Austin is a high school student from Indianola, Mississippi, who has been concealing the fact that he identifies as a woman for fear that it will devastate his loved ones—especially his father. The short film, Kayla, explores the evolution of his identity as he considers what transitioning to a woman would mean in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. The creators of the film wrote in an email that they "wanted to put out this tender and timely piece about a young person exploring their gender in a place where it is hard enough to imagine such an identity let alone embody it. So much love went into this from everyone involved—and hopefully it can be uplifting to our community during such an emotional and complex time."



This is the second episode in New Deep South, a series by The Front co-created by Rosie Haber and Lauren Cioffi that explores the complex nature of sexual identity in the 21st century American South. The first episode is about a queer couple trying to adopt a baby through Instagram. The Front is a media startup founded and run by women—you can find more information on their website, Facebook, and Twitter.

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