Felt Right Then, Feels Right Now depicts the childhood memory of Blyth trying on his
father’s boxers at age eight, before leaving for Brownies still wearing them under
his uniform. This memory is one of many that have contributed to Blyth understanding
that his gender identity did not align with the sex he was assigned at birth, leading
to the artist coming out as transgender at eighteen. The artist intends for this to
be the first of many animations in a series titled Defining Moments of a Trans Experience,
which will portray Blyth’s experiences pre and post transitioning from female to male
that contribute to his continued understanding of the fluidity of gender. The animation
consists of 728 unique cels, shot at a rate of 24 frames per second. It was hand-drawn
using fine-liners and colouring pencils, using a live-action video for reference of
the artist’s eight-year-old sister trying on a similar pair of boxers to that which
he remembers. The audio accompanying the animation is from the live-action reference
and features the voices of Blyth’s parents, bringing a personal reality to the animation
of this intimate moment.
Eventive. “2021 San Francisco Transgender Film Festival.” Accessed June 25, 2026.
https://sftff2021.eventive.org/films.
