Posted on Nov 24, 2023
In 'The Dads,' men bond over fishing and their love for their transgender kids
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In August 1998, Dennis Shepard went fishing with his son Matthew for the final time during a family reunion in the Bighorn Mountains. A couple of months later, Matthew, a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, was brutally murdered. His death drew widespread attention to the fight for LGBTQ rights and hate crime legislation in the United States.
Now, more than 25 years later, Dennis is one of six fathers featured in a documentary short film that premiered Nov. 17 on Netflix.
Directed by Luchina Fisher (“Mama Gloria”), “The Dads” follows the elder Shepard and five fathers of transgender children — Stephen Chukumba, Frank Gonzales, José Trujillo, Peter Betz and Wayne Maines, whose daughter made history as TV’s first trans superhero on the CW’s “Supergirl” — who bond during a weekend fishing trip in rural Oklahoma. As they cast their lines into the river, the men find common ground on their unconditional love for their children, whose rights are at risk of being rolled back across the country and around the world.
Now, more than 25 years later, Dennis is one of six fathers featured in a documentary short film that premiered Nov. 17 on Netflix.
Directed by Luchina Fisher (“Mama Gloria”), “The Dads” follows the elder Shepard and five fathers of transgender children — Stephen Chukumba, Frank Gonzales, José Trujillo, Peter Betz and Wayne Maines, whose daughter made history as TV’s first trans superhero on the CW’s “Supergirl” — who bond during a weekend fishing trip in rural Oklahoma. As they cast their lines into the river, the men find common ground on their unconditional love for their children, whose rights are at risk of being rolled back across the country and around the world.
In 'The Dads,' men bond over fishing and their love for their transgender kids
Posted from nbcnews.com
Transgender
Gender
Fishing
LGBTQ+
Rights
Posted 6 mo ago
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Matthew was 21 when he was murdered and it's been 25 years since his death.
He'd be 46 today. I have a son who is 43.
Forty-six years. . . . I wonder what Matthew might be doing today rather than being dead.
Do you wonder?
He'd be 46 today. I have a son who is 43.
Forty-six years. . . . I wonder what Matthew might be doing today rather than being dead.
Do you wonder?
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Now, more than 25 years later, Dennis is one of six fathers featured in a documentary short film that premiered Nov. 17 on Netflix.
Directed by Luchina Fisher (“Mama Gloria”), “The Dads” follows the elder Shepard and five fathers of transgender children — Stephen Chukumba, Frank Gonzales, José Trujillo, Peter Betz and Wayne Maines, whose daughter made history as TV’s first trans superhero on the CW’s “Supergirl” — who bond during a weekend fishing trip in rural Oklahoma. As they cast their lines into the river, the men find common ground on their unconditional love for their children, whose rights are at risk of being rolled back across the country and around the world.
“I think we always think unconditional love looks like immediate acceptance, and often, it’s about going through this journey to figure out how to love the child who is standing in front of you — not the one that you wished and hoped for and dreamed of, but the child who’s trying to tell you, ‘This is who I am,’” Fisher, who has a trans daughter, told NBC News in a joint interview with Maines. “I always say that when a child transitions in a family, the rest of the family transitions as well, and it’s just as important for them to have those outlets to talk about their experience and what they’re going through.”
In early 2020, while attending the Human Rights Campaign’s Time to THRIVE Summit, Fisher overheard Shepard, Gonzales and Maines discussing a potential hunting or fishing trip with other dads of LGBTQ children. Given that mothers — and women in general — are often seen as the main advocates for gay and trans youth, Fisher recognized a unique opportunity to shine a spotlight on supportive fathers who are on the front lines of the battle against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation."...
..."Now, more than 25 years later, Dennis is one of six fathers featured in a documentary short film that premiered Nov. 17 on Netflix.
Directed by Luchina Fisher (“Mama Gloria”), “The Dads” follows the elder Shepard and five fathers of transgender children — Stephen Chukumba, Frank Gonzales, José Trujillo, Peter Betz and Wayne Maines, whose daughter made history as TV’s first trans superhero on the CW’s “Supergirl” — who bond during a weekend fishing trip in rural Oklahoma. As they cast their lines into the river, the men find common ground on their unconditional love for their children, whose rights are at risk of being rolled back across the country and around the world.
“I think we always think unconditional love looks like immediate acceptance, and often, it’s about going through this journey to figure out how to love the child who is standing in front of you — not the one that you wished and hoped for and dreamed of, but the child who’s trying to tell you, ‘This is who I am,’” Fisher, who has a trans daughter, told NBC News in a joint interview with Maines. “I always say that when a child transitions in a family, the rest of the family transitions as well, and it’s just as important for them to have those outlets to talk about their experience and what they’re going through.”
In early 2020, while attending the Human Rights Campaign’s Time to THRIVE Summit, Fisher overheard Shepard, Gonzales and Maines discussing a potential hunting or fishing trip with other dads of LGBTQ children. Given that mothers — and women in general — are often seen as the main advocates for gay and trans youth, Fisher recognized a unique opportunity to shine a spotlight on supportive fathers who are on the front lines of the battle against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation."...
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