“I come from a family of great athletes” says young Lionel Conacher IV. His great grandfather—LC the first, also known as “The Big Train”—was such a phenomenon that he won 11 championships and was inducted into five different sports’ Halls of Fame. But the competitive “ideal man” he represented for many, and which Lionels II and III also personified, is not exactly a mold that fits this latest Conacher. After a rocky adolescence marked by “fear of being a sissy” and prescription-drug addiction, Lionel IV has embraced an identity that is queer and nonbinary, with a penchant for performance well off the playing field. This documentary draws on bounteous archival footage to chronicle a great Canadian family legacy in athletics, including interviews with Wayne Gretzky and other hockey legends. But it also makes room on the trophy shelf for a new generation’s different priorities and goals, with Lionel IV’s dad fully supportive of Junior’s “gender journey.”
Expected In Person Guest
Sunday October 13, 2024 1:00pm - 2:23pm PDT
Rafael 3