An inspiring, engrossing look at the life of LGBTQ+ activist and trans icon Gloria Allen, Mama Gloria is an essential addition to any public or academic library’s documentary collection. Through a tapestry of personal interviews, archival footage, and ephemera, director Luchina Fisher has created a gorgeous testament not just to Allen herself, but to the pride and possibility Allen continues to represent.
“The only time I entered a closet was to get me an outfit and a pair of pumps.” This line introduces us to Mama Gloria Allen and lays the groundwork for a major theme of her story: being assuredly and unapologetically herself. “Walk proud. A lot of trans girls, they’re scared to come out and be seen. I want to be seen. Take all the pictures you want to. Because I’mma let you know, I am somebody.”
The documentary captures Allen as a vivacious and visionary community leader. Allen tells of her journey from watching her grandmother as a seamstress for drag queens, to her early twenties in Chicago’s ballroom drag scene, to founding a charm school for at-risk transgender youth at the Center on Halsted in 2012.
Twice a week, Allen taught free classes focusing on a range of topics from contemporary trans issues to personal style and etiquette as a means of supporting trans youth in their personal growth. Her work at the school inspired playwright Philip Dawkins to pen Charm. Watch Dawkins and Allen discuss the play and their friendship.
Allen certainly does not glaze over the traumas she has faced in her life but recounts them so that others can draw strength from her experiences. On the whole, Mama Gloria works against the trope of trans people as solely victims or tragic characters and instead lets Allen tell her own story as its triumphant subject, not the object of an outsider’s gaze.
The challenges Allen faced growing up without trans role models speak to the importance of sharing her story today. For example, Allen says that her only regret in receiving gender-affirming surgery is that she was not able to do so at a young age. Had she been able to, she would have spent more years feeling happier and more herself. Her testimony is particularly valuable in the face of current and escalating anti-trans healthcare bills.
In her seventies at the time of filming, Allen was one of the reported 1.5 million transgender adults in the United States. Of that 1.5 billion, 14 percent were seniors, compared to a total US senior population of 16.5 percent. Despite the ongoing violence against the LGBTQ+ community, especially deadly violence against trans women of color, Allen worked to show that trans people could live long, full lives and that the trans community does have elders to look to as examples.
“Young trans girls feel they can’t make it forty—they don’t have to feel that way,” Allen says. “Getting older, I cherish it. Because if you live, you’re going to get old.”
As Gloria Allen is dearly missed following her passing in June 2022, Mama Gloria is a welcome reminder of Allen’s remarkable life and contributions as a trans activist and community leader. Too often LGBTQ+ films are relegated to a separate category, stripped of their complexity and contributions to a multitude of genres; while this documentary would make excellent programming for Pride Month or Transgender Day of Visibility, it should not be set aside for those occasions alone. Mama Gloria demonstrates that trans people are more than their gender identity or expression, and their stories demand our attention.
What public library shelves would this title be on?
Any public library should have Mama Gloria as part of its documentary, LGBTQ+, or biography collection.
What kind of film series would this documentary fit in?
Mama Gloria would be an excellent choice for film series on LGBTQ+ history, transgender activism, community leaders, or inspiring seniors.
What academic subjects would this film be suitable for?
This documentary is well-suited to women’s and gender studies, queer studies, African American studies, and US contemporary history.