocate elsewhere.
THE CAST – N/A
THE TEAM – Gianna Toboni (Director/Writer), Jacqueline Toboni & Samantha Wender (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 93 Minutes
It has been an incredibly rough seven months for American citizens with mild intelligence and a moral compass. But it has been even more difficult for the transgender community, which has been under constant attack since Election Day. Ever since numerous laws and regulations have been passed, limiting the rights of transgender individuals, specifically transgender youth, when it comes to gender-affirming care. Now, in 2025, America, parents of transgender youth have to face the difficult discussion: remain in their states and community and fight, or move.
“Just Kids” follows the three transgender teens, Ray, 15, who lives in South Carolina with his parents (whose father was a veteran) and sisters, Alazaiah (17) and Tristan (14), who both live in Texas. All three teens live in red states – states in America that are run by Republicans and the right. Over the course of the film, director Gianna Toboni showcases each teen’s unique life as bills come forward to ban gender-affirming care and limit trans rights. The result showcases these young children dealing with very adult problems and the toll it takes on them and their families.
What’s great about “Just Kids” is that Toboni highlights each teen’s individual journey and family. Toboni knows that the child’s perspective is important, but also their family’s. For example, Ray’s father is a veteran who carries a gun on him at all times, while Tristan’s mom served as a correctional officer in Texas and would identify as “apolitical,” and Alazaiah’s mother was religious and had a close relationship with God. However, all of them are accepting of their children and became strong opponents when legislation targeting their children started to be put into effect. Toboni follows the family’s journeys and allows them to share their insight into this new world. “‘How could the government get into our business?'” Tristan’s mom states, “‘That is between me and my child and her doctor.'” During these events, between the teens attempting to seek medical care and fight these bills, talking heads of doctors and historians discuss the history of trans activism and persecution and the implications of these bills. Some talking heads include Dr. Elizabeth Mack, the President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and author Susan Stryker.
A vital notion brought up by Dr. Mack was that gender-affirming care is not just medical. Ray, who attends a bill hearing, showcases this, stating that “these old people have no idea what they’re talking about.” As discussed in the film, gender-affirming care isn’t just hormone therapy or medically based intervention; it is wearing clothes to match the individual’s gender, calling them by the name and pronouns that they desire, and more. This is shown effectively when Ray has his first haircut to match his gender identity. No medicine was involved; it was just a trip to the barber, and one could instantly see the relief and joy the new look brought him. In just a few minutes, he is a brighter and much more confident kid. That is the effect of gender-affirming care.
But the threat is still very real; all of these children and caretakers have received hate and death threats for being transgender by their alt-right community members. “These laws are allowing dangerous people to be dangerous,” Tristan’s mom says as she looks at her phone, reading the hate she’s received from supporting her daughter, who expresses stress about wanting hormones but is afraid someone may find out and call CPS on her mother and take her away (as implementing hormone-based gender-affirming care is potentially being legally seen as child abuse in Texas). Additionally, Ray’s family had an FBI agent assigned to them for the same reasons. The message is clear: they are unwanted in their home state. The future is clear: they must move.
Transgender and queer individuals leaving red states to seek safety in blue states have become the biggest internal migration since the Dust Bowl. Toboni’s message is obvious: trans people and trans youth are refugees in their own country. This also puts low-income and single-parent households, like Tristan’s, at risk because they don’t have the privilege to be able to get up and move states. Same with Alazaiah, whose (single) mother recently died. Now the question is: who is going to take care of her? Where is she going to live? How is she going to be able to afford to live? That is a lot of adult real-life stress to put on a teen (on top of being a young Black trans woman in Texas).
“Just Kids” showcases how trans youth are forced to grow up at an alarming fast rate due to the ongoing prejudice they face. In reality, they just want to play video games, hang out with their friends, and play with their siblings. They are literally – just kids – who are forced to deal with very adult problems. They don’t want to deal with adults restricting their fundamental human rights; they just want to be teenagers. This makes “Just Kids” an essential viewing of what is happening in America right now and a clear call to action.
