The Aggressives

Filmed from 1997 to 2003, The Aggressives dives into the lives of masculine of center queer people of color (largely African-Americans) in New York City who were assigned female at birth. It was the very first documentary of its kind. A sequel, Beyond the Aggressives: Twenty Five Years Later looks at four of those profiled again, from 2018 to 2022, showing the changes in their lives and the larger culture since then.

Tropes:

• Butch Lesbian: "Aggressives" was a term for lesbians who are highly masculine in the New York City black community, and all except one of the people profiled in the original film fit this (aside from one East Asian who associates with them as well). "Butch", in the community, is used for lesbians who are less masculine, while "femme aggressive" means those with some feminine aspects to their style. Kisha falls into the last category, since she's willing to put on more feminine clothing at times (and models). By the late 2010s/early 2020s however this term isn't used often anymore, with two of the people profiled then having now transitioned and come out as trans men or nonbinary.
• Coming-Out Story: The people profiled in the films relate in some cases how they came out, with their families' reactions ranging from immediate acceptance to reluctant tolerance or rejection. Some also came out multiple times, first as lesbians, then as trans men or nonbinary.
• D-Cup Distress: Octavio, a trans man, gets top surgery in Beyond the Aggressives, stating that he never liked his breasts, which particularly were distressing to him as they were pretty large.
• Disappeared Dad:
  • Trevon's father left when they were pretty young, and in the original film Trevon isn't sure of where he is now.
  • Kisha's also left in her childhood, though she reconnected with him later. He was homophobic though, and didn't like Kisha's lesbianism.
• Heteronormative Crusader: Some of the people profiled in the films were faced with queerphobic relatives that said their sexual orientation and or gender was just a phase at best, hoping they would grow out of it. The worst is Chin's case, whose grandma threw him out, which forced him to live on the street.
• Lady Looks Like a Dude: Several of the aggressives are often mistaken for men, something which they like (and could be taken as foreshadowing in a couple cases since they later transition as trans men or nonbinary).
• Lipstick Lesbian: Feminine queer women also are shown in the films, though they're not the focus, with long hair, blouses, skirts or tight jeans.
• Masculine–Feminine Gay Couple: The masculine lesbians profiled all date feminine women. It's subverted though for ones who later come out as trans men or nonbinary though still dating queer feminine women in all cases we see.
• Sobriquet Sex Switch: Octavio has changed his name from the female to the male version by the time of Beyond the Aggressives after coming out as transgender.
• Street Urchin: Chin had to live homeless in New York City for years after his grandma threw him out because he'd kissed a girl (while being viewed as one). As a result, he committed crimes for survival and lost his green card, resulting in incarceration both then but also years later by ICE when he wasn't able to get this back.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Kisha, one of those profiled, looks very much like her mother Melissa (who's shown in Beyond the Aggressives) including when they were both children.
• Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Kisha in the original film identifies as a "femme-aggressive", something like this for black lesbians. She is fairly masculine, but doesn't mind having feminine clothes on sometimes, working as a model as well. By the time of Beyond the Aggressives however Kisha no longer uses the "aggressive" label, as in the Black LGBT community it's been surpassed by other terms.
• Trans Tribulations: Chin was detained for deportation by ICE, something that his lawyers believe was because he's a trans man. While detained, Chin's held in isolation for over a year (which can have very harmful effects on a person's mental health, including an increased risk of suicide). Thankfully, his family and allies protest on his behalf, and he's released finally after legal efforts.

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