"Heightened Scrutiny" with Sam Feder & Amy Scholder episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 17, 2025 · 43 MIN

"Heightened Scrutiny" with Sam Feder & Amy Scholder

from Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers · host michaellouismerrill

With intense scrutiny of the trans community comes threats to the personal safety, healthcare and civil rights of trans people. Just ask Sam Feder (“Disclosure”), director of the timely new documentary “Heightened Scrutiny” that follows ACLU attorney Chase Strangio on his journey all the way to the Supreme Court to fight for the rights of transgender adolescents and their access to gender affirming healthcare.   Sam and producer Amy Scholder join Ken on “Top Docs” to discuss their collaboration on “Disclosure” and their subsequent creative partnership on “Heightened Scrutiny.” Through this multi-layered story, we observe Chase, the first out trans person to argue a case before the Court, up-close as he prepares his legal brief. But, as we talk about in our convo, the film succeeds in going deeper than just being a portrait of a civil rights pioneer. How have mainstream media outlets not only presented a distorted lens on the trans community but provided fodder for the very forces seeking to overturn trans rights? It’s a chilling and urgent story that certainly deserves your heightened interest.   Starting July 18th, “Heightened Scrutiny” is in select theaters in NYC and LA.   Follow: @samfeder_1 on Instagram and @SamFederFilm on X and @amyjscholder on Instagram @topdocspod on Instagram and X    “Top Docs” is now on YouTube!   The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 17, 2025

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

"Heightened Scrutiny" with Sam Feder & Amy Scholder

0:00 43:02

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers?

This episode is 43 minutes long.

When was this Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers episode published?

This episode was published on July 17, 2025.

Can I download this Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!