Toni

There's so many different layers that created Toni that you see today. Follow Toni William's retelling of her life journey in this new short documentary directed by internationally-recognized photographer Chloe Aftel. Toni, a transgender woman who discovered her true self in the 1970s, narrates her individual evolution while showing off a fabulous sense of style and recounting amusing anecdotes; all details that are simultaneously juxtaposed with the U.S.'s overarching current political landscape, which is further contextualized by facts related to LGBTQ+ communities. From leaving home at age fourteen and residing in San Francisco's famous Tenderloin neighborhood, now encompassing the world's first legally recognized transgender district, to time spent in California's Vacaville Prison, Toni's experiences weave a rich tapestry of one woman's life, struggles, and triumphs. As a young woman helping her friends turned certified Peer Specialist working in the trans community, Toni's message rings out clear: I am a better person because I am true to myself.