“Renee,” an ESPN documentary about transgender tennis pro Renee Richards, is out on DVD today

Chaz Bono has certainly done much recently to expose people to a transgender person.

Back in 1976, there was another transgender person who emerged into the public eye by the name of Renee Richards who was playing women’s professional tennis. She had transitioned from being Dr. Richard Raskind and wanted to play in the 1977 U.S. Open as the the first transgender player.

The film Renee, out on DVD today, tells the story of that U.S. Open and also follows Richards today as she struggles to cope with a life of contradictions and personal conflict. The story is told through interviews with tennis legends (including Martina Navratilova who Richards later coached), family, friends and experts from the transgender field.

Here is the trailer: