Assume Nothing

“It’s the first thing new parents get asked, ‘Is it a boy or a girl?’ What I’m interested in is all the different facets between men and women.” Those are the words of Rebecca Swan, a photographer from New Zealand whose work examines the complicated issues of gender within her subjects; coming from a nation defined by many cultural influences and a common embrace of individualism, Swan is fascinated with people whose relationship with sexual roles is both unusual and deeply personal, and Swan as well as some of her favorite subjects are the focus of the documentary Assume Nothing. Among those profiled in the film are Mani Bruce Mitchell, who discusses his intersex views while recalling his childhood with his twin sister; Jack Byrne, a transgender artist and performer who performs in drag as both male and female characters; Ema Lyon, who talks about language and gender within Maori native peoples; and Shigeyuki Kihara, a photographer who challenges traditional notions about the word “transgernderism.” Assume Nothing was an official selection at the 2009 San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival.