thinkprogress.org Zack FordFeb 2017
Katie Couric unpacks “intersex,” “transgender,” and all the controversies surrounding these identities.
Back in 2014, Katie Couric got herself into a bit of trouble. Interviewing transgender model Carmen Carrera, Couric asked some very invasive questions about Carrera’s pre-transition identity and the current state of her genitals. Though Couric was widely scrutinized for the inappropriate interview, she thankfully did not give up on her commitment to bringing more visibility and understanding to transgender people.
On Monday night, the National Geographic Channel will premiere Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric. A companion piece to National Geographic Magazine’s recent “Gender Revolution” issue, which featured a transgender girl on the cover, the new documentary follow Couric across the states as she unpacks all the complexities of gender.
Playing a bit coy, Couric invites people to share their experiences to help the viewer understand how to conceptualize gender and how to understand what it means to be intersex and transgender. In this clip from the beginning of the film, she talks with author Sam Killerman about some basic terminology like “sexual orientation” and “gender identity”:
From there, Couric crisscrosses the country to explore intersex and transgender identities by talking to the people best equipped to talk about them: intersex and transgender people. She arguably leave no stone unturned.