Short Film ‘Becoming Johanna’ Shares Story of Transgender Teen

FEATURING JONATHAN SKURNIK AND JOHANNA CLEARWATER – Transgender youth are subject to some of the highest levels of violence and bullying and form a significantly large proportion of at-risk youth in schools. A large part of the problem is the invisibility of the community, which filmmakers like my guest are striving to remedy. In a new short documentary set in Los Angeles, Jonathan Skurnik profile a transgender teenager named Johanna Rodriguez. In Becoming Johanna, Skurnik traces many of the common problems facing trans-teens through Johanna’s life: lack of acceptance from parents, challenges in school, prospects of surgery and hormones, and finding a safe community. The film is part of the Youth and Gender Media Project and will be screening around the country.

Find out more about the movie and viewings at http://youthandgendermediaproject.org.

Jonathan Skurnik, Director and Producer of ‘Becoming Johanna’, Johanna Clearwater, subject of film. [CORRECTION: Johanna’s last name has recently been changed from Rodriguez to Clearwater].