Madame Satå, directed by Karim Ainouz

Ainouz, Karim (Director). (2002). Madame Satå. Brazil/France: VideFilms. 105 minutes.

Film based on the real story of a young man in the Lapa neighborhood of Rio de Janiero in the 1930s. Very interesting questions around his sexual identity, which doesn't fit any of our contemporary standard models but which is probably not all that unusual in Brazilian culture of the period.

Available from the SF Public Library. Library summary:

Based on the life of João Francisco dos Santos, a gay performer, his triumphs and tragedies amid the violence and poverty of 1930's Brazil.

Available in DVD and streaming format from Netflix. Netflix summary:

Rio de Janeiro's Lapa neighborhood is full of outrageous personalities, but few hold a candle to the fascinating Madame Sata (Lazaro Ramos), a transvestite singer who worked the streets in order to survive day to day. Director Karim Ainouz based his film on the extraordinary life of this eccentric character (born Francisco dos Santos), who was also a murderer and spent decades in jail.

Is he gay? Is he a transvestite? Bisexual? Other? Parsing his identity would be a good student exercise. Racial issues suggested in the film are also interesting. Three brief scenes that would need to be skipped in the classroom (M2M lovemaking with nudity; bare female breasts; the naked protagonist being hosed down when he's is admitted to jail).

The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, directed by Auraeus Solito

Solito, Auraeus (Director). (2006). The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros [Feature film]. Philippines: ufo Pictures and Cinemalaya Foundation. 100 minutes.

The protagonist is a 12-year-old boy who would probably identify as transgender. His mother has died and he happily plays the role of housewife in his home in a poor section of Manila, where he lives with his father and two older brothers. The family is loving and supportive, and Maxi's apparent transgender nature is not an issue for them and is not sensationalized in the film. Includes brief male nudity that could be skipped over. Some violence, but generally a sweet film that provides a sympathetic portrait of a queer youth.

Available with English subtitles at the SF Public Library. Available in DVD and streaming format from Netflix. Netflix summary:

Maxi (Nathan Lopez) is a sensitive 12-year-old boy whose life has deteriorated into a surrogate existence of his dead mother. Relegated to housekeeping and caring for his criminal father and brothers, Maxi is befriended by a kind and honorable policeman (J.R. Valentin) eager to show the boy a more respectable way of life. Auraeus Solito's compassionate drama filmed on the streets of Manila features music from Filipino rock legend Pepe Smith.

Beautiful Boxer, directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham

Uekrongtham, Ekacha (Director). (2005). Beautiful Boxer [Feature film]. Thailand: GMM Pictures and Regent Releasing. 118 minutes.

Based on a true story about a teenage boy who becomes a competitive kickboxer to support his family and to finance his transgender operation. The film provides insights into both the experience of being transgender and popular attitudes towards transgender people in Thailand.

Available at the SF Public Library. Available from Netflix. The Netflix summary:

Asanee Suwan portrays kickboxer Parinya Charoenphol, who's harboring an unusual secret: He's a transvestite. Inspired by a famous Thai pugilist who lived two drastically different lives, this moving film written and directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham recounts Parinya's painful attempts to exist in paradoxical worlds. To fund the sex change he longs for, Parinya earns money in the ring, participating day after day in the ultimate male sport.

The Full Spectrum, edited by David Levithan & Billy Merrell

Levithan, David, & Merrell, Billy (eds.). (2006). The Full Spectrum: A New Generation of Writing about Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 272 pages.

About 40 short non-fiction pieces written by (mostly white, it seems) queer youth under the age of 23. Pete owns a copy. Connected to the Queerthology web site. Available at the SF Public Library.

Luna, by Julie Anne Peters

Peters, Julie Anne. (2004). Luna. New York: Little, Brown and Company. 248 pages.