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"The Opposite Sex, Rene's Story"  Rene is a 31 year genetic female from Anaheim, California. Rene told her mother at age three that she was a boy. Her mom laughed, but Rene assured her that God had made a mistake and would give her a penis. Rene went to school as a boy, taped her breasts down, dated girls and was able to romance them with a strap-on plastic penis. This didn't come without a price and Rene's childhood was filled with rumor, fighting, brushes with the law and deep family strife. In 1990, 22-year-old Rene with strapped down breasts and an altered I.D., married Wona, a beautiful 18 year old heterosexual virgin. "The Opposite Sex, Rene's Story" is the story of Rene's life-long path to becoming a well-endowed heterosexual man and the painful consequences his final transition and surgery has on his marriage. As we meet our characters, Rene has just been outted in church by a disgruntled relative. Rene had been an assistant pastor and Wona's relationships with church families had been her whole social life. Trusting his fate to the church elders, Rene admitted he was transgendered. According to Rene, the pastor called their marriage a sinful lesbian relationship and shunned them. But the pastor tells a different story, claiming Rene lied to the church and threatened a law suit. But whatever the truth, the shunning forces Wona to come to terms with what her marriage has been and what it is likely to be in the future. She has no interest in being the wife of a transgendered spokesperson, which is what Rene is becoming. In addition, far from being excited about her husband's new penis and what that might mean for her, the unknown causes Wona more stress. She realizes that at 28, she's never been intimate with a real penis. She wonders if she is even married at all, as California does not recognize same-sex marriages. Adding to her concerns are their two adopted children with no financial back up. Despite it all, she truly still loves Rene and can't imagine life without him. Wona is very much between a rock and a hard place. This is the state of the marriage as Rene and Wona take a trip together across America to interview surgeons and research options for Rene's perfect penis. Along the way, they visit Rene's brother in Texas who has never accepted Rene as a brother. They visit Rene's family in Indiana, and he shows photographs of the sex change operation for generations of his extended family. The scene breaks down into raucus humor but emotions ebb and flow quickly in this family and soon, Rene who has never felt understood, makes a heartfelt plea for acceptance stating he has never been whole and that surgery will help him find comfort. Rene's sister says she never really understood what being transgendered meant and tenders her total support for the first time. Meeting several surgeons, Rene learns the various possibilities for female to male sex change surgery - none of the options are very good and he has to come to terms with what's possible. He'll never have a normal functioning penis. He takes the disappointing news stoically. Back home in Anaheim, Wona and Rene become more and more estranged as the surgery date approaches. Rene drives to Dallas for his surgery and his mother and wife fly in. Rene offers up a soulful prayer in the pre-op waiting room which carries us over the graphic but tastefully presented surgery. "The Opposite Sex, Rene's Story," is the story of one person's painful life path and the effects that journey has had on loved ones. Rene's story touches universal issues of gender and sex, but his quest for wholeness is no different than the journey that every person takes in his own way. Winner Best Documentary at LA Outfest Film Festival Images from the production
For more information contact: For purchase information contact Showtime |
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