The central figure in the 2001 documentary "Southern Comfort" is Robert Eads, the epitome of a man who has lived his whole life in a rural town in Georgia. He drives a huge pick-up truck, wears Hanes t-shirts tucked into his high-waisted jeans, heavy work boots and he finishes it all off with a cowboy hat. Let's not forget the perpetual cigarette dangling from his lips.

But Eads is a transgender man with cervical cancer.

"The last part of me that's female, and it's killing me," -Eads says with a hint of disdain in his voice.

"Southern Comfort" is an independent film directed, produced and edited by Kate Davis, a deft filmmaker who specializes in documentaries. Davis' other work includes the documentaries "Jockey" (about horse jockeys), "Pucker Up" (about professional whistlers), and "Girltalk" (about the disturbing stories of three very different yet very troubled young girls).

In "Southern Comfort," the last year of Eads' life is followed with obsessive attention to detail. Eads' self-proclaimed "chosen family" is with him until the bitter end, and like any family, they love and protect one another. Eads' "adopted son," Maxwell (Max) Anderson, watches cautiously as Eads enters a relationship with the once promiscuous Lola Cola. Eads in turn is critical of Anderson's girlfriend Corissa (Cori) Anderson. The rotund and baby-faced Cas Piotrowski and his wife Stephanie join the group of friends at holiday meals. This "family" is beautiful together. Their love for one another penetrates the heart and reminds us of our own loved ones. Their love is more obvious than the fact that like Eads, Maxwell, Lola, Cori and Cas are all transgender individuals.

The film tackles the issues that transgender individuals face. Cas' wife Stephanie (not transgender) feared that she would lose her job if anyone found out that Cas was "trans."  John, Lola's given name at birth, spent many years of her life keeping Lola "hidden" for fear that she would become a social leper. Barbara, Robert's given name at birth, confided that he hid in the gay community as a lesbian because he, like Lola, feared the response from family and friends if he told them that he was really a transgender man. In fact, after Eads transition to life as a male, his mother and father introduced him to friends as their nephew. Eads' father exposes his limited views of gender roles by saying, "I had a dream that my daughter would marry a man who would be President of the United States." Eads' parents never give their names or show their faces. Maxwell tackled the issue of the inadequate surgical care that transgender individuals receive from doctors who see them as "freaks." This medical discussion leads into the more serious situation that Eads' faced. More than 20 doctors and numerous hospitals denied him medical care before he was finally accepted for treatment at the Medical College of Georgia.

For the last year of Eads` life he underwent surgery, medical treatment and radiation therapy, but it was too late. It was estimated that Eads' cancer had advanced to stage III or IV by the time of his diagnosis.

Eads holds on to his life long enough to attend Southern Comfort, an annual convention for transgender individuals, held in Ravinia, Georgia. This convention is where Eads met his "chosen family."

The beauty of the movie lies not in the tragedy of Eads` death or with the injustice he was forced to tolerate, but with the humor, strength and perseverance with which he lived his life. On numerous occasions, Eads' elicits laughter from the crowd of (mostly) cynical students that viewed the film in the College of Law building.  One can only hope that audiences not only got Eads' humor, but the message of understanding and universal love that Kate Davis wanted to educe from this documentary. Davis closes the movie with a beautiful statement from Lola: "Nature delights in diversity. Why can't human beings?"

Great question. Great movie.