What’s in this episode?

Christine Vachon is a giant of independent cinema.

Beginning in the mid-1980s — when being gay was still illegal in much of the United States — she helped produce fiercely independent films that insisted LGBTQ lives were worthy of love, dignity, and visibility. I respect the heck out of her. And I’m writing to her now because we — as in you and I — need her help.

Making a movie is a deeply collaborative process. Without experienced producers who know how to connect artists, allies, and resources, important films simply don’t get made. And the stakes for this one could not be higher. Trans and LGBTQ youth — one of the most vulnerable populations in the world right now — are being attacked from the largest stages imaginable. These kids and their families need a new story. They need support, courage, and guidance. Their lives depend on it. Here’s the letter:

Hi Christine: You and I met over thirty years ago at Sundance. We sat together on a bus — the way so many Sundance connections happen — and at a moment when I could have easily walked away from filmmaking, you were unusually kind and encouraging. I’ve never forgotten that.

Lately, when I ask other filmmakers who could actually help me with this project, your name keeps coming up — including from Ted Hope. It makes sense. We’re both LGBTQ parents, independent filmmakers, activists, and producers — you at a much larger scale. We’re also both cancer survivors. My recent bout with cancer has left me partially disabled, and like it does for all survivors, it looms. But strangely, it’s done the opposite of shrinking my life. Like Watanabe in Ikiru, it’s engaged my spirit for being alive. I feel turbo-charged.

I’ll admit — I’ve been intimidated to reach out. You’re a film god. Truly. Your work — from early collaborations with Todd Haynes, to Boys Don’t Cry, to recent films like May December and Past Lives — helped create LGBTQ visibility at a time when doing so could literally land someone in jail. That kind of impact is rare. And heroic.

Which brings me to why I’m reaching out now. I’m producing a feature film called A Still, Small Paw, with the goal of releasing it just before the 2028 presidential election. The purpose is simple and deadly serious: to help protect and save the lives of trans and LGBTQ youth. Another crisis is clearly coming. State legislatures introduced more than a thousand anti-trans bills this year alone. Just last week, the House passed legislation that would make gender-affirming medical care for trans minors a federal felony. Days later, Trump moved to ban all such care outright.

Trans youth are being bullied from the world’s largest stage. And the consequences are devastating. I run a web series called Angry Gay Grandpa, where I speak directly to trans and LGBTQ youth and their families. Through that work, I reported on the suicides of five trans youth in a single county in Pennsylvania. I was so angry about what happened to those kids that I was arrested protesting a state senator I held responsible.

Kids everywhere are suppressing their hurt. And some of them are dying because of it. We can do something about this. Through A Still, Small Paw, I want to create a focusing moment — a mainstream-leaning, prestige-leaning, dystopian feature film that unfolds in the lead-up to the 2028 election.

And it’s working. The script is earning serious credibility. A recent Black List reviewer called it “brilliant” twice, calling it “a wholly unique premise.”

We’re also building an audience — about 25,000 strong on YouTube so far — LGBTQ youth and families hungry for a story that tells the truth about what they’re living through and gives them tools to survive it.

Christine, I’m not asking you to produce this film. But I am asking — sincerely — for your help in connecting this project with serious, qualified producers and allies who have the experience, reach, and courage to bring it into the world. Not symbolic help. Real help. You’ve spent your career doing exactly that — helping stories connect before the industry, and sometimes the culture, were ready for them.

If you’re willing, I’d be deeply grateful if you spent a little time with my work at angrygaygrandpa.com and astillsmallpaw.com. Please also take a look at our short film Not Losing You, which reached nearly 2.5 million views across YouTube and TikTok.

I’d love to meet — in person or by Zoom. I’m sorry to push like this, and to communicate publicly by video, but the kids and families we’re building this for don’t have time to wait. And if we’re going to build it for them, neither do we.

Thank you — truly — for everything you’ve already done. That film is called A Still, Small Paw: Learn more here: https://www.astillsmallpaw.com