“Girl Inside” – by Maya Gallus, 2007

Following 26-year-old Madison during a crucial three years of her transition from male to female, GIRL INSIDE is a beautiful film that tracks her emotional, intellectual and spiritual journey of self-discovery that is as important as – if not more than – the physical journey of hormones and surgery. Sharing the spotlight is Vivien, Madison’s glamorous 80-year-old grandmother, who has taken on the job of advising her on all things feminine. While Vivien’s attempts to school Madison in old-fashioned codes of fashion and behavior are often hilarious, the juxtaposition of two vastly different experiences of womanhood, from very different generations, raises profound issues about the nature of gender, femininity and sexuality.

Sometimes funny, sometimes painful, this heartwarming coming of age story is both an intimate portrait and a thoughtful exploration of what it means to be a woman. Recommended for courses in transgender and queer studies, gender studies, women’s studies and sociology.

“In 2002, seven couples in the state of New Jersey filed a lawsuit in hopes of legalizing same-sex marriage. “In Sickness & In Health” closely chronicles the journey of three of these couples: Chris and Craig have been together for over 36 years. Marcye and Karen are mothers of two beautiful children and have spent the last 15 years together. The most poignant characters in the story are Marilyn and Diane, partners of 14 years, who were dedicated to fighting for the marriage right they desperately desired. Before their dream could be realized-many months before the New Jersey Supreme Court heard the couple’s final argument, Marilyn was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. You will be forever changed after stepping into the lives of these couples, watching them fight for the right to marry the partners they love-and, tragically, watching one couple’s heartbreak as their dream dies at the cruel hands of ALS. While Marilyn and Diane never officially took the vow “In Sickness and in Health,” they, unfortunately, felt the pain of ‘death do us part’. ” – Pilar Prassas

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