Changing House

Director Z.A. Martohardjono's short documentary pays tribute to Brooklyn's Transy House, which once provided a home for transgendered individuals. Founded in 1995 by activist couple Rusty and Chelsea, who envisioned it as a place for similar-minded friends to cohabitate, Transy House evolved into a homeless shelter once word was out, housing as many as 13 people at a time. Rusty says they took inspiration from Stonewall veteran Sylvia Rivera, who died in 2002 (a street in Greenwich Village now bears her name). Cellia, one of the last residents, recalls that she sought refuge at Transy because her roommate's boyfriend threatened to kill her when he found out she began life as a man; she also met with resistance from the shelter system and from her own Latino grandmother, who treated her as if she were possessed. After 15 years, however, Rusty and Chelsea, who are close to retirement age, decide it's time to shut Transy House down. While Changing House highlights a worthy endeavor, the documentary would have benefited from more detail and additional voices (no mention is made, for example, of similar houses in New York or elsewhere). Optional. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)