These days, it often seems as though the right-wing flank of British mainstream media can barely go a minute without throwing its toys out the pram over trans issues – particularly when it comes to anything that affects trans youth. But while it’s become commonplace to hear commentators weigh in on deliberately inflammatory talking points (like ‘what if a child identifies as a cat?’), it’s still a rarity to actually hear from young trans people themselves. The media hardly ever pauses to ask them how they feel or what they need, in spite of how vital it is to platform young, trans voices and listen to what they have to say.

This is what inspired Emily McDonald and Samantha Crossley to create Boy Blue, a short film which tells the story of Blue, a trans teenager who came out when he was 13. “We got upset listening to the Conservative argument on trans youth which seems to be on every news station right now,” McDonald and Crossley say, explaining why they decided to direct the film.

“We intentionally avoided the sensationalism and adult-centric discourse surrounding trans youth. We felt it was more impactful to just show a teen living their life, because at the end of the day it’s kids like Blue who are the real victims,” they continue. “It’s them who have to deal with their friend’s transphobic parents or bear the brunt of constantly-changing regulations in schools when they should just be enjoying childhood.”

By creating Boy Blue, the pair sought to amplify the voice of a trans teenager and shine a light on the reality of being a young trans person in the UK today – from the pain of being singled out as ‘different’ at school, to the euphoria of finally accessing hormone therapy. “We wondered how a teenager would navigate this world,” McDonald and Crossley add. “There are a lot of kids caught in the middle of an adult’s argument and you feel hopeless watching it, so we decided to just show a teenager, to say ‘this is who you are hurting, this is who is really at the centre of all these debates. A kid.’”

The “kid” in Boy Blue is 18-year-old Blue. In the film, he recounts some of the difficulties he faced following his transition: “I think I was the first person to come out as anything in my school,” he recalls. “I wasn’t the same as everyone else, so I got bullied horrendously.” But he also shares the joy of being able to express himself fully and finding friends who accept and love him for who he is. “Your life’s too short to pretend that you’re someone that you’re not,” he says. “I’ve become so much more confident and so much happier in myself.”

Speaking to Dazed, Blue describes growing up trans in the UK as “quite terrifying”, which is unsurprising given the overwhelmingly transphobic coverage of trans people in the mainstream press. But he acknowledges that he also feels relatively “fortunate” to live here too, and believes that the more extreme anti-trans voices are in the minority. “There are more supportive people than unsupportive people here, in my opinion [...] I feel lucky in most aspects regarding opportunity and acceptance.”

What does he hope people take away from the short film? “A trans person is just a person who happens to be trans. Nothing outrageous or outlandish about it,” he says. “We’re not monsters, we’re not predators, we’re just people that are transgender. Being trans isn’t my whole life, it’s just a section of it [...] We aren’t hurting anyone and deserve to be loved and heard just as much as the next person.”

You can watch Boy Blue above.

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