Rodeo Cinema Cancels Screening Of Documentary They’ve Never Seen Because It’s Hateful and Bigoted

Yes, you read the title correctly. We now live in a world where people – without ever even knowing exactly what they’re talking about – can do whatever they want so long as they FEEL as though something is bigoted and/or hateful.

I have known Kevin and Janelle Batts for many, many years – since maybe 2012….? Kevin was writing the Red River Chronicle at the time and he found the ROPE blog and messaged me. From then on, we’d share stories back and forth, promoting each other’s work. But it goes beyond that.

Back in 2019, when I was writing frequently for The Federalist, I wrote a piece that stemmed from several encounters my daughter had with football players on the team for which she was a manager, “The Worst Racism My Children Have Experienced Came From Black Peers“. Holy MOLY! You would have thought I tried to murder someone.

Literally, I had to close my Twitter account and get off the platform altogether. Why? Because I was called EVERYTHING in the progressive-social-justice-racial-politics playbook including a ‘colonizer’ – I didn’t even know what the HEdoubletoothpicks that meant – and the name calling was SO RELENTLESS that there wasn’t a day that went by without my name coming up on the internet as a bigot, etc.

Thousands and thousands of people read that article – it pretty much went viral.

One day, I got a text from Kevin asking if he and Janelle could call. They’d read the article and spent over an hour with me on the phone consoling me and offering their support. I mean, I’m a big girl and I knew “words could never hurt me”, but that was a slam from the cheap seats I hadn’t seen coming – a big ‘ol fat sucker punch that it was taking me a bit to get over. Having them come alongside me and shore me up after such a big blowup was incalculably helpful – but that’s just who the Batts are – some of the best people I’ve ever known.

Today, they own Red River Creative Media and provide all kinds of film services to anyone wanting people who can produce excellent work with an outstanding attitude, but I was so excited when the Batts began their documentary career with “Saving Clayton“, an award-winning movie about the Wooley family in the Tulsa area who lost their grandson to Oklahoma DHS and have not been able to return him to the household. These two are exceptionally gifted storytellers and cinematographers – RIGHT HERE IN OKLAHOMA!

The Batts’ new documentary is called Trans.Oklahoma – a hopeful, but tough account of several Oklahomans detransitioning from sex reassignment surgeries and/or hormone treatments.

The premier of the film was going to be held on the 28th of June at Rodeo Cinema in the Stockyards of Oklahoma City. In the clip below, Janelle tells us what happened and why Trans.Oklahoma never got the premiere screening the Batts intended. Suffice it to say, how anyone can label a movie they’ve NEVER EVEN SEEN as hateful or bigoted is flat crazy and something I’m never going to understand.

Later on in our full interview with the Batts, which can be found on our YouTube and Rumble channels, Janelle talked about the spiritual component that runs through all the Trans.Oklahoma stories. That discussion led us to discuss our current culture and how careful parents must be with ANYTHING they let their children see. Social media is often a cesspool of group think that can lead down dark roads without really great parental guidance.

Please go to the Trans.Oklahoma website to find times and showings – which are now being held in churches and other venues hosted by the many supporters of the work the Batts do. They have been blessed to show the film in many areas of the state, so chances are, you’ll find a showing near you, OR, you could always reach out to them and offer a venue of your own!

I know there are always LOTS of causes to dip into our purses for – heck we ask you for money too – but I believe it’s SO IMPORTANT to support the work of LOCAL OKLAHOMANS – the people right here in our communities. Please consider making a donation to the Batts to help them continue their work. You can do so at their GiveSendGo campaign!