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‘No Way Back’: 2023 anti-transgender propaganda film

No Way Back: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care is an anti-transgender propaganda film focusing on the ex-transgender movement. It is directed by Laura VanZee-Taylor and produced by Penka Kouneva. The 2023 project is controversial for including convicted sex offender David Arthur Kendall as one of the original ex-trans activists featured. 

Background

The project was originally titled Affirmation Generation: The Lies of Transgender Medicine.

It is produced by Panacol Productions dba PKS, Inc. [Penka Kouneva Studios] and is released by Deplorable Films. Prior to No Way Back, Deplorable has distributed three propaganda pieces criticizing progressive racial policy and one criticizing progressive firearm policy.

Synopsis

Via their promotional materials:

Detransitioners Michelle, Laura, Cat, David, Joel and Abel tell the stories of their gender distress, transgender medicalization, and subsequent detransition. Without diagnostic clarity or mental health evaluations, their doctors quickly affirmed them as “transgender,” and mindlessly ushered them along the path of medical transition. (The “gender-affirming care” is the only treatment recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.) These young people were harmed irrevocably by the doctors they trusted. AFFIRMATION GENERATION demonstrates how the “one-size-fits-all” medicalization – the “gender-affirming care” – has failed these patients.

The stories of the detransitioners are examined by twelve leading experts with decades of clinical practice treating gender-distressed patients: psychotherapists Lisa Marchiano, Sasha Ayad, Stella O’Malley, physician-scientist Lisa Littman, endocrinologist Dr. William Malone, MD; Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist Stephanie Winn, sociologist Dr. Michael Biggs, pediatrician Dr. Julia Mason, NYT best-selling writer Lisa Selin Davis, and LGB activist & lifelong Liberal Democrat Joey Brite, among others. The 90-minute documentary cites 45 peer-reviewed medical and journalist articles.

People

They describe themselves as “life-long West Coast liberal Democrats in the entertainment industry. To take credit for this passion project would, at the very least, risk our careers.”

They collaborated with anti-trans group LGB United to make it available after it was deplatformed by Vimeo in 2022.

Organizations

Filmmakers

Ex-transgender activists:

Note: Joel Koss appears in the film but has denounced it.

“Parental rights” activists

AMC screenings and cancellation

AMC promoted one-day-only screenings of No Way Back on June 21. Cielo Sunsarae of the Queer Trans Project led a successful campaign to get the screenings canceled.

References

Osborne, Duncan (June 17, 2023). Anti-trans film nixed after facing backlash. Gay City News https://gaycitynews.com/anti-trans-film-nixed-no-way-back/

Factora, James (June 15, 2023). AMC Theatres Is Hosting an Anti-Trans Documentary During Pride Month. them. https://www.them.us/story/amc-theatres-no-way-back-documentary

Anti-trans coverage

Leesman, Madeline (June 20, 2023). AMC Cancels Screenings of Film Documenting Detransitioners Following Backlash. TownHall https://townhall.com/news/madelineleesman/2023/06/20/detransition-documentary-pulled-from-theaters-over-woke-backlash-n2624711

Skinner, Anna (June 19, 2023). AMC Cancels ‘Anti-Transgender’ Documentary After Backlash. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/amc-removes-anti-transgender-documentary-1807663

Propper, David (June 19, 2023). AMC pulls documentary featuring detransitioners from theaters in face of pressure. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/06/19/amc-pulls-documentary-featuring-detransitioners-from-theaters/

Prestigiacomo, Amanda (June 18, 2023). AMC Theatres Cancels De-Transitioner Film Following Trans Group’s De-Platforming Campaign. Daily Wire https://www.dailywire.com/news/amc-theatres-cancels-de-transitioner-film-following-trans-groups-de-platforming-campaign

Stone, Sasha (June 18, 2023). AMC Pressured to Pull a Film Labeled “Anti-Trans.” Awards Daily https://www.awardsdaily.com/2023/06/18/amc-pressured-to-pull-a-film-labeled-anti-trans/

Emmons, Libby (June 17, 2023). EXCLUSIVE: Producers of ‘No Way Back: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care’ speak out after AMC Theaters cancels film screenings. Post Millennial https://thepostmillennial.com/exclusive-producers-of-no-way-back-the-reality-of-gender-affirming-care-speak-out-after-amc-theaters-cancels-film-screenings

Pauling, Joshua (June 15, 2023). Realists Unite! New Documentary on Gender-Affirming Care Presents “Pro-Reality” Position in Response to Trans Ideology. Public Discourse https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2023/06/89416/

2022affirmation (April 14, 2023). “Affirmation Generation’s David Arthur @IBA_Ministries is traveling to give his testimony to various State Senate & School Board Hearings in numerous states. Please help support his travel expenses. Sending all our gratitude! https://givesendgo.com/IBAministries” https://x.com/2022affirmation/status/1646924000126439424

GrownTomboy (March 10, 2023). “David Arthur is 1 of the elders in ‘Affirmation Generation’ who has stepped up 2 expose the LIES of ‘Sex Change’ that the entire ‘trans’ narrative is built upon. No 1 can change sex & they know it so 2 sell the idea it became marketed as a civil rights cause.@2022affirmation” https://twitter.com/GrownTomboy/status/1634249769135792128

Gunning, Fatima (March 1, 2023). Affirmation Generation: The hard hitting documentary exposing the effects of gender ideology. Gript https://gript.ie/affirmation-generation-the-hard-hitting-documentary-exposing-effects-of-gender-ideology/

“Buttons, Christina” (February 22, 2023). Vimeo Deplatforms Another Documentary Critical Of ‘Gender-Affirming Care.’ Daily Wire https://www.dailywire.com/news/vimeo-deplatforms-another-documentary-critical-of-gender-affirming-care

Osborne, Matt (February 20, 2023). Affirmation Generation: The Lies Of Transgender Medicine. The Distance https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/affirmation-generation-the-lies-of

Dawes, L.E. (February 17, 2023). Opinion | Filmmaker: I believed in gender affirming care. Then I saw what happened to my son. Dallas Morning News https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2023/02/18/i-made-a-film-about-transgender-kids-that-doesnt-align-with-my-politics/

New York International Film Awards (2023). Finalists January 2023: Affirmation Generation, Director L. E. Dawes https://newyorkinternationalfilmawards.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/FINALISTS-NYIFA-January-2023.pdf

Media

NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (May 4, 2023). AFFIRMATION GENERATION Presents: Ask Me Anything w/ 2 Experts & 2 Detransitioners ~ 05.04.2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkzBEM5RLis

NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (September 7, 2022). Affirmation Generation documentary-Official Trailer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s1pg7UByoU

Resources

No Way Back (nowaybackfilm.com)

Affirmation Generation [original site] (affirmationgenerationmovie.com)

Deplorable Films (deplorablefilms.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

Julien Dubuque International Film Festival (https://jdiff2023.eventive.org/)

IMDb (imdb.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Vimeo (vimeo.com)

  • Panacol Productions
  • vimeo.com/user185153202
  • Affirmation Generation
  • vimeo.com/751941113/411de5bbb4 [removed]