Sunday Matinee: The Most Dangerous Year [Film]

“In early 2016, when a dark wave of anti-transgender bathroom bills began sweeping across the nation, The Human Rights Campaign published a report identifying 2016 as the most dangerous year for transgender Americans. In Washington State alone, six such bathroom bills were introduced in the State Legislature. Filmmaker Vlada Knowlton captured the ensuing civil rights battle from the perspective of a group of embattled parents as they banded together to fight a deluge of proposed laws that would strip away the rights of their young transgender children. With the help of a coalition of state lawmakers and civil rights activists, these families embarked on an uncharted journey of fighting to protect and preserve their children¹s human rights and freedoms in this present-day civil rights movement.  As one of these parents, Knowlton presents an intimate portrait of her own struggle to protect her 5-year-old transgender daughter from laws inspired by hate and fear.” – Big Time PR

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Hello Folks! Today is Easter. I was planning on taking this round of the Sunday Matinee showcase off, but a certain gem of a documentary has come across my digital desk and I feel as though, religious holiday or not, the subject matter within this film needs to be widespread on any given day of the year. The Most Dangerous Year is a powerhouse of a film that should very well knock anyone who is on the fence about issues surrounding transgender off of their proverbial high horse if their pulse is active and there is even an inkling of compassion within their being. Sadly, there is still an element of human beings out there in which it will have zero impact and will just downright refuse to watch the “blasphemy” (it is not) of young children understanding who they are at a very young age. And with that being said, if you are one of these people who would make their way into the latter category, please know this right now: Trainwreck’d Society stands with these children, and against the absolutely ridiculous laws that these brave children and parents were willing to stand up and fight to have withdrawn. And if you don’t like that? Please stop reading this very second.

Whilst watching The Most Dangerous Years (which before getting to far into the dissection of the content of the film, is a very WELL MADE doc, as well as being very important) their is one solid and hope filled argument that continues to run through my head, even though I know it is of no use in the matter, but really calms me down: Some day they will do a Dollop podcast about this nonsense.

For those of you who aren’t aware of The Dollop, it is a bi-weekly American history podcast, once a week (inside joke, for sure) that is hosted by our friends and previous guests, comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds. And the reason that the “bathroom bills” of 2016 are ripe for parody from these hilarious cats is because it is exactly the type of horrendous and ridiculous subject matter in which they would lampoon on the regular. Now, this is a very specific reference, I know. But, it’s really just an argument that is in relation to something mentioned at the very beginning of this very documentary. The people who were so against the nation accepting gay marriage as a normal occurrence, basically needed something new to fear. And apparently, attacking transgender humans became the next “logical” target to spread their hate speech towards. And yes, I will flat out say this: this is a religious issue. It is directly their fault, as well as the fault of any other group of hate mongers out there spreading their own personal brand of evil just because somebody doesn’t think like them on issues that frankly, don’t really affect them in anyway.  Obviously, “not all religious people”, “some are okay”, and yada yada yada. I’m getting pretty sick of having to say shit like that, but for pretense and purposes, there it is.

Basically, the country is going to laugh and scoff at the ridiculousness of the entire subject matter. Just as we do on the subject matter of civil rights. It is almost impossible to conceive the idea that there was a period in time where the American legal system would be able to ban people from sitting at certain counters because of the tone of their skin. And as a father of three young children, I can contest that the idea of two people of the same gender who want to share in legal matrimony was once illegal in nature is a ridiculous concept to them. And with that, this too shall pass. There is always going to be hate, racism, and down right bigotry in this country. But the passage of time is hopefully watering down the ignorance and weeding out the hateful. I remain hopeful in these ideals. Even with the flare up of the current administration in the White House and the MAGA attitude that swayed an election, I still remain hopeful that one day this ridiculous hold out for the “old days” will be deemed unsuccessful and absurd. Of course, this doesn’t mean we sit back and wait. We must fight. And fighting is exactly what Vlada Knowlton and her family and supporters are doing, and I simply can not support it enough.

Seriously, bathrooms? A simple place to complete the physical relief in which the body requires by nature? We separate ourselves from other animals by completing these acts in controlled areas. So, what the hell do people think is happening in these rooms designated to eliminate as much Taco Bell from your body as possible? Did these people watch that scene from There’s Something About Mary about the Rest Areas and take it too seriously? Are these people the same folks who still believe that rapists are hiding in dark alleys, and aren’t actually more than likely close relatives? Do they actually believe that pedophilia runs rampant entirely in public places designated to control particular bodily fluids? Even writing this out I can’t help but think: Is this a joke?

Another fascination I had with the film is its setting itself. The grand state of Washington. The “hot bed of liberalism”, as I have once heard it called. Yeah, sure. From the viewpoint of a front porch in rural Nebraska, it may appear this way. But, lest we forget: Washington has trees. Lots of fucking trees. And they grow food. Lots of food. The concept of rurality does not escape the Evergreen state. Logging is a very real profession. Fisherman exist all along the sea, living in a sort of unrealistic stand still, as distant from the shadow of the Space Needle in miles as they are in generational growth in some cases. Being from the one of the most MAGA friendly counties on the western side of the state, I can definitely confirm these opinions as being very close to facts.

In order to prevent any further babbling, I would just like to reiterate that I firmly believe in and stand by the message of this film, and I implore everyone to see it as soon as it becomes available to them. This is a beautifully down documentary, about some even more beautiful human beings, and it needs to be seen by all. History will prove this to be right, but only with the help of guiding forces and those who support them.

The Most Dangerous Year will have its L.A. premiere on April 26th at the Music Hall in Beverly Hills. Go HERE for tickets. Further screenings will be happening in cities such as our beloved former hometown of Spokane, Washington in the coming weeks. Also Chicago, Tacoma, Chattanogga, & more. Visit the film’s WEBSITE for further details.