‘Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story’
As conservative politicians in the U.S. chip away at the rights of trans people, Netflix’s latest documentary, Stay on Board: The Leo Baker story, offers a glimpse of the human lives at stake in the trans athlete “debate.” Directors Nicola Marsh and Giovanni Reda follow professional skateboarder Leo Baker in his year leading up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. By that time, he knew he was trans and had asked his friends and family to call him Leo. But because his career and financial livelihood had become intricately intertwined with an identity that simply wasn’t his, he feels an unbearable pressure to stay in the closet. It’s a heartbreaking watch, but it’s one that feels more urgent than ever.