Sam Feder's powerful new documentary Heightened Scrutiny delivers a dual examination of America's transgender rights battle, combining an intimate portrait of prominent ACLU attorney Chase Strangio with a devastating critique of mainstream media's role in advancing anti-trans agendas.
The Supreme Court Battle and Its Aftermath
The film follows Strangio as he prepares for oral arguments in the landmark Supreme Court case US v Skirmetti, which occurred on 4 December 2024. The court ruled several months later in favour of Tennessee's attorney general Jonathan Skrmetti, effectively allowing restrictions on medical transition for transgender minors to remain in place across more than 20 US states.
Legal analysts widely condemned the decision for what they described as shoddy reasoning and clear bias, marking another controversial ruling from the Trump-era court. Feder completed the documentary in just 16 months, a significant acceleration compared to the five years spent on their previous Netflix documentary Disclosure.
"We made Heightened Scrutiny in 16 months," Feder explained during a video call. "It was a rush to raise more dialogue so people would know more about the case, not with the intention to change the outcome, because we knew what that was going to be."
Personal Sacrifices and Public Battles
While the film offers comprehensive analysis of how major media outlets have promoted anti-trans pseudoscience, its most compelling element may be the unprecedented access to Strangio's personal life and humanity. The typically reserved attorney allowed Feder's camera to capture private moments, including getting tattooed with lines from Black civil rights activist Pauli Murray's poem Prophecy.
"That was a big challenge, to open up parts of my life to a camera lens that I worked really hard to keep private," Strangio admitted. "Sam basically said to me, 'I want the next generation to know that we tried, I want them to see what was done in the service of these fights for our material survival.'"
The documentary features numerous trans advocates and allies, including Laverne Cox, Semafor executive editor Gina Chua, Media Matters' Ari Drennen, and journalist Evan Urquhart. It also includes perspectives from cisgender allies like Columbia Journalism School dean Jelani Cobb and former NYT Global editorial director Lydia Polgreen.
Youth Perspectives and Future Implications
Among the most poignant moments is the inclusion of 12-year-old trans girl Mila, first shown advocating for her community at a New York City school board meeting where Strangio had appeared due to attacks against trans people in his own child's school. Later footage shows Mila speaking outside the Supreme Court.
"I think the most difficult moment of filming was that moment with Mila at the school board meeting," Feder recalled. "When I approached the school with my camera, out of nowhere this young woman comes up to me, and she was just like, 'You have my permission to film me.'"
Despite the legal setbacks and ongoing battles, Strangio maintains a perspective focused beyond courtroom victories. "I don't want people to end up in a place of incessant despair by virtue of what the law is not giving us," he said. "I want to be in a practice of using the law to minimize harm, but not to turn it to some sort of channel for our liberatory potential."
Heightened Scrutiny is available to rent digitally during Trans Awareness Week until 20 November, with a wider release scheduled for a later date.
