Heightened Scrutiny
Film
Hop Film

Heightened Scrutiny

October 02, 2025

This event occurred as part of the 25/26 Hop Film season. This is an archived view.

This urgent doc follows ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio's battles with the Supreme Court and the media to protect access to gender-affirming healthcare.

Heightened Scrutiny Official Trailer

 

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

Programmed in collaboration with the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Office of Pluralism and Leadership

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