One of the more positive cultural shifts in recent years is the increased visibility and acceptance of transgender youth. And that's important, but Sharon Shattuck's very personal From This Day Forward looks at her aging father, Trisha, who came out as transgender while Sharon was still a teenager. The timeframe is a little vague, but all indications are that her father (still referred to by that title) began transitioning in late 1980s, back when there wasn't any kind of social safety net — and there still isn't for adults who aren't famous or traditionally pretty and thus media-friendly, let alone living in small towns. From This Day Forward is Sharon coming to terms with Trisha's role in her life, and how Trisha's (absolutely necessary) transition impacted her daughter's lives. At one point, Sharon's younger sister recalls being told by one of her teachers that, "I know what your father's doing, and I don't approve." (Ugh.) Also considered is how Trisha and her wife, Marcia, stayed together through it all — itself a question that needs to be considered in the context that all marriages are difficult, and most end in divorce even when both partners are cisgender. Trisha Shattuck doesn't represent all middle-aged transgender women by any stretch, but From This Day Forward is still a reminder of a forgotten generation.
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