Details magazine has a fantastic story about a former high school quarterback who is now a lesbian filmmaker. Kimberly Reed was Paul McKerrow in high school: Starting quarterback and valedictorian in Helena, Montana.
Beneath the surface of Paul’s seemingly placid Rocky Mountain life was the feeling that, though he was attracted to girls, he wasn’t anything like a boy and had never been. In the rural West, this can’t have been a frequently encountered complaint, this discomfort with one’s sex, and Kim refers to Renee Richards, the 1970s transgender tennis pro (born Richard Raskind), as one of the few public examples of sexual reassignment that she knew anything about. Faced with so much uncertainty, so much discomfort, Paul did assume the one kind of drag, the one kind of masquerade that would loft him above scrutiny in the matter of gender. Paul joined the high-school football team.
Reed returned to Helena for her 20th reunion in 2005 and is releasing a film next month called Prodigal Sons about her family (she has two brothers) and her journey. I can’t wait!
Hat tip to Chuck V.
on Jan 18th, 2010 at 3:25 PM
Incredible story. Thanks for sharing. Definitely write about it again when the film is publicly accessible (as a reminder to go check it out!)
on Jan 19th, 2010 at 7:46 PM
Cannot wait to see this film! Question, though: If she has two brothers, why is the film only about ‘two brothers’? Shouldn’t it be 3 (if she’s calling herself a “prodigal son”, as in the title)?
I would love to read Ms Reed’s whole story. Best wishes to her!
on Jan 25th, 2010 at 3:37 AM
Grrrr…please take the T from LGB and let them have their own civil rights movement and quit riding on our gay men coat tails! Sorry, nothing against trans people but just don’t wantg ppl to associate US with them.
peace
on Jan 25th, 2010 at 8:01 PM
Remember the old saying ” When the blacks asked me to stand with them i said no cause i wasnt black and then the jews asked me to stadnt with them and i didnt cause i wasnt jewish. And the Gays asked me to stand with them and i didnt cause i wasnt gay. But then one day i needed someone to stand with me but there wasnt anyone left”
The Word Queer means diffrent
on Feb 3rd, 2012 at 1:41 AM
We rented this from netflix. It was fantastic!
I had a crush on Paul back in High School.
I hope I run into Kim back in Helena someday.
Our lives never turn out like we believe back in high school!