film subjects
DOMINIC, 26 (St. Paul, MN)
An aspiring singer/rapper, Dominic lives with his fiancée Thea, making ends meet as a dry-cleaning deliveryman and landscaper. Dom won 3rd place at last year’s Trans FitCon bodybuilding competition, stepping on stage bare-chested, pre-top-surgery. Dom returns to competition just a few months post-surgery, after a tough year that forces him to grow up in more ways than one.
RESE, 24 (Atlanta, GA)
Rese has a 5-year old son De'montae (to whom he gave birth). Rese shed 70-plus pounds before stepping on stage at the last Trans FitCon—his first time ever competing in bodybuilding. Post FitCon, Rese experiences a period of homelessness; shelters repeatedly turn him away because he is trans. Politically active, Rese is exploring a new relationship and living with his grandparents while preparing for next year's competition.
MASON, 41 (Cleveland, OH)
One of a small number of FTM bodybuilders who compete in mainstream competitions, Mason is training for Trans FitCon for the first time. He is married to love-of-his-life Anne, a veterinarian; the couple live next door to Anne’s mother. Mason struggles with bipolar disorder and was at times suicidal, until he transitioned and found adequate medical treatment—and the sport of bodybuilding, which Mason says saved his life.
TOMMY, 38 (Miami, FL)
Five years clean and sober, Tommy works as a full-time trainer in South Beach, and lives at home with his parents. As a teen, Tommy used to travel the world playing drums in his Pastor father's gospel band, and has only recently started to share his trans status with his community. This is his first Trans FitCon.
KENNIE, 35 (Conway, AR)
Kennie decided to compete at last year's Trans FitCon on the spot, also realizing he wanted to officially begin his transition. Kennie's mother and twin brother are struggling with the impending changes, as is his partner D.J., a lesbian who prefers not to be with a man. Kennie works as assistant director of the fitness center at a small-town Arkansas University, while he trains to get back up on stage at Trans FitCon—this time after starting testosterone.
SHAWN, 37 (Atlanta, GA)
Two-time winner of past Trans FitCons, Shawn now serves as a judge at this year's competition (a sudden serious illness knocked Shawn out of the running for a "three-peat"). But he's still known as the "godfather" of trans male bodybuilding.
STILLS
