Full Breakdown
Documentary “We Can’t Stay Here” Chronicles American Families Forced to Flee Amid Anti-Trans Legislation
6/27/2026, 5:13:58 AM
The Film’s Core Premise
“We Can’t Stay Here” follows three families raising transgender children as they confront a surge of anti-transgender laws, documenting the choices to fight, flee, or go underground to protect their children.
Legislative Context
In 2025 the ACLU recorded over 600 anti-transgender bills introduced at state level (Williams Institute, UCLA). President Donald Trump issued executive order #14168, defining gender as a fixed male-female binary, and order #14201, barring transgender female athletes from girls’ and women’s sports. A survey by the Movement Advance Project and NORC found hundreds of thousands of transgender people have relocated to perceived safe states or abroad since 2025.
Creators and Production
Wrong Turn Productions, co-founded by Robbie Kruithoff and William Nobel, finances the documentary. Directors Gene Gallerano—an Emmy and Peabody winner—and William Martin III lead the film. Executive producer Ravi Khosla also contributes. Emmy-winner Shelby Hougui edits. Consulting producers are Academy Award winner Mollye Asher and Emmy winner Pagan Harleman. The title track “Same Love” is performed by Grammy-winning artist Gino Barletta.
Official Statements
Robbie Kruithoff, a gay son of Pentecostal ministers, cites personal experience of homelessness after coming out. William Nobel says the lack of public support reflects a failure of courage. Director Gene Gallerano emphasizes that the families are ordinary Americans—teachers, nurses, truck drivers—who have been turned against by government policy, framing the film as a call to action rather than partisan advocacy.
Criticism & Silence
The filmmakers note that many individuals and institutions that privately support transgender rights have refrained from publicly endorsing the documentary, a phenomenon Nobel describes as silence from their own community and industry.
Verbatim Quotes
- “This film is personal for many of us,” — Robbie Kruithoff, co-founder, Wrong Turn Productions
- “ Wrong Turn Productions’ Nobel commented, “The idea of an American gender refugee once seemed unimaginable, but is now a growing phenomenon.” — William Nobel, co-founder, Wrong Turn Productions
- “In making this film, what surprised us most was not anti-trans opposition, but silence from our own community and industry.” — William Nobel, co-founder, Wrong Turn Productions
- “This will be the most important film I will ever make. It’s a love letter to those who’ve had to leave everything behind, and a call to action for the rest of us.” — Gene Gallerano, director
Impact and Significance
By humanizing families forced to abandon their homes, the documentary links personal narratives to the broader surge in anti-trans legislation, highlighting a moral crisis that extends beyond the LGBTQ+ community to American civic life.
Upcoming Release
“We Can’t Stay Here” is in post-production with a release slated for later in 2026. Wrong Turn Productions, launched earlier this year, is using the documentary as its inaugural feature-length project.
