is very clear that if it were up to her, Jessie would not be wearing dresses, because. and Sherrie were actively encouraging this behavior, especially in the beginning, but instead gradually coming on board with it and seeing that this represented some important core to Jessie’s being. Though, as Rockey tells us, that’s been a process: “I wouldn’t say that B.J.
Jessie’s great-aunt, B.J., and her then-partner, Sherrie, are as understanding as they can be as their child learns to express herself. And while there certainly is an aura of concern surrounding Jessie and her safety and well-being, Rockey mostly shows us something hopeful and heartening, a film that could be helpful for other parents and guardians of non-gender-conforming children, and for anyone else trying to understand them. (Jeffrey now identifies full-time as a girl, and is called Jessie, so we’ll refer to her as that going forward.) Given the political climate surrounding Jessie and her family, and indeed many Americans like Jessie, one might expect Pink Boy to be something harrowing.
In his gentle, moving documentary short, Pink Boy-debuting on VF.com today-director Eric Rockey introduces us to Jeffrey, a “gender creative” six-year-old living in northern Florida with her great-aunt and her partner.
