ABOUT THE PROJECT
LOGLINE
Fearless civil rights lawyer, Chase Strangio, battles at the Supreme Court for transgender adolescents’ access to life-saving healthcare, confronting not only the legal system but also a media landscape that distorts public perception and threatens the fight for trans rights.
SYNOPSIS
HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY follows Chase Strangio, ACLU attorney and the first out trans person to argue before the Supreme Court, as he fights a high-stakes legal battle to overturn Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth (United States v. Skrmetti).
The film exposes the dangerous role of mainstream media in fueling anti-trans legislation, uncovering how biased coverage drives hate, endangers lives, and threatens democracy itself. With insights from journalists like Jelani Cobb, Lydia Polgreen, and Gina Chua, and activists like Laverne Cox, the story dismantles anti-trans disinformation and highlights its devastating real-world impact.
As SCOTUS prepares to rule on the case, Heightened Scrutiny reveals the fight for bodily autonomy as a fight for the soul of democracy, offering a powerful call to action against bigotry and injustice.
PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature
DIRECTOR Sam Feder
PRODUCER Amy Scholder, Sam Feder, Paola Mendoza
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Laverne Cox, S. Mona Sinha, Ruth Ann & William Harnisch, Lisa Freeman, Sara Hinkle
WEBSITE disclosurethemovie.com/heightened-scrutiny
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