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.
Note: The Supreme Court ruled on United States v. Skrmetti in mid-June, upholding Tennessee’s ban.
“Where Feder’s movie stands apart is that none of its interviewees are mere talking heads…. Strangio may be the movie’s anchor, but as much as he builds legal arguments, his sense of camaraderie with the film’s other trans subjects widens the scope of what’s at stake for trans lives, and for America as a whole, in the years to come. Beyond all the legal and even medical specifics resides a sense of communal understanding, and — at the risk of sounding mawkish — a deep and abiding love for one’s fellow human beings, which Feder taps into with aplomb.” —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety “HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY succinctly captures why the fights for transgender rights should concern every person in the United States of America…[and] tees up an essential and accessible backgrounder for a pivotal moment…. It’s a firsthand account of what it means to live in contemporary America when one’s life is on the line and one’s rights can quickly change with the political tides.” —Pat Mullen, POV Magazine “Draws damning lines between the just ‘asking questions’ opinion pieces published in respected mainstream media publications like The Atlantic and the New York Times and the legal arguments made in our judicial system.” —Jacob Oller, The A.V. Club
