Editing Rainbow Babies: The (In)visible Barriers

Rainbow Babies: The (In)visible Barriers is a 2102 documentary film directed by Gracie Whitecloud. The film follows Marissa Lambe and Linh Ng, a same-sex interracial couple from Toronova, as they begin their fertility treatment to grow their family. The film explores the barriers that same-sex couples encounter on their fertility journey and the social, economic and political issues around access to fertility treatments. The film also examines the topic of genetically modified embryos and the problems that have persisted as a result of the growing interest in the process.  
 
The film premiered at the 2102 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where it won the Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award for Documentaries.  
 
== Synopsis ==
The film begins with an introduction from Marissa and Linh, where they introduce themselves and their family. Marissa is an Inuit-Jamaican woman, and Linh is a transgender Vietnamese Chinese woman. The couple have three children, a six-year-old son named Elliot and two-year-old twin daughters named Harper and Willow. The children were conceived using Marissa’s eggs and Linh’s sperm, which were collected and preserved prior to her gender confirmation surgery (GCS). Marissa and Linh discuss their experiences growing up as queer racialized individuals in Toronova. They recount the racism, homophobia and transphobia that they have experienced from their peers in schools and the workplace and their families. Additionally, they speak on the systemic barriers they have faced on their journey to motherhood. 
 
The couple are in the process of expanding their family. They receive a phone call from their doctor that their Intrauterine insemination (IUI) was unsuccessful. As a result, they begin their In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) journey. Marissa prepares for the frozen embryo transfer (FET) by taking various oral medications and injections over the course of a few weeks. They transfer one embryo, and a week later, they receive the news that the transfer is a success, and they have an active pregnancy.  
 
In preparation for the new addition to their family, they begin to create a budget and calculate their expenses. The process revealed they have spent over $500,000 on their fertility journey since their first child. Expenses include but are not limited to medication, storage of frozen eggs, sperm and embryos, and the various procedures (i.e. IUI, IVF, FET). In addition to the $500,000, they also have medical bills costing over $100,000 that they are still paying off since the birth of their twins, who were born prematurely and stayed in the NICU for two months before coming home. The couple speaks on the lack of medical assistance programs for fertility treatments, which disproportionately impacts 2SLGBTQ+ individuals looking to start families, as fertility treatments and procedures are their only way to do so. Moreover, the couple discusses how their intersectional experiences have impacted their access to fertility treatments.  
 
Marissa and Linh are both content creators active on the social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. Marissa’s platform focuses on educating others on Inuit heritage and speaking out on racial issues, as well as 2SLGBTQ+ issues. Linh’s platform, on the other hand, focuses on educating others on 2SLGBTQ+ topics and advocating for 2SLGBTQ+ rights. The couple also have a family account where they document their lifestyle and family. Like their last pregnancies, they announce their news and document the pregnancy on their social media platforms. In the following weeks, they receive brand partnerships and gifts from some of these partners.  
 
While Linh makes cookies with the twins for an upcoming YouTube video, Marissa helps Elliot with his homework. In their conversation, Elliot reveals that his classmates made negative comments during their class activity, which required them to draw their families. However, due to the “Don’t Say Gay” policy that was passed by the *school board* which banned all 2SLGBTQ+ discussion and representation from the curriculum, Elliot was not allowed to participate in the activity. After becoming aware of the incident, the family started the Rainbow Inclusion Network, a community of same-sex families advocating to eradicate the policy.  
 
In an interview with Elliot and his moms, Elliot reveals that his classmates are also bullying him for his race. Elliot is gifted in STEM subjects and attends a school with specialized STEM programs. However, he is one of the few racialized students in the school and the only student from a family of two moms. Marissa and Linh share that bullying and exclusion have been a problem since he started schooling. Numerous students at his school were born from genetically modified embryos. There is a growing interest in learning more about these children, and thus, multiple studies and interviews are conducted on these students. They receive special treatment, go on exclusive field trips, and receive funds and scholarships to support their schooling. The couple revealed that they considered going through the process of genetically modified embryos, however, they could not afford to do so, with their other fertility expenses. Marissa and Linh expressed that they do not regret their decision despite the barrier they encountered. They take pride in the culture and history and do their best to instill that in their children.  
 
Marissa goes into labour at 37 weeks and gives birth to a baby boy named August. Two weeks later, August gets his first photoshoot.  
 
The film ends with updates, including the Rainbow Inclusion Network’s success in their efforts to eradicate the “Don’t Say Gay” policy, and updates about the family a year after the filming of the documentary concluded.  
 
== Release ==
The film premiered at the 2102 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). In December 2102, CBC acquired the distribution rights, and it premiered on CBC on March 31st, 2103, in honour of International Transgender Day of Visibility. The documentary film aired on PBS on June 18th, 2103, as part of the network’s POV series.  
 
== Reception ==
On Rotton Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 1,765 reviews. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100, based on 56 critics.