Parents' Guide to

Gender Revolution

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Absorbing, empathetic documentary dives deep into gender.

Movie NR 2017 95 minutes
Gender Revolution Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Gender Revolution TV Movie: Family with two kids
  • Gender Revolution TV Movie: Katie Couric discusses gender identity
  • Gender Revolution TV Movie: Katie Couric sits down for an interview
  • Gender Revolution TV Movie: A young girl

Community Reviews

See all
age 7+

Based on 1 parent review

Norrie G.
Norrie G. Adult
February 22, 2018
age 7+

Positive, affirming resource for helping EVERYONE (kids and adults) learn more about how understanding of gender is evolving.

Watched this with my seven year old (now eight) daughter this past summer. In some ways, I think I learned more than she did. The film leads you through many aspects of understanding gender, and, how these shifts in understanding impact real people and families. It led to great conversations between us. As an adult, I learned and was engaged. Six months later, my daughter said "I was cool about it. I learned more about people who are transgender, but, I have always been cool with that".
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

"It used to be so simple," says Katie Couric at the beginning of the documentary GENDER REVOLUTION. "You were a boy or a girl. Girls wore pink. Boys wore blue." But it's increasingly obvious that for many people, it's not that easy. Couric criss-crosses the United States to interview experts and people located all along the gender spectrum: children born as boys living as girls, people who were born intersex and raised as the "wrong" gender, people who are gender fluid, people who are content with their body parts not matching their outward gender, and a whole host of others with a story to tell. Ultimately what we learn is that gender isn't as black-and-white (or as pink and blue) as many used to assume.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Incisive and moving, Couric's documentary about gender issues and identity introduces the uninitiated to new concepts and controversies. What does "cisgender" mean? What is "gender fluid?" How can young children know that their internal gender isn't the same as what people see on the outside? Is it ethical to surgically "correct" the genitals of children born intersex at birth, or should children be allowed to choose themselves? Couric, who frankly admits that she was born in a time when the controversy of the day was gender roles instead of gender identity, visits with dozens of interviewees who have answers to these and other questions.

This is the point at which sympathetic viewers may find themselves tearing up listening to an intersex man describe the life-long damage that was caused by being raised as a girl, or the isolation and agony a long-married trans woman describes before she broke down and told her wife that she was really Kate, not Bill. Couric has a way of gently asking the very questions that might occur to skeptical viewers: Why are pronouns important? How do the parents of trans teens know they're not just going through a phase? Why does it matter what bathroom someone uses? Given the chance to confront the prejudices they experience every day, the interviewees answer honestly, relieved not just to answer, but that the questions are being asked at all. They are seen. They are heard. As one college-aged trans man sighs in a way that seems to sum up Gender Revolution's POV, "Change is coming. And it's a relief."

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • How does Katie Couric show curiosity, empathy, and compassion when interviewing the people in Gender Revolution? How do these qualities guide the questions that she asks and the way she asks them?

  • What type of person do you think this documentary is aimed at? A person who already knows a lot about gender issues or someone who wants to know more? How can you tell?

  • How would this documentary change if it were about just one person who is transgender rather than providing an overview of many people's lives? Would it be more or less interesting to watch? Is there a person featured in this documentary who you'd like to know more about?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate