Join us for a screening of the 2025 documentary "Heightened Scrutiny" (89 minutes), followed by a Q&A with knowledgeable community members and representatives from Transhealth and GLAD Law.

About the film: HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY follows Chase Strangio, ACLU attorney and the first out trans person to argue before the Supreme Court, as he fights a high-stakes legal battle to overturn Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth (United States v. Skrmetti). The film exposes the dangerous role of mainstream media in fueling anti-trans legislation, uncovering how biased coverage drives hate, endangers lives, and threatens democracy itself. With insights from journalists like Jelani Cobb, Lydia Polgreen, and Gina Chua, and activists like Laverne Cox, the story dismantles anti-trans disinformation and highlights its devastating real-world impact. With the dangerous SCOTUS decision upholding the ban on life-saving healthcare, Heightened Scrutiny is an urgent call to action against bigotry and injustice.

About the director: Sam Feder created and directed the critically acclaimed films, "Heightened Scrutiny" (2025), "DISCLOSURE" (2020), "Kate Bornstein is a Queer and Pleasant Danger" (2014), and "Boy I Am" (2006). Sam’s filmmaking practice centers on exposing silences in order to build solidarity across movements for political, social, and economic justice. Sam’s work has been programmed internationally at festivals, theaters, and museums such as, Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, CPH:DOX, Thessaloniki Film Festival, DOCNYC, Sheffield DocFest, MOMA-PS1 and more. Sam’s film "DISCLOSURE" was nominated for a Peabody Award and they were recently invited to be a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Documentary Branch.

Q&A facilitators: 

• Jennifer L. Levi (any pronouns) is the Senior Director of Transgender and Queer Rights at GLAD Law and a nationally recognized expert on transgender legal issues. 
• Mia Lauer (she/her) is the Communications Specialist at Transhealth and a proud member of the bargaining team for the T4Transhealth Workers Union, UAW 2322.
• Mel DeSilva (they/them) is the VP of Development and External Affairs at Transhealth and the parent of a trans kid. 
• Jules Davis (they/them) is an entomologist and postdoctoral researcher in the Biology Department at UMass Amherst.

This event is proudly presented in partnership with Transhealth, Bloom Local, and GLAD Law.