The film shares her life and recollections of growing up on the south side with an extremely supportive family, her childhood realization that she was a girl, time spent in the drag ball scene, her eventual coming out and gender reassignment surgery, and her later career as the proprietor of a charm school.

[6][7] The idea originated from her friend E. Patrick Johnson, who shared a Chicago Tribune profile of Allen and suggested Fisher produce a documentary.

In a positive review for Scalawag, Antonia Randolph wrote, "Rather than offering a litany of the trauma that Black trans women endure, we see how anti-trans violence may have haunted Mama Gloria's life, but does not define it.

The film's poignancy comes from contrasting the victories and disappointments that make up any life with a portrayal of the unique forces that subject Black transgender women to premature death.

"[6] NBC News's Derrick Clifton described Allen's story as "one of surviving with grace and dignity, and a model of possibility for trans people when they are loved and affirmed by their families.