Uncovered Lives: Australia's Fight for Funded Trans Healthcare

Director's Statement

When I was going through the process of my own medical transition in 2021, I became aware of the specific systemic issues that transgender and nonbinary Australians continue to face - particularly the lack of funded and accessible healthcare. Ever since starting testosterone and having my double mastectomy, my life improved more than I could ever express. I am an entirely new person, one who is finally comfortable in his own body and who sees life as worth living. However, while I have been privileged enough to be able to access the immense funds needed to medically transition, this is not the case for countless transgender and nonbinary individuals, including many of my loved ones. This is what initially inspired me to begin developing Uncovered Lives. Since then, it has grown into so much more than a single documentary. Our diverse and passionate crew have been able to run an extensive social media campaign, host two live music fundraisers for the documentary and trans healthcare, and create an authentic and impactful film that I truly believe has the potential to contribute to greater change. By centreing trans voices, we have shown that those impacted by this issue are people first - appealing to the broader population's empathy as a means of educating them about the reality of trans healthcare in Australia today, and urging them to enact real change. This project has been especially close to my heart, and I am so proud to have been able to contribute to such an important cause and to see this film come to life through the hard work and dedication of both trans people and cis allies. Healthcare is a human right, transgender healthcare is life-saving, and it should be fully funded under Medicare.