From SOMA Action, WADEIn New Jersey, UU FaithAction NJ, Popular Front Project, and Translations:
Maplewood, NJ: SOMA Action, WADEIn New Jersey, UU FaithAction NJ, Popular Front Project, and Translations are proud to announce that they will host a special screening of the film Heightened Scrutiny in Maplewood, NJ, on December 6, 2025. This new documentary follows ACLU civil rights lawyer Chase Strangio as he battles at the Supreme Court for transgender adolescents’ access to medically necessary healthcare.
With the June 2025 United States Supreme Court decision allowing states to ban gender affirming care for transgender youth, this film is an urgent call to action against bigotry and injustice. This screening is one of several taking place across New Jersey this month to raise awareness and ignite action in the fight to prevent the state from undoing protections for medically necessary healthcare for transgender youth and adults.
Access to this medically necessary care is at risk due to a series of executive orders and policy rollouts from the Trump administration. Due to pressure from the federal government, healthcare institutions across New Jersey have ceased or threatened to cease gender affirming care for youth. This healthcare remains legal in the state.
Advocates from across New Jersey are galvanizing support to pass S3491/A4656 to protect patients and providers who access and provide gender-affirming healthcare. This bill, introduced in the legislature in June 2024, is also a key piece of “The People’s Agenda,” a collective effort of over 30 advocacy organizations to pass crucial social justice bills during the current, “lame duck,” legislative session. This screening creates a pivotal moment to mobilize both the public and legislators around the critical need to advance this bill without delay.
The documentary will be followed by a panel discussion on the importance of gender-affirming healthcare. Panelists will outline the steps needed to ensure this fundamental right and answer questions. The event will also serve as a fundraiser for The Sam and Devorah Foundation for Transgender Youth, a New Jersey-based organization that provides services to transgender youth and young adults.
The screening will take place on Saturday, December 6, 2025, from 3:30 to 5:30 pm at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 550 Ridgewood Road, in Maplewood, NJ.
The event is free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $20 per person to support , collected at the door.
