Meet Mama Gloria. Chicago’s Black transgender icon Gloria Allen, now in her 70s, blazed a trail for trans people like few others before her. Emerging from Chicago’s South Side drag ball culture in the 1960s before Stonewall, Gloria overcame traumatic violence to become a proud leader in her community. Most famously, she pioneered a charm school for young homeless transgender people that served as inspiration for the hit play Charm. Luchina Fisher’s empathic and engaging documentary is not only a portrait of a groundbreaking legend who is aging with joy and grace, but also a celebration of unconditional love, the love Gloria received from her own mother and that she now gives to her chosen children. It’s driven by the love the director has for her teenage transgender daughter, Gia.