Louis Theroux reunites with girl from trans kids documentary. She’s happy, thriving and – please contain your shock – still transgender
Camille revealed that she is hoping to start puberty blockers soon to delay the onset of puberty. (BBC)
Louis Theroux has revisited one of the subjects of his documentary about transgender children, five years on – and given an update on her life.
In the last episode of his series Louis Theroux: Life on the Edge on Sunday night, the BBC filmmaker reflected on the legacy of his 2015 documentary Transgender Kids, which painted trans young people in a compassionate light.
Among the subjects of the documentary was Camille, a then six-year-old who had recently come out as trans with the support of her parents in California.
Theroux caught up with Camille and her family five years on, as he reflected on the legacy of the documentary, which came before a surge in often-hostile interest in trans issues.
He said: “I had the impression that we were kind of surfing the wave, quite a big cultural moment, literally within a month or in the month or so around our transmission, Caitlyn Jenner came out as trans… it was just one of those times when you see the cultural landscape shift, very quickly.
“But then increasingly you’ve heard dissenting voices. Early transitioning became a topic of debate on the most mainstream TV shows.”
He continued: “It’s a little over five years since I saw Camille, and the family, but we’ve stayed in touch and Camille’s now 11 years old.
“In the end I try and focus on what I can see, which is Camille’s story. Loving supportive parents, trying to do the best thing for Camille.”
Transgender Kids star Camille is now 11, happy and thriving, and about to start puberty blockers
Despite a disproportionate media focus on “detransitioners” who regret identifying as trans, the reunion revealed that Camille is now 11, and is a happy, thriving girl.
Camille explained that she is hoping to start puberty blockers soon to delay the onset of puberty. She said: “It just feels like, yeah, it’s going to happen. I really don’t care [what people think] because I know this is what I want.”
Her mother, Casey, added: “These are big decisions that she’s made, and she’s made informed decisions.
“No decision is made by any of us. It’s all Camille-led. She’s the president of this team, and now we’re hitting puberty, we’re going to be getting her puberty blocker installed.”
Casey added: “She really is the kid who knows exactly what she wants, every second of every day, and moves forward with it, and never questions herself.”
Theroux reflected: “To me what’s most important is they seem to be doing really well, and then Camille seems happy she’s growing up and she’s super smart comes across as, as mature and well adjusted. So that’s what I see.”
Louis Theroux has revisited several of his LGBT+ shows
In addition to Camille, the latest episode of Life on the Edge saw Theroux reconnect with Megan Phelps-Roper, a survivor of the vociferously homophobic Westboro Baptist Church who has appeared in his documentaries about the church – first as part of it, and then in 2019 after leaving it.
Megan is still completely cut off from the members of her family inside the church, including several of her siblings and her mother, the church’s former spokeswoman Shirley Phelps-Roper.
She explained: “It changes over time, the way that the pain feels. It changes because I’m changing – I’m getting older, I now am a mum, so I have these memories of my mum coming up all the time now.
“Sometimes it will make me happy, and sometimes it will make me cry, but she’s my mum. It never goes away. It’s not the past, it’s now. And that’s incredibly painful, no matter how long it’s been.”
Theroux also delivered the sad news to viewers that Deborah Lee Worledge, the trans woman featured his 2007 prison documentary Behind Bars, had died from a drug overdose.
