Manhattan doctor continues mission
to affirm patients’ gender identity
BY GARY M. KRAMER
GAY CITY NEWS
Changing lives is all in a
day’s work for Dr. Jess
Ting, the plastic surgeon
profiled in Tania Cypriano’s
thoughtful and sensitive documentary
“Born to Be.” Ting
performs gender-affirming
surgeries at Manhattan’s Mount
Sinai Hospital, which opened a
center for transgender medicine
and surgery after the State of
New York decided that health
insurance must cover medically
necessary procedures. His work,
which involves everything from
facial feminization surgery to
vaginoplasty and phalloplasty, is
in high demand.
“When they asked, everyone
said no, except me,” Ting said
in explaining why he became a
specialist in this fi eld.
His patients, as the fi lm shows,
are extremely grateful.
“Born to Be” sits in on the
emotional consultations Ting has
with his transgender prospective
patients who come to see him. His
compassion shines through always
and shows why he has gained
the trust of the community. He
discusses surgeries and the scars
that may go with them, answering
questions with grace. He manages
to comfort patients even in cases
where he is pioneering a new technique.
His goal, he explains, is to
make his patients “feel whole,” so
that their external body matches
their internal identity.
Ting said that he developed
empathy for the challenges
transgender people face after
hearing about the suicide of a
trans individual. (The fi lm states
that 44 percent of the transgender
population have attempted suicide.)
He realized that transition
means different things to different
people — it can be simply dressing
in line with one’s gender identity
or undertaking confi rmation
Mount Sinai’s Dr. Jess Ting (center) with Mahogany as Mahogany heads into surgery.
surgery — and that spurred his
goal of helping the community.
His enthusiasm with one
patient, Devin, is particularly
striking. Likewise, his rapport
with another, Cashmere, is inspiring.
As Cashmere explains
the various surgeries she had —
and even regretted, because she
wanted to complete her transition
so badly — Ting offers sympathy
and reassurance.
Several subjects in the fi lm
— including Ting — get the opportunity
to discuss their backstory,
which make them complete
three-dimensional characters in
the documentary. Ting explains
that he was a student at Julliard
who taught himself to play the
bass violin, but he gave up what
he loved to become a doctor.
One patient, Mahogany, reveals
she once worked as an in-demand
male model in South Africa, but
walked away from success because
of her gender dysphoria. In
contrast, Cashmere recalls her life
on the streets and the dangers of
doing sex work.
The happiness Ting’s clients
express is infectious. One patient,
marvels at her new breasts;
other clients are thrilled to have
new genitalia (though some are
unable to look at what’s been
done). The post-surgery scenes
are warm, and viewers will feel
happy “visiting” with the patients.
A scene where Devin experiences
discomfort using a dilator on her
new vagina, however, is diffi cult
to watch.
“Born to Be” briefl y takes viewers
into the operating room, but
there are very few scenes of actual
surgery, each discreetly fi lmed.
Mostly there are discussions of
procedures, such as one Ting has
with Jordan, who is having a phalloplasty
procedure. Ting explains
he will remove skin and an artery
from Jordan’s forearm to create
the phallus. Later in the fi lm, he
pioneers a new way of forming a
penis because he thinks it can be
done better and without having to
scar the forearm.
Such efforts — he also created
a better vaginoplasty procedure
— are why Ting is viewed as a
superstar in his fi eld. His waiting
room is full, and his waitlist is six
to twelve months. He wants more
doctors to learn these surgeries,
and even trains one woman,
Bella, in a fellowship program.
But Ting also has to fi ght against
intolerance, hatred, disgust,
and misunderstanding about
the trans community. He has
a choice response for a troll on
Facebook who is “sickened” by his
work. Ting also acknowledges the
hurdles and burdens his patients
experience long before they get
to have their surgeries, a moment
many have been waiting nearly all
their lives.
“Born to Be” emphasizes not
just the need for access to healthcare
and for Ting’s services, but
also how important it is that the
clinic employs members of the
trans community, like Zil, the
program director, who has strong
rapport with its clients. If the fi lm
has a message, it is that doctors
and staff are needed in this growing
fi eld.
The strain of running a clinic is
also addressed. Insurance can be
delayed or denied, and scheduling
electrolysis can be problematic.
The documentary also explores
how some patients continue to
encounter problems even after
procedures are completed. A
dramatic episode late in the fi lm
features the aftermath of a postop
suicide attempt. This setback is
heartbreaking, but also illustrates
that low self-esteem, depression,
and fear are not necessarily alleviated
by surgery alone.
Still, “Born to Be” is overwhelmingly
an uplifting documentary
because of Ting’s compassion
and his success with his
clients. His work deserves to be
celebrated, and this galvanizing
documentary showcases him well.
BORN TO BE | Directed by
Tania Cypriano | Kino Lorber |
Opened Nov. 18 | Film Forum’s
Virtual Cinema | fi lmforum.org/
virtual-cinema
This story fi rst appeared on our
sister publication gaycitynews.
com.
18 November 19, 2020 Schneps Media
/lmforum.org
