A journalist and expert on the transgender movement is speaking out about the scrubbing of a new documentary exposing the plight of families whose children have been labeled transgender.
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Brandon Showalter, a journalist at The Christian Post and host of the new podcast, “Generation Indoctrination: Inside the Transgender Battle,” told CBN’s Faithwire the movie “Dead Name,” which was released in December, suddenly disappeared from Vimeo last month.
“With no warning, it was just gone,” Showalter said. “Vimeo … when asked, said that it violated their hateful conduct policy … but they didn’t say what exactly in the movie was hateful.”
He said the movie, which was live more than 30 days before its scrubbing, was back up and running at alternative locations not long after but pointed to the incident as an alleged example of free speech restrictions on the ever-controversial transgender topic.
“It just shows the censorship,” Showalter said. “This is how [trans activists] roll. This is how they operate. … They label it hate, they get it pulled.”
In the end, though, he said the Vimeo debacle made national headlines and, in turn, was a “blessing in disguise,” as it drew more attention to the documentary. Director Taylor Reece has also been vocal in speaking to media about purported attempts to silence the movie.
Inside “Dead Name”
For those wondering about the subject matter in “Dead Name,” Showalter explained the film’s central premise.
“It’s about how gender ideology irretrievably fractures families,” Showalter said. “It ruptures family bonds. It pits parents against their own children who start identifying as trans and then go headlong down a pathway of virtually unchecked, medicalized treatment — if you can even call it medicalization.”
Showalter, who has been a frequent critic of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and transgender surgeries, likened these elements to a “mass medical experiment” being pushed on society.
What makes “Dead Name” so unique, he said, is the documentary’s focus on familial relationships and the ruptures that unfold when a child identifies as transgender.
The impact on grandparents, marriages, siblings, and other bonds is profound. This is something the documentary tackles head-on through interviews with and profiles of three separate families.
Showalter also tackled the “gut punch” he experienced seeing how children are exposed to “things they never should be and being groomed and enticed down a pathway that will leave their bodies permanently altered.”
“This is, as I’ve often said, one of the worst medical scandals the world’s ever seen,” he added.
A Suppression of Thought
Showalter believes stories like those shown in “Dead Name” are deeply important, as many likely have no idea how many families struggle with these issues — and with society’s full embrace of the movement.
“[There’s a] suppression of thought and the suppression of analysis of very real stories, where parents I know have begged places like The New York Times and other more mainstream outlets to cover their concerns,” he said, noting The Times has just recently covered the story.
But many outlets still shy away from telling the stories of families who have pushed back against the transgender movement. And detransitioners — those who once identified as transgender but now reject the designation — are even less represented in mainstream media.
Showalter said the issue transcends political parties and ideological persuasions, which is why he has given voice to a diverse set of individuals and families in his Christian Post interviews and content.
“I’ve heard from countless parents, from Christian and non-Christian alike, from all over the political spectrum,” he said. “This is a very important story, not only because it’s a medical scandal, but because of the social breakdown that it is causing.”
Showalter added, “The carnage will be so huge. It’s just breathtaking when you’re on the front lines of it and you’re hearing the stories in your inbox.”
Listen to more of Showalter’s take on these issues on his “Generation Indoctrination: Inside the Transgender Battle” podcast.
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