When I started my filmmaking journey, I was keenly aware of the limited opportunities I had as a queer filmmaker who wanted to tell stories for and about the queer community. The few stories that got made were rarely told through a compassionate lens. Many of the queer characters in these stories were deluged in stereotypes, mostly derogatory, and also painted as victims. My mission as a storyteller became clear: choose and write stories that help change these archaic and damaging narratives and educate others on how to do the same.

Gossamer Folds is unique and refreshing in many ways. The film depicts a healthy relationship between a trans adult and a child, which unfortunately, is rare in media. It’s a film about the unlikely friendship between two sets of neighbors who are culturally taught to hate each other: a 10-yr-old white boy and a 25-yr-old black trans woman. This hatred is fueled by the young boy’s transphobic father when he forbids his son, Tate, to engage with their next-door neighbor, Gossamer, a trans woman. Behind his father’s back, Tate forms a friendship with Gossamer and sees beyond the abhorrent discrimination he’s been taught.

Gossamer Folds shows how hatred is a learned experience and how we ultimately have the choice to be open-hearted and kind. Sometimes our biological families aren’t the ones who foster and yield the best versions of ourselves and that’s okay. One of the greatest assets of the queer community is the idea and practice of choosing our families. Ultimately, this film is about chosen family, unassuming neighbors, and the beautiful and unlikely bonds that can be found next door.