Mama Bears

Like many other devout Christians, Kimberly Shappley grew up believing sexual and gender orientation was a choice—and deviating from the cisgendered heterosexual norm was not only the wrong choice, but also a deadly sin. But everything changed after her son Kai was born and Shappley began to notice Kai wasn’t like her other boys. From a very young age, Kai expressed that he was, in fact, a trans girl. Watching her beautiful trans daughter grow up, Shappley was forced to re-evaluate her staunch belief system. And while she remained close to her faith, choosing to support Kai left her isolated from their devoutly religious community. Searching for mothers like herself, Shappley took to the internet, where she discovered the “Mama Bears” Facebook page. Connecting with other Christian mothers of LGBTQIA+ children from all over the country, these Mama Bears are joining together to fight for a safer and more inclusive world for their children. Following the journeys of three soul-searching mothers, MAMA BEARS is an uplifting documentary about what it means to love our children unconditionally. —G.S.