The Pose star shared their refreshing wisdom at the 40th annual Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, at the world premiere of River Gallo-penned and produced Ponyboi. During the Q&A, Moore—who plays Charlie in Gallo’s intersex-affirming & Jersey-set thriller—complimented cis director Esteban Arango on being incredible due to his emotional intelligence.

Watch what we recorded at the Ponyboi world premiere Q&A and access the transcript below:

Indya Moore At Sundance 2024 Replay Transcript

“Well, I actually was enamored by River before I came on to the project. I actually told River; I shared with them that I had a crush on them.

Yeah, they’re really beautiful, and brilliant, and kind. And I’m strong and honest. And that really helped me to bring Charlie to life.

Also, the director Esteban is so emotionally intelligent and I think that’s a hallmark for an incredible director. As we all know, storytelling is really emotional. And it’s, I think what makes us impacted by storytelling, is empathy. Our abilities to connect with the experiences of these characters and these people that exist outside of us in our lives.

And you have to be someone who understands what it means to feel, and not just what it means to feel generally. You also have to be somebody who understands how something in a moment feels.

And also you have to be somebody who’s open to also actively empathize and receive that moment on set and to understand, OK, this is what this feels like. And this is, this is the story in this moment that we’re telling.

I’m not a director. I aspire to be, but if I were to be one, I would take Esteban’s example, and I’m really grateful.

And also something I was thinking about being here. I mean, I want to center Victoria for a moment because her performance and the story she was telling was so heavy.

And I think it speaks to, because there are so many circumstances that make women and trans people and queer people and intersex people really, really vulnerable to receiving any kind of love and any kind of person when we really need it.

And Victoria [Pedretti] helped so much, and there’s so much trauma and abuse [in the film]. I think, like that it’s really traumatic to enact, to experience, to remember and to also embody. You know, like that’s—it’s also traumatic.

But like also I just want to to say you’re really incredible, you’re so powerful. You’re so brilliant, and you are too [at rest of the cast], and thank you.

And also the love in this space, the love that these people created with each other is so powerful and strong.

I was sitting here and I’m like, wow, I’m like what does one do with all this love? And that’s what my head when I was like, how does one, how does one just experience so much love just in space with someone?

And I was just like, if you hold it, hold it, yeah. And you receive it.

And you let it change you.

And I feel like that’s what happened with everyone here. And I hope that the movie was able to impact everyone else in that way too.”

In Ponyboi, an intersex runaway searches for love and a way out of his working class New Jersey neighborhood. Follow the film on social for updates: @ponyboi_film

Want more? TransLash’s guide to the 40th annual Sundance Film Festival is a living document being updated with trans-affirming films and resources through February 2024.

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Is Seeking Mavis Beacon part of queer and trans cinema? After thanking me for giving them the opportunity to answer this specific question, this was Jones’ response:

Q&A Transcript

Jazmin Renée Jones: As a Black, queer, non-binary filmmaker, there’s no question that this is a Black film. It’s just, it’s Black cinema. Me being Black, regardless of what the subject of my film is, it’s a Black film. And I think it’s really interesting that queer cinema, it’s a little trickier. And it’s like, I think this [their film] is queer cinema. Olivia and I are gay as hell, but but it’s like absent of a love plot. It’s like we don’t qualify. And I think queer cinema is also just like, hey we’re queers, we’re out here.

Olivia McKayla Ross (associate producer and protagonist): It’s like we’re queering cinema [audience laugher]. Like, well, there’s a divestment I think from like a normative way of understanding the traditional structures that are upholding how what we deem is like a regular way to behave. And we bring as like, investigators, a femme politik to even encounter people’s space. And sometimes even overdoing it with like apologizing a lot, knocking on doors in a kind of way where like, it’s very common with investigative documentaries, you just have someone like waving a camera in your face, and like being very, um, there’s like a sense of like “it is my right because I’m holding a camera” and there’s these like dude, dude bro, like true crime. Yeah.

