Film 'Neverman' puts spotlight on transgender seniors' fears in long-term care
A new feature explores real-life discrimination faced by aging LGBTQ+ residents entering care homes, where identity-affirming support remains inconsistent.
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Cuban-Canadian director Rodrigo Barriuso made "Neverman" to draw attention to a crisis he found "devastating and enraging": LGBTQ+ residents entering long-term care homes and facing discrimination so severe they retreat into the closet rather than live openly.
The fictional film, which played at the Toronto International Film Festival and is a finalist for the $25,000 Windsor International Film Festival prize, follows Lucia Neverman, a transgender activist played by Justin Vivian Bond. Lucia's nurse, Eleanor (played by Quebec actor Marie-Josée Croze), makes escalating attempts to strip Lucia of her identity—removing her makeup, replacing dresses with masculine clothes—while Lucia battles both these aggressions and progressing Alzheimer's disease. In one scene, Lucia tells her neurologist she'd "rather not moonwalk back into the closet" as dementia advances.
The film reflects real fears. Experts in dementia and community workers say the generation that fought for LGBTQ+ rights in the 1970s and 1980s is now aging, sometimes developing dementia, and ending up "sharing a living facility with the bullies who — news flash — also age," Barriuso said.
Allison Sekuler, chief scientist at Baycrest Academy for Research and Education and an aging and brain-health specialist, confirmed bias persists in long-term care, often because staff lack training on gender-affirming care. Ontario's Ministry of Long-Term Care says all homes must treat residents "with courtesy and respect in a way that recognizes their dignity, worth, and individuality, regardless of...gender identity, gender expression." The ministry supported development of a guide called "Welcoming Trans and Gender-Diverse Older Adults to Long-Term Care," published in August.
The gap remains whether individual homes actually use these resources. "The law says that trans residents' gender identity has to be respected, but not everyone will necessarily have been trained in detail on how to do that," Sekuler said.
How many Ontario long-term care homes have completed training on gender-affirming care since the guide was published?
What complaints or incidents of discrimination against trans residents have been reported to Ontario's long-term care regulator in 2024 and 2025?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The details
Who directed 'Neverman'?
Cuban-Canadian director Rodrigo Barriuso made the film to highlight discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ residents in long-term care homes.
Who plays the lead character Lucia Neverman?
Justin Vivian Bond plays Lucia Neverman, a transgender activist in the film.
What is the film about?
'Neverman' follows Lucia Neverman, a transgender woman with Alzheimer's disease, as her nurse attempts to strip away her identity while Lucia resists both this aggression and her progressing dementia.
