Details:

I AM NOT THIS BODY (1971) with trans science researcher Dr. Os Keyes

This recently rediscovered documentary landmark opens a window to a pivotal moment in transgender medicine

RSVP


I AM NOT THIS BODY (Richard Kramisen and Sonya Baevski, 1971, 25 min, 16mm to digital)

In 1971, the Erickson Educational Foundation (EEF)–an organization committed to raising awareness and sharing resources around transgender issues, launched by trans philanthropist Reed Erickson–funded the production of I AM NOT THIS BODY, a 25-minute educational film directed by Columbia documentary students Richard Kramisen and Sonya Baevsky. One of the first films of its kind, I AM NOT THIS BODY deployed the spontaneous formal language of cinéma vérité to explore transition through a refreshingly direct and personal dialogue between two transgender women, Lyn Raskin and Deborah Hartin, the pioneering gynecologist Dr. Leo Wollman, EEF director Zelda Suplee, and actress Pamela Lincoln.

I AM NOT THIS BODY has been out of circulation and considered lost for many years; this program will be the first public presentation of the film (made from a new scan of the last remaining print) in decades.

Viewed today, the film’s effort to address multiple audiences, from the medical field to the trans community and the general public, poses complex questions of context, motivation, and reception. Before the screening, Block Cinema will welcome Dr. Os Keyes, scholar and researcher into the history of trans science, to provide an extended introduction to the film. Keyes’ talk will contextualize the film by exploring the organisation behind it (the Erickson Education Foundation) and their goals in producing this documentary, comparing and contrasting it with another contemporaneous, medically-focused EEF-linked film produced at the University of Washington.

Following the screening, Keyes will appear for discussion and Q&A.

About the speaker:

Dr. Os Keyes is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. A widely-published Science and Technology Studies scholar, their current work focuses on the history, politics and bioethics of the entanglement of the provision and institutionalisation of trans healthcare with desires for scientific research.

Part of the series: TRANS PORTRAITURE

In March 2025, Block Cinema presents Trans Portraiture, a unique film series that explores early and contemporary representations of transgender lives on screen. At the heart of this series is a collection of rare documentaries from the 1970s and 1980s, rediscovered and preserved by Block Cinema after years of archival neglect. These pioneering short films, often created by student filmmakers and circulated in film festivals, medical schools, and professional conferences, offer some of the earliest empathetic portrayals of trans individuals in media.

The Trans Portraiture series will feature these early works alongside recent films by trans filmmakers, creating a dialogue between past and present perspectives on gender identity. Screenings will include discussions with leading curators, critics, and scholars who specialize in transgender film history, enriching the experience with expert insights and contextual exploration. In collaboration with filmmakers and archives from around the world, Block Cinema is restoring original 16mm materials to bring these films to a wider audience for both viewing and research.

This series is supported by the Alice Kaplan Center for the Humanities and The Workshop in Trans Studies at Northwestern.


Image credit: I AM NOT THIS BODY (1971) 

Contact The Block Museum of Art for more information: (847) 491-4000 or email us at block-museum@northwestern.edu