GLAAD slams 'Tomboy' film for 'sensationalizing' gender reassignment surgery

HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- GLAAD executives have spoken out against upcoming action flick Tomboy: A Revenger's Tale due to its use of gender reassignment surgery as a plot device.

The film, which has just named Furious 7's Michelle Rodriguez as its star, centers around an assassin who is forcibly turned into a woman. Rodriguez's character seeks out revenge against the doctor who performed the surgery, played by Sigourney Weaver.

"We haven't read the script, but it's disappointing to see filmmakers turning what is a life-saving medical procedure for transgender people into a sensationalistic plot device," GLAAD director of programs for transgender media Nick Adams told The Hollywood Reporter.

"We are at a crucial moment in the public's understanding of transgender issues, and stories like these have the potential to undermine the progress we've worked so hard to achieve," he said.

Tomboy will be directed by Walter Hill and produced by Said Ben Said and Michel Merkt. Hill penned the script from a story by Denis Hamill. The team will begin production in Canada in early November.