HOP FILM: Heightened Scruitiny

Chase Strangio, ACLU attorney and the first out trans person to argue before the Supreme Court, fights a high-stakes legal battle to overturn Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth (United States v. Skrmetti) in this urgent documentary.

The film exposes the dangerous role of mainstream media in fueling anti-trans legislation, uncovering how biased coverage drives hate, endangers lives and threatens democracy itself. With insights from journalists like Jelani Cobb, Lydia Polgreen and Gina Chua, and activists like Laverne Cox, the story dismantles anti-trans disinformation and highlights its devastating real-world impact.

With the dangerous SCOTUS decision upholding the ban on life-saving healthcare, Heightened Scrutiny premiered at Sundance and has taken the festival circuit by storm with its call to action against bigotry and injustice.

D: Sam Feder, US, 2025, 1h29m

Discussion follows with director Sam Feder (joining by Zoom) and Haley Norris, a policy analyst for the LGBTQI+ Policy team at American Progress.

Programmed in collaboration with the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy, the Office of Pluralism and Leadership (OPAL) and the LGBTQIA+ Employee Network. Please join us for a pre-show mixer in the Top of the Hop from 5-7pm!

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