So I think there’s a way in which, um, like the fact of our queerness embeds in everything that we’re doing. And also the lessons I think, like, that we learn from queer and trans people of history about representation and how it can be a trap [muffled]. Invisibility the entire, yeah having visibility and having a voice…

Jazmin Renée Jones: Another thing, I think, coming back to your question too, we had a really interesting experience, Olivia and I. We went to film at a certain queer archive and the question came up of like why would we let you film here, your movie isn’t queer. And then we were like but no, we are, and then they’re like but your subject isn’t queer, and we’re like you got us there, maybe, I don’t know. I haven’t talked to her about that yet. So I think in general, I just, I’m excited for this to be in conversation with other queer films.

Olivia acknowledged that we spent a lot of time studying the hero’s journey and then the heroin’s journey, which I really love, um, but I also found it to be incredibly clunky in its gendered language, and so, it’s like I had to like translate like the divine feminine. And like okay that means intuition.

And so if anybody here also would like to work on like a gender nonconforming Journey which is basically us figuring out the principles of that without all of this gendered language, I would love that um, so yeah thank you.

Guetty Felin (producer): You’ve done it with Seeking Mavis Beacon.

Jazmin Renée Jones: Thank you.

Family Dynamics In Seeking Mavis Beacon

Call it a “Sundance moment”: I serendipitously sat down with several of Jazmin’s family members at a cafe near the Seeking Mavis Beacon premiere on my way to the press line, before having any idea who they were. I had seen an open chair at a table and politely asked if I could use it, and was immediately invited to take a seat with the family. We easily fell into conversation, and upon learning what I was there for, Jazmin’s mother shared with a big smile that they (Jazmin’s parents, step-parents, and more) were there for the same film too.

As I looked around the table in awe, I told them what a beautiful gift it was for me to witness such a unified front for Jazmin. Even though I didn’t know her and hadn’t seen her film yet, it meant so much to see a fellow queer and non-binary person being supported in big ways by their blood and chosen family on their special day.

I didn’t have to tell them that I and other queer and trans people don’t always get this support. I could tell they already knew.

My brief time sharing space with Jazmin’s family was filled with their father and step-father trading anecdotes about her always having a camera in her hand, the warm tones of their voices full of pride and nostalgia. Jazmin’s mother’s phone then dinged with a notification, followed by her alerting the table that Jazmin had asked that they meet her at the press tent.

Since I knew where it was, I offered to guide them there. “You’re our angel,” Jasmin’s mother said as I led them out the door, and we made our way through the snow to the little white tent where Jazmin was waiting inside.

From a respectful distance, I watched as Jazmin’s family celebrated her getting her flowers, then joining her for photos on the red carpet. As Jazmin’s mother walked over to me, I thanked her again for the shared moment and congratulated the family before I stepped away to find the passholder line for the screening so I could get a good seat.

Queer Family Legacies

Once inside the theatre, I was immediately surprised and delighted to see up on the big screen several of those same family members I had sat with in the cafe. Between scenes of their investigative work, Jazmin wove in the ways that her family held space for them and offered advice along her years-long journey to find the elusive woman behind one of her favorite childhood computer games.

Jazmin also included scenes of herself with vibrant queer and trans chosen family; her own angels supporting her on her quest for truth and resolution. Queerness and transness is embedded so deeply in the film that it seems impossible that anyone could watch this movie and not call it queer cinema.

Seeking Mavis Beacon tenderly holds a story about a Black woman’s fight for control over her own likeness and right to privacy, while Jazmin and Olivia experiment with subverting technology to find her—and the truth about themselves.

While I thought I was going to watch a film about the intersection of race, gender, and technology, what I experienced was a fascinating and complex story about the ways we as queer and trans people—especially Black and brown LGBGTQ+ folks—find representation in media that wasn’t necessarily created for us, cultivating family online and offline in traditional and nontraditional ways.

If we choose it, we can use technologies as tools to help us unlock the truth about who we are, while fostering familial connections along our path to self-actualization and healing.

Will a future e-girl/e-person make a film about seeking Jazmin Renée Jones because they saw so much of themselves in Seeking Mavis Beacon? I’m betting on it happening sooner than you think.

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing Is Complicated Black Representation In Tech

One of the most influential Black women in technology is a figment of our collective imagination. The co-founder of Myspace invented Mavis Beacon to sell the world’s most popular typing software, but the real woman she was modeled after disappeared in 1995.

Seeking Mavis Beacon poses critical questions regarding anthropomorphization and the consumption of marginalized bodies in the tech industry, while reimagining the legacy of a missing historical figure.

Launched in the late ’80s, educational software Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing taught millions globally, but the program’s Haitian-born cover model vanished decades ago. In Seeking Mavis Beacon, two DIY investigators search for the unsung cultural icon, while questioning notions of digital security, AI, and Black representation in the digital realm.

TransLash’s guide to the 40th annual Sundance Film Festival will be released during this year’s fest. Subscribe to our newsletter to access our guide: www.translash.org/connect

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A Black trans non-binary person stands on a city street with the sunlight creating a halo of glowing light around their head.

10 Trans-Affirming Quotes

Incorporate these affirmations into your daily routine:

Leslie Feinberg (1949 – 2014)

Ts Madison (1977 – present)

Christine Jorgensen (1926 – 1989)

Marsha P. Johnson (1945 – 1992)

Gia Love (1991 – present)

Janet Mock (1983 – present)

Lee Mokobe (1995 – present)

Elliot Page (1987 – present)

Sylvia Rivera (1951 – 2002)

Marquise Vilsón Balenciaga (1981 – present)

Trans-Affirming Health & Wellness Resources

Dive into our selection of trans-affirming resources! Start exploring now and step into a new year of transformative growth and wellness.

Healthcare

• OutCare Health – A directory of LGBTQ+ affirming healthcare providers across various specialties, including mental health and counseling, family medicine, and more. Providers are vetted and OutCare certified.
• Transcend Legal – Provides assistance with transgender-related healthcare covered under insurance, helping clients to receive respectful, high-quality care.
• Jim Collins Foundation – Provides financial support for transition-related expenses for those without insurance or excluded by insurance.

Relationships

• TransLash Guide to T4T Love – Learn about the history of “t4t” and access related resources.
• Free State Legal Project – Provides legal assistance and support, which can be crucial in navigating relationship-related legal matters for transgender individuals. 
• 10 Tips for Couples During Gender Transition: Pamela D. Garcy Ph.D. – writes for Psychology Today, discussing the dynamics of relationships when one partner is undergoing a gender transition. She  offers practical tips and considerations for both the individual transitioning and their partner, emphasizing the importance of open communication, support, and understanding during this process.
• Dating A Trans Person 101 – A guide by Gender Minorities.
• Trans Safe Dating Tips – Staying safe while dating as a trans person.

Mental Health

• Trans-affirming Mental Health Resources for Mental Health Awareness Month – This guide covers a wide range of trans-affirming and trans-friendly mental health organizations and groups.
• Online Zoom LGBTQ+ Mental Health Peer Support Group – Hosted by The LOFT, this group offers a supportive space for LGBTQ+ individuals to discuss mental health and find community.
• The Tribe LGBTQIA Support Group – An online group focused on mental health within the LGBTQIA community.

Professional Development

• TransTech Social – A co-learning and co-working community created to empower, educate, and employ the LGBTQ+ community through accessible education programs, inclusive events, and equitable employment opportunities that teach practical career-ready skills.
• TransWork – Helping transgender and gender non-binary job seekers connect with supportive employers and business partners, providing resources for both employers and job seekers. 
• Trans Can Work – A nonprofit organization committed to advancing workplace inclusion through training strategies and workforce development. 
• Transgender District Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program – This program is for Transgender and Queer People of Color who aspired to start a business.
• Transitioning in the workplace: guide for trans employees: A guide by HRC to help transgender people navigate transitioning at work.
• NASW (National Association of Social Workers) – LGBTQIA2S+ Professional Development: NASW provides a range of professional development resources focusing on the LGBTQIA2S+ community. These resources include webinars, conferences, and continuing education topics tailored to support individuals and families within these communities.
• LGBTQ Business Week – A 7-day celebration of queer owned businesses that launched in 2023.

Did you find this resource helpful? Consider supporting TransLash today with a tax-deductible donation. Did we miss anything? Let us know and we’ll update the guide with your suggestion, crediting you as the contributor.

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AI has been a leading buzzword since then. It’s been portrayed as everything from our new best friend to an existential threat to our livelihoods. It’s driven labor action and changed how academia approaches authorship. 

Ghosts in the Machine.

The apprehension isn’t misplaced as artists find their work devalued and we address the ethical questions of adding machine learning to our lives. To be clear there are many AI-related questions and shortcomings. 

For one, I don’t dare to call AI art generation very accessible yet. While mobile image morphing apps are widespread, a full AI art generator takes more computing heft. Midjourney’s cheapest unlimited plan is $30 per month and running Stable Diffusion at home still requires a beefy computer. It’s not accessible the way a pencil and paper are accessible—yet. 

There are also more complex reasons to be concerned about participating in AI art. For one, AI is trained on vast sums of online data, which creates issues of consent. Creators have lamented the ability of AI to use their work without permission to create new content. The risk to artists is palpably real. 

AI is also susceptible to bias. Although it cannot act with intentionality and personal agency, it can reflect the biases of its creators. This is often seen when flawed training data leads to biased creations. Shortcomings like these can complicate efforts to generate gender-affirming artwork from data that reflects cisnormative biases. Although frustrating, the user-driven and iterative learning sides of AI art makes it easier to rectify this imbalance over time.

While I was learning to use these programs, there were hundreds of duds, sure. It made dogs with too many eyes or eyes in worrisome places. Trees blended into mountains in beautiful but unsettling ways. Don’t get me started on what it did to human fingers. Despite these errors, there was magic in participating in artistic creation. I felt unburdened by scrutiny and failure when asking the AI box for pictures. 

However, one branch of AI artistry remains relatively unexplored: the potential for queer-affirming portraiture and visual art. 

What is AI Visual Art and How Does it Work?

AI visual art is the output of machine learning designed to produce imagery. These systems are trained on massive databases of images, text, and human feedback, all while being adjusted by developers. For AI users, art generation happens through ‘prompting’. The user describes what they want to see and the machine produces it. The resulting image may be refined by increasing its detail, changing objects, or generating alternatives based on the prompt. With time and practice, users can develop their prompting skills to generate relevant and accurate imagery. Imaginary landscapes and startlingly authentic human faces can be created in mere minutes. 

AI art represents the conjoining of the intense capabilities and shortcomings of computing. It can process, store, and produce far more information than any human can. However, it lacks the intuition of context clues that we have.

AI and Self-Discovery

In mid-2022, I was breaking under the stress of grad school and started taking antidepressants for the first time. During the months I got used to the medication, I realized my gender dysphoria ambushed me under the cover of depression. 

This was also the time when people couldn’t stop talking about Midjourney. I wasn’t doing much beyond staring glumly at screens, anyway. I figured it couldn’t hurt to try. I coaxed the AI program into conjuring up images of the freedom my heart desired. I prodded it for pictures of dogs in space. I requested art on the theme of ‘Pride, but ominous’. 

I fed it my own photos to generate portraits of trans women who look like me, and I saw myself in a completely new way. Usually, Asian trans women are depicted as raging stereotypes or the subject of pornography. But with AI, I created a fantastical version of myself rendered in lively color that brought me joy. 

Creating Possibilities for Queer and Trans Futures.

AI was once a tool that worked behind the scenes for giants like Google and Duolingo. This is changing. We now use AI, rather than just being served AI-managed content by advertisers and content algorithms. 

It has strengths and shortcomings, but it’s definitely here to stay. So why shouldn’t we explore it in an ethical and considerate manner? 

AI has been used to create gender-affirming visions of ourselves via image-morphing apps like FaceApp. Sliders can add makeup, change facial hair, or tilt our gender presentation into entirely new directions. 

AI-generated art based on personal photos can also transport us beyond binary ways of seeing ourselves, to faraway lands, or into contexts where we don’t see ourselves represented. 

And those are just the tools that use existing images. Full AI art generation like that of Midjourney and DALL-E can create new people and locations to inspire our art and showcase queer diversity. It can expand our imaginations beyond the confines of a cisheteronormative landscape.

What I learned from my brush with AI art is that there’s room for queer and trans users to carve out space for themselves alongside computers. We don’t have to suffer with depictions of ourselves that misrepresent us through someone else’s eyes. AI tools can bring a sense of agency and confidence to those of us who fight against the limits of social constructs.  

Summer (she/her) is a transgender writer from South Africa. After finishing a Master’s in Psychology, she took up writing to bring her knowledge of healthcare, LGBTQ+ issues, and mental well-being to a wider audience. When she’s not figuring out her next sentence, she’s probably playing a game or building a scale model.

The post The Untapped Potential of AI for Gender-Affirming Art appeared first on TransLash Media.

By Brennen Beckwith, with additional reporting by Daniela “Dani” Capistrano

Vico Ortiz Q&A: Full Transcript

VICO: I am really glad that it’s happening. I’m also scared, because change is terrifying.

There’s a big part of me that I’m just like, “why do we have these big studios?”

I mean, like, I understand why, but I’m also just like, what if we take this opportunity to just burn it all to the ground and then start anew? Without this requirement for these really capitalistic structures that are heavily following white supremacy.

What if we begin following the structures of community building that we do for independent films? I mean, I don’t have all the answers. But I’m just like, what if we take this opportunity to reframe everything, change everything — really restructure. Take a good look of like how we are currently working and see how unsustainable that is. And find more sustainable ways for not only economically, because we still operate unfortunately under a capitalist structure.

But like how do we operate in a way that is satisfactory to our soul, to our mind, to our hearts, to our community; and not in a way that just benefits the, you know, top five.

So I’m really glad it’s happening. I’m also terrified because I’m just like, when am I working again? I don’t know. But again, I don’t really need those studios to work again.

And art should just be art. (laughs) 

How do I like, nurture my soul and nurture something that I really love to do, and still make a living with it? Without necessarily requiring the need of like big studios?

So yeah, I’m very into the strike and very into taking this opportunity to see how we can do better for the next time.

BRENNEN: I think the studios just suppress queer art.

VICO: It’s not surprising that all of a sudden, when we had the highest numbers of diverse creators both in front of and behind the camera, all of a sudden it was like oh we’re, we’re not getting paid. Like what the fuck is going on? And it’s not surprising that it’s us who are — like we gotta change this shit. It’s clearly, it was meant for to work for a very specific type of person and that’s just not how society works anymore.

BRENNEN: And you’re breaking the mold.

VICO: Always and forever, always and forever. 

BRENNEN: So they’re pushing back.

VICO: Correct.

BRENNEN: I feel like we’re going through a queer Renaissance in film and television right now.

VICO: Yes, yes, yes.

BRENNEN: You’re right: it just so happens to also be one of the worst times for actors and writers to break into the scene and to make a living and a career out of it.

VICO: I mean, like you very much, said we’re, you know, as queer people we’re constantly breaking the mold. So what another perfect opportunity to be like, we’re gonna break the mold again! Because y’all clearly don’t want to work sustainably for the community. We are very much like how can we make this work for everybody and not just like the few five. So yeah, I love that.

BRENNEN: You’re so right. 

VICO: YOU’RE so right! Haha.

It’s really upsetting what’s happening all around and how studios are using the strike as a way to excuse poor behavior. Already the industry as is, is so uncertain. And the way that they’re maneuvering around stuff to pay less taxes, or just like save money. I’m like y’all are making millions millions of dollars. Like come on y’all, like do you really need all that? What are you doing with it, you know?

I’m taking the moment to sit down and also just like assess the way that I also work around myself right. You know the second the world opened up, the cycles of capitalism began once again. I noticed myself again like barely sleeping, trying to go go and I’m just like, wait a minute this is not sustainable for me either.

So again, taking this opportunity as well to kinda be like, how can I really nurture myself in a way that when this new contract comes in, or like whatever proposals we make and whatever agreements we make, or if we burn it all to the ground and start anew. How can then I have a sustainable practice with myself?

BRENNEN: Hopefully we come out the other side, better.

VICO: I hope so too, I hope so too. It’s gonna take a bit though, it’s gonna take a bit. It’s gonna be, it’s gonna be a long one….but very necessary. Very, very necessary. 

About the SAG-AFTRA Strike

As of August 30, 2023, it is now day 121 of the WGA strike and Day 48 of the SAG-AFTRA strike.

On July 14, 2023, the Screen Actors Guild – the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, also known as SAG-AFTRA, announced they would be going on strike due to ongoing labor issues with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The Today Show reported that the union represents an estimated “160,000 people in the entertainment industry, including actors, recording artists, radio personalities, and other media professionals.”

Actors and other SAG-AFTRA members are on strike for better pay and working conditions. Union members are asking for an 11% increase to their baseline pay and an 8% raise over the next two years. This raise will make up for the inflation, as explained in a document shared by SAG-AFTRA.

Reduced compensation is one major concern for the union, especially around payments called residuals. Actors receive residuals when their work is re-used beyond its initial performance, such as when a movie or show is re-aired or re-released on DVD or basic cable.  

Actors receive residuals when their projects are shown on streaming services, too — but according to SAG-AFTRA, they are compensated at a much lower rate for streaming projects, and their pay is calculated differently.

Vico is far from the only queer actor speaking out about their frustration with the streaming industry. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Billy Porter discussed the financial strain of the strike forcing them to sell their house.

LGBTQ+ writers held a “Trans Takeover” in May picket outside Netflix. Sydney Baloue told Variety “we don’t have a trans or non-binary ‘Will and Grace.’ We’re not in sitcoms. We have yet to even have truly a trans movie star,” Baloue explained. “We want to write those roles for those people. This is a civil rights movement of our generation.”

Trans actress Tommy Dorfman expressed in a Threads post that “I did all of the promo, flew round trip from New York to San Francisco to shoot for every episode, was kept for days without pay/working. I barely qualified for insurance. Within the first 28 days of release, season one garnered a total of 476 million view hours. This is why we strike.”

 “Our Flag Means Death” Season 2 continues the swashbuckling adventures of Stede and Blackbeard, with heartbreak and romance at the forefront. The Season 2 trailer dropped on August 30, 2023, welcoming back familiar faces and introduces new characters, promising a thrilling and entertaining high-seas journey.

Season 2 premieres with its first three episodes on Thursday, October 5, on Max. Two episodes will air weekly leading to the season finale on October 26. Watch the teaser trailer below:

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At the heart of the capital city of India, sits a larger-than-life mural made by Bengaluru-based trans-women and cis-women-led art collective, the Aravani Art Project. The mural, gracing the N. P. co-educational senior secondary government school in Lodhi Colony, New Delhi, consists of eleven figures. Some smile coyly, others frown their disapproval, while a few wear a resigned look that comes with experience and wisdom. Bold patterns in vivid hues on their clothing tie them together, intermingling until it’s impossible to know where one’s saree ends and the other’s Madras-checked shirt begins. This striking work of art represents the vastly differing cultures that India consists of and is inspired by the many people the art collective has worked with in the past.

Since its inception in 2016, the Aravani Art Project has channeled the talent and passion of its members to create art as a social practice. Through large-scale projects that span the length and breadth of India, they have raised awareness of how art can spark conversations between cis and trans people and create space for acceptance. Along with empowering women to recognize the power of art as a respected medium of self-expression, the art collective creates opportunities for alternative sources of income. 

In India, trans women, known as hijras or aravanis, have always been called upon to bestow their blessings at auspicious occasions like marriages and births, inspired by Shikhandi, an important transgender character in the Hindu mythological epic Mahabharata. As this character played a positive and important role in that epic, all trans people are held in high esteem in this context even today. They are usually gifted a large sum of money in return for their blessings. 

Members of the Aravani Art Project come from poor backgrounds and have access to little or no education. So for transwomen in India, the easiest ways of earning a living include performing blessing duties, performing sex work, or in the worst cases begging for alms. 

Poornima Sukumar, artist, and founder of Aravani Art Project, recalls how it began, 

“I was part of an international documentary that was filming a group of transgender people in India and I made many friends in the community during that process. Since the rest of the film crew was international, they also found it easier to be friendly with me. After 3.5 years, when the documentary was completed, they wanted to continue working together and I felt I couldn’t leave them in the lurch.”

As her training lay in arts education, she realized that sharing arts practices was the best way to empower her new friends. They started by painting on walls in available public spaces, as her students weren’t interested in the theory of art or learning in a traditional classroom setup. The sizes of their canvas’ in the open-air environment empowered them further.

“Public art can be very intimidating to create. However,  I figured that if painting on public walls could be so liberating for me as a person from a privileged background, then these trans women would feel that liberation so much more, and it would allow people to see them in a different light. The streets are also important because it is in these public spaces that the bodies of transgender identifying people encounter violence, harassment, social negligence, and pressure,” Sukumar adds. 

In 2016, they started by painting a few walls without any agenda or deadline, but slowly their efforts blossomed into something much larger.

In India, members of the transgender community have always been polarized — revered as holy beings or reviled for being different. The Aravani Art Project sought to change this by creating safe spaces for them to express themselves. Seven years, and nearly 300 projects later, Aravani artists have created art for schools, arts institutions, and private projects. They have also received a number of prestigious grants and residencies and displayed their work at renowned gatherings like the India Art Fair. As a registered organization with the government, they have been able to gain more recognition for their work. This has led to more commissioned work to paint for government infrastructure projects as well as large corporate institutions, which Sukumar believes will help sustain their work in the long run and enable them to train more people in the arts.

The results are expansive. Shanthi Muniswamy, a trans artist, poet, and blogger shared more about the fulfillment she feels every time she works on a project.

“Travelling to other states for projects allowed me to meet and interact with my community personally and deeply. I also witnessed people across communities living together seamlessly. There was no room for biases, as love ruled there. I overcame my fear of heights and climbed a wall that was more than 40ft …The process of watching the wall art come together after five days of being with the community, was emotional and satisfying.”

As fulfilling as the work is, however, there are challenges too. The biggest of which was the initial resistance within the community. Sukumar shared that though the transgender community had the zest to do something, they found it difficult to understand the merits of working with art. “They would question whether this knowledge we were teaching them would prove useful in any way. They wondered if it would benefit them. Fortunately, they have seen the impact for themselves over the years, and now they have become advocates of the program themselves,” she says.

Sukumar summarizes, “We have changed perspective and made it easier for people to have conversations around this subject. Now my team members are seen as artists first and transgender people later, which makes it so much easier for people to approach them and interact with them. Art mitigates the social gap and I feel this is our greatest impact.”

Noor Anand Chawla is an independent journalist based in New Delhi, India who contributes to various Indian and international publications such as the Christian Science Monitor, ARTNews, Reader’s Digest, and others. She writes on travel, fashion, art, food, health, tech, and other lifestyle subjects.

A lawyer by training, she pursued her passion for writing through her blog www.nooranandchawla.com and this paved the way for journalism. She was recently awarded the title of being India’s Top 40 English language journalists under 40 by the exchange4media group.

She creates visual lifestyle content on Instagram as @nooranandchawla. Noor lives with her family and enjoys traveling and reading books in her free time.

The post Indian Trans Women Bridge Social Gaps with Public Art Projects appeared first on TransLash Media.

Maggie Trisler is the creative force behind Mystic Light Casino, a powerful band from Memphis, Tennessee with a lo-fi aesthetic that takes its cues from punk heroes like The Stooges and Sleater-Kinney. Maggie, who calls herself “Iggy Pop in a sports bra,” recently fronted the band at the inaugural Women in Memphis Music Festival alongside some of the city’s most dazzling talent.  

In Tennessee, simply performing at this event is perilous for a trans musician like Maggie. The Republican-led legislature has led a crusade against trans individuals in this state