It shows the viewer the reality and normality of the lives of these students and those around them, their family and friends." Billy Curtis, director of the Gender Equity Resource Center at UC Berkeley, was deeply moved by the preview; but he also looked at it from a practical perspective: "I knew immediately I could use it as an educational tool for faculty, staff, administration and students.… It doesn't try to represent the entire trans experience, but it… answers some of the most basic questions about what it means to be trans while being this great conversation starter." Roger Moore, film critic for the Orlando Sentinel, described the students as "sexually inexperienced… unhappy… laughably naive kids". Meanwhile, columnist Mike S. Adams told Townhall readers that he would attend the UNC Wilmington screening, and listed taunting questions he said he would ask. Joanna Weiss of The Boston Globe labeled the series one of the highlights of reality television in 2005. She elaborates: "What's radical here isn't the topic so much as the way it's handled with maturity and respect at a time when every personal issue seems fodder for a leering TV treatment. TransGeneration is provocative, yes, but only in the sense that it's straightforward, unflinching, and, in the end, wholly unsensational." After the television premiere The Sundance Channel airings attracted more viewers in the 18-to-24 age range than was usual for their audience, which typically comprised men over age 25. After the second episode aired, cultural critic Lee Siegel wrote about the show for The New Republic. He pontificated on transgender experience, and characterized the story as a unique form of drama or tragedy. In his introduction, he commented on the general absence of reviews for the show in major news publications. Bloggers Joey Guerra (AfterElton) and Jay Cheel (The Documentary Blog) found Gabbie, Raci, Lucas, and T.J. fascinating and their stories engrossing. Guerra called the show "addictive… not only because of sharp storytelling but because of the students' fully realized personalities." Cheel described the students as "intelligent, articulate and passionate in everything they do". Similarly, on DVD Talk, David Cornelius gushed with praise. He was impressed by the ways in which the series interwove stories, and presented some themes as a study in contrasts: Gabbie's economic privilege compared with Raci's financial struggles; Lucas and T.J.'s struggle for rights and recognition. In a 2005 essay published in the online journal