N.S. docuseries explores conversations with transgender people

A new documentary series by Shelley Thompson looks at the experiences of transgender people.

Writer and director Shelley Thompson, the mother of a transgender man, wants the wider world to understand and celebrate the community in the same way she does.

To accomplish that mission, she created the documentary series “Translations,” which explores the experiences of the transgender community.

“‘Translations’ came out of a real need to make sure that people knew and loved his community the way that I do,” Thompson told CTV News Atlantic’s Katie Kelly.

Joss Stoodley and her partner Sahand Farahanchi participated in the series, sharing their unique story.

“I’m a trans woman who is living in Nova Scotia,” Stoodley said. “I started my transition a little over a year ago.”

“Me and Joss have been together for almost five years and I am a gay man and I thought it’d be interesting to tell our story: a gay man and a trans woman being together,” Farahanchi said.

The series was filmed at Milford House in Nova Scotia and features conversations between transgender people and their advocates.

“This is going to sound like an exaggeration, but I assure you it’s not,” Stoodley said. “It was the most wonderful and fun week of my entire life. It felt like trans summer camp.”

The series look at the importance of support systems and the struggles of societal pressures.

“While of course we’ve established being trans is not a mental illness, being pushed to the outskirts of society does have a huge impact on my mental health and the mental health of many other trans people,” Stoodley said.

Thompson is hopeful viewers of “Translations” will walk away from the show with a renewed sense of understanding.

“I want people to be able to see that these people are all just people,” Thompson said. “They’re your family. They’re your neighbours. They’re your friends. Right now, they need our support and love and respect more than ever.”

Episode one of “Translations” is available on Bell FibeTV, Channel 1 and the FibeTV app.