FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Cross-dressed by his grandmother as a child, abused by his uncle, confused and hurting, Walt Heyer sought to become a woman. As a young man, he underwent attempted gender-reassignment surgery, lived as a trans-identifying woman for eight years, and ultimately detransitioned.
Heyer, now 83, has spent the past few decades offering support to men and women who also have been taught to believe they were born in the wrong body. As part of that effort, he told The Daily Signal, he’s written a number of books and answered “thousands” of letters from individuals, often men, who seek his help.
Now, he’s partnering with Ascend Pictures Productions to produce a movie about his story, tentatively titled “Who Am I.” That documentary film will pose the question, Heyer says: “Who do we think we are?”
“There’s been nothing like it,” he said in a Tuesday telephone interview. “It is a powerful movie.”
Heyer knows his story has inspired many people, and he believes it should be shared through documentary film. When he was only 4 years old, he has shared, his grandmother would secretly dress him in a purple chiffon dress.
The attention and affirmation—which made Heyer feel very special as a child—“would be his mustard seed of torment.”
His film’s website shares: “The dress also became a source of his turmoil once his parents found out about his secret. His father’s spankings became more intense and also led to his being sexually abused by his uncle. This manifested into Walt’s affliction—thoughts and feelings that maybe he should have been born a girl. Andrea and then Laura were born in his mind, and they wanted Walt gone.”
Heyer sought transgender treatments that “promised relief,” but those treatments only “led to the destruction of his marriage, his family, and his career.” The documentary would explore Heyer’s journey, he said, which includes his ultimate discovery of his Christian faith and the “road back to redemption” and forgiveness.
Heyer emphasized to The Daily Signal that he wants the film to focus on sharing his story, rather than being preachy: “We really want it to appeal to people who don’t know Jesus. And I think it will.”
He wants viewers to understand that the issues he was dealing with, and the issues that other individuals who try to transition are experiencing, go much deeper than gender. And gender therapists are not going to be able to help individuals struggling in this way, Heyer maintains.
But the documentary will need financial support to make it happen. Heyer encourages supporters to visit the prospective film’s website, where they can sign up for updates.
“We need support,” he noted. “We need the crowdfunding to get it off the ground. Crowdfunding is the most important part.”