Beyond Boundaries : Heightened Scrutiny

Heightened Scrutiny (Sam Feder, 2025)

The film follows civil rights lawyer Chase Strangio in his Supreme Court battles for transgender adolescents’ access to gender-affirming healthcare. ACLU lawyer Strangio confronts not only the legal system but also a media landscape that distorts public perception and threatens the struggle for trans rights.  With the dangerous SCOTUS decision upholding the ban on life-saving healthcare, Heightened Scrutiny is an urgent call to action against bigotry and injustice.

Beyond Boundaries Screening & Discussion Series is a distinctive program at Buffalo State that has been running since 2014.  This annual, six-part film series is organized around categories of diversity including, but not limited to race, gender, class, sexuality, and abilities, with an emphasis on intersectionality.  It creates an opportunity for open dialogue on social justice issues among college students, staff, faculty and members of the greater Western New York community. 

Beyond Boundaries is sponsored by the Office of Equity and Campus Diversity, the Communication Department, and the Burchfield Penney Art Center.  All screenings are held in Burchfield Penney Art Center and are free and open to the public.

The series is curated by Professors Ruth Goldman and Meg Knowles