Interviews, Reviews and Articles
Interviews with Cyn Lubow and articles about A Womb of Their Own!
ROOM TO BE IN THE MIDDLE: A FILM ABOUT GENDERQUEER PREGNANCY A wonderful, academic 2019 review of the film, by Sarah E. Fryett. University of Wisconsin, Madison Office of the Gender and Women's Studies Librarian. Volume 40 no. 1. THE ADVOCATE Video interview with Cyn Lubow at Outfest Film Festival in Los Angeles MUTHA MAGAZINE "Here was the film that I was missing throughout my pregnancy. I saw myself reflected in the articulate, thoughtful subjects of the film." AINTITCOOL.COM "The film is beautiful in the way it challenges and breaks down such ingrained assumptions." CBSNEWS.COM "Interviews with Cyn, the subjects of the film and others, including, Dr. Juno Obedin-Maliver, a fellow in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California San Francisco and San Francisco Veterans Affairs and founder of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Medical Education Research Group, Stanford University School of Medicine." TWO TAKES FROM AUSTRALIA: "A highlight of the Mardi Gras Film Festival" "Lubow has done an extraordinary job of finding endearing human faces to act of a range of representation on the issue" BAY AREA REPORTER "I want to validate people who are their own unique mix of gender elements. I also wanted to challenge many common assumptions about gender so people who don't fit the assumptions can be more visible, understood, and accepted." BROADLY.VICE.COM Nice review of the film and topic and published in 2018 WHATSUPYUKON.COM "Intimate, Insightful and Non-Traditional" REVIEW FROM NEWFEST "'A Womb of Their Own' becomes not only an extremely informative, discursive look at a still little understood if sometimes sensationalized aspect of transgender lives, but also a hosanna to celebrating the many multifaceted aspects of our shared humanity." EYEFORFILM.CO.UK "...What makes this work is its focus on individuals finding their own way of doing things no matter what wider society thinks. In the process, it celebrates the passion that leads to reproduction, a final chapter focusing on the parent-child relationships that make all the struggles worthwhile." BS.COM.AU Pregnancy and Masculine Identity in "A Womb of Their Own" KAISER BLOG "Inspired by the great strides the transgender community had made, Cyn decided to shed light on gender non-normativity." SALTYPOPCORN.COM.AU "Some of the groundbreaking ideas posited by interviewees include: People with uteruses get pregnant (not necessarily women); A lot of women don’t have beards, but some do, and most hide or shave them; Social conditioning has made us equate mothering with femininity; Rather than ‘mothers’ there are ‘pregnant people’; Skinny is masculine, more weight is more feminine; Masculine maternity clothes are difficult to find; Pregnancy visually erases queerness; Wearing a costume to be yourself; It is easier to say ‘I go by “he”’ at work then to say “I’m a guy”; Masculinity doesn’t equal being a man." SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL A bit about my gender story and making A Womb of Their Own SEATTLE GAY SCENE "A highlight with Seattle connection is the US Premiere of A WOMB OF THEIR OWN" TRULY MAMA "Breastfeeding or Chest Feeding Why Inclusive Language Matters" |
Endorsements
David A. Powell, PhD Professor Emeritus of French Founder and Former Director, LGBTQ Studies Program Hofstra University In the spring of 2016, I invited Cyn Lubow to screen an early version of her documentary “A Womb of Their Own” on Hofstra University‘s campus. At a time when trans issues were just emerging for the general public and contributing to the LGBTQ studies curriculum, I wanted to offer possibilities for furthering the discussion, and this beautifully sensitive and informative film was just what I had hoped for. After the film, the discussion...blossomed under Cyn’s engaging but non-threatening manner. ...The whole experience brought something to campus that changed the tenor of the conversation. I cannot recommend highly enough the value of this film and Cyn’s visit. _____________________________________ Leila Easa, Instructor, Department of English and Women's Studies, City College of San Francisco Cyn Lubow's A Womb of Their Own did something for my class that three textbooks and an entire course pack couldn't--it gave my students a way to think through gender variation through visual encounters with a wide range of specific individuals. While my women's studies students were ready to eagerly engage with the idea of liberating their notions of gender from simple binary structures, it seemed hard for them to really imagine the huge varieties of gender experience and expression through the written word alone. [...] This film has the capacity to break open students' expectations, to generate productive classroom conversation, and ultimately to, in its own small way, work toward a more tolerant and open world in which no one has to be stuck with either/or. _____________________________________ Elsa Asher Certified Doula, DONA MS, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University Adjunct Faculty, Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine Childbirth Education and Core Provider Trainings, Birthing Beyond the Binary A Womb of Their Own is an excellent educational tool as it uses storytelling and the visual medium to share about gender. It is so important for perinatal care providers to understand that transmen, non-binary, gender non-confirming folks and others are having babies! The most effective way to educate people is through story and Cyn Lubow's film does just this - with heartfelt, touching stories of people and their families. _____________________________________ Megan McNamara Lecturer, University of California, Santa Cruz ...the students LOVED it, as I knew they would. ...to see people like them talking about and experiencing parenthood is really nothing short of extraordinary. I so appreciate all of the work and love that you put into this film - the world is qualitatively a better place for it having been made :-) _______________________________________ Maggie Runyon MSN, RNC-OB, CYT-200 Founder, Your BIRTH Partners I got such wonderful feedback from everyone who attended, and several more who wished they could have. We ended up having close to 400 people register to watch the film! Kudos to you and all the participants for creating something so authentic and inspiring. Thank you for pulling this event together so quickly for us! Was such a pleasure to work with you. ______________________________________ Kristy Harcourt Producer Queer Women and Trans Fest - Edmonton Alberta Canada Cyn Lubow's film 'A Womb of their Own' is a beautiful and eloquent examination of the body, of gender expression and how masculine-of-centre people experience pregnancy. Having Cyn attend the screening in person was such a gift. Cyn was a great help with media support of the film screening and with the post-screening audience talk-back. I encourage other film festivals and LGBTQ community organizations to book Cyn and 'A Womb of their Own' for their events. _____________________________________ Willy Wilkinson, MPH, Author of Born on the Edge of Race and Gender: A Voice for Cultural Competency“ A rich, multilayered celebration of bold gender transgression at the intersection of an experience that is considered highly female-gendered, and is the ultimate expression of human strength and power.” And “I just love your film, the people, the voices, the style. You really did such an amazing job of capturing these stories brilliantly." ____________________________________ Michelle Dissel, Cisgender, heterosexual viewer! I heartily recommend the doc — it was illuminating, complex, entertaining, and thought-provoking, all the kinds of things you want to experience in a documentary. It was also a celebration of humanity in all its individuality and commonality. Many of the featured parents and their stories stayed with me for days after. ____________________________________________ Nisha Money, MD Director of the Global Healing Initiatives Institute It is such a lovely film and so well done and thoughtfully presented on many levels!! _____________________________________ j. wallace skelton Author, Transphobia: Deal with it and be a gender transcender “I love it. It's beautiful, thoughtful and tender. … thanks both for sharing, and for creating such a tender and intimate view of transmasculine people creating families with children through pregnancy.” _____________________________________ Linda/Lindo Bacon Author of Health at Any Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight and Body Respect: What Conventional Health Books Get Wrong, Leave Out, and Just Plain Fail to Understand about Weight It's totally awesome in terms of how it deals with all of the different permutations of how we do gender. And fat-positive too. This is an important film, and does a really fantastic job of challenging the gender binary. _____________________________________ Rachel Garlin Singer/Songwriter/Recording Artist and Music Teacher Ok first of all, your film is F**KING AWESOME! I was just able to finally see the whole thing and I am so impressed! Sorry for the profanity, but I’m fired up! I loved the scene with you and Susie doing the dishes (a kitchen dish dance!) and all the scenes with Imelio and his dad are amazing. Loved your son’s piece. I could go on and on—seriously the whole thing is riveting and I was only sad when it ended! Congrats. _____________________________________ Robb Leigh Davis Director of Cultural Engagement The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center in NY The film is very intriguing, and definitely adds a voice to the parenting conversation that I don't think is really being addressed at the moment. _______________________________________ MP Yoga Therapist serving folks from preconception to postpartum It was super helpful for me to witness the diversity of experiences folks have with gender identity before, during, and following pregnancy. I'll carry their perspectives with me when I'm creating content and offering programs for my clients. Your film helped me further expand my understanding and I'm grateful for your work. |