AMC Theatres has canceled screenings of a documentary film detailing the negative side effects and risks of so-called “gender-affirming” surgeries following backlash from a trans-led organization.
The 90-minute documentary, titled “No Way Back: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care,” was set to premiere at AMC throughout the United States beginning June 21, according to a press release from Panacol Productions and Deplorable Films, the distribution companies behind the documentary.
It features interviews with five young people discussing the medical treatments and care they received for gender dysphoria, and how they “subsequently realized they were given the wrong treatment,” according to the press release.
Additionally, the documentary features input from 12 experts in pediatrics, mental health, sociology, and endocrinology—among them an Oxford professor—who collectively have “decades of clinical practice” examining the pros and cons of the current practices surrounding medical transitioning for adolescents and young adults.
The press release states that the documentary is also produced by “lifelong California Democrats and LGBT activists” and takes a “non-religious, non-political, and non-ideological look on the subject of gender-affirmative medical practices, the risks and side effects of cross-sex hormones, surgeries, and the long-term health implications of gender medicalization.”
Documentary Branded ‘Anti-Trans’
In a series of Instagram posts, the organization claimed that AMC were “caving to the right-wing backlash” by showing the “anti-trans” documentary in theaters across the nation and called on supporters to take “urgent action” by calling AMC executive leadership and demanding they block the documentary from being shown.
On June 17, the organization announced the documentary had been pulled from AMC theaters nationwide.
“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,” the organization said in a statement. “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.”
AMC has not commented on the move, however Deplorable Films also confirmed in a statement that the documentary had been pulled in response to what it said were “recent histrionic and intolerant calls for screenings of this important film to be canceled.”
The distributors also took aim at the “absurd” claim that the film is “right-wing,” noting that the filmmakers, some of whom are gay or have gay children, are “dedicated, life-long, Liberal Democrats.”
“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 are have [sic] increased exponentially in the past decade, and which have statistically caused far more pain and suffering than they’ve prevented,” the statement reads.
“It is quite evident that those undertaking this crusade against this film have not had the courtesy of seeing it before taking such extreme actions to silence it,” it added.
‘Suppressing Free Speech’
Speaking about the documentary’s cancellation in an interview with Fox News, Laura Becker, a detransitioner featured in the film, said it was tantamount to surpressing free speech.“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,” said Becker, who began transitioning from female to male as a teenager.
Becker stressed that the documentary has no political agenda and that filmmakers are instead trying to raise awareness regarding mental health issues and medical ethics.
“I think that there is a large-scale eradication of boundaries and common sense, especially when it comes to children’s developmental health,” she continued. “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.”
The cancellation of the documentary comes amid an ongoing debate regarding “gender-affirming care” among minors.
The Epoch Times has contacted AMC Theatres for comment.
