On September 10, 2021, history was made when Alana McLaughlin entered the MMA cage for Combate Global, becoming the first transgender woman to compete professionally in the sport since Fallon Fox’s retirement in 2014. Her debut marked a pivotal moment, not just for MMA, but for the ongoing conversation about inclusivity in sports. Unfightable, a new documentary film directed and produced by Emmy-winner Marc J. Perez, chronicles McLauglin’s journey both inside and outside the ring—and explores the intersection of gender identity, women’s sports, and the life and times of an determined trans athlete.
Latino-owned Fuse Media secured the rights to Unfightable and announced the acquisition amidst an ongoing debate surrounding gender testing in boxing at the Paris Summer Olympics. The film offers a unique point of view into the challenges faced by transgender people as well as the evolving legal debate over trans rights.
Here at Juicy Pink Box, we had the opportunity to sit down with McLaughlin and Perez for a face-to-face interview about the motivation behind the film and hopes for the future.
Q: Marc, what inspired you to make this film?
Perez: “I have worked with Combate Global for years—and they knew I was an independent filmmaker and documentarian. I was aware of Alana and the fight [they were looking to set up on her behalf]. So, they asked me to do the film and I was really excited. With any narrative documentary you want drama, and clearly that was present in [Alana’s] story—films about fighting, boxing, and MMA always have drama. There was so much to work with going into it.”
Q: Alana, did you have any concerns about your involvement in this film?
McLaughlin: “I did have some hesitation initially when I was first approached with the project. I was very concerned that there was going to be an effort on doing a ‘both sides’ narrative. I feel like that is something that has been really overdone in the media where there is an increasingly absurd fact check of one political side or another… where ‘you have to be balanced.’ So, there were worries there.”
Perez: “A lot of my films have been about social issues—so I was hoping that I would be able to present this in a respectful way [to Alana].”
Q: How do you view the media’s current representation of transpeople and athletes, and what sort of impact do you hope this film has on changing that?
McLaughlin: “I don’t think it’s in any way an exaggeration to say that there is full-blown moral panic about transpeople. This is like the Satanic panic of the 80s and 90s—like Dungeons & Dragons is going to help your kids summon demons. I think the media landscape is particularly toxic and there are big well-funded groups that have the microphone—and if transpeople are referred to at all it’s as a concept and not as individual people. We are viewed as this sort of monolith and that makes us faceless and easier to demonize.”
Perez: “I thought maybe there is a large group of people who simply don’t know—it’s not on their radar—maybe they hear something on the news that has the potential to sway them, but perhaps with a personal approach they get to learn about someone that could change their mind or simply think about what trans athletes face in their lives.”
Q: Marc, did you have any ethical worries when making this film? Did you worry about putting Alana in a place of vulnerability?
Perez: “I asked what was okay and what was not okay. I did not want to put Alana or any of her friends [on film] in a place of danger.”
Q: Alana, you have overcome so many challenges in your life and continue to overcome them. What advice would you give to a young trans athlete who is trying to break into a sport?
McLaughlin: “I don’t want to simply be trite and go with the standard narrative of ‘hard work’ and ‘perseverance’ because the moment that we’re in requires us to know what we’re up against. There is no amount of ceding ground to try to appease people who hate us. At some point—sorry to use this metaphor—but you have to plant your feet and start swinging. The more you retreat the more you lose—and there is nothing to be gained from that. There are some prominent transwomen who are a ‘pick me.’ What they do sets us back.”
Q: Alana, if you never fight again, what do you see yourself doing in the future?
McLaughlin: “If I never get another fight, I’ll have to do something with an athletic pursuit. I might try ultra-marathons. That’s been on my bucket list for a while. I know I want to start working with my art again as well. But ultimately, I’ll always advocate for trans rights.”
Learn More About McLaughlin’s Journey
Unfightable had a limited theatrical release in New York followed by screenings in Los Angeles. Viewers can catch the film on ViX and Fuse+ streaming services on October 5th.
Check out the trailer here.
UNFIGHTABLE Official Trailer | Fuse via Youtube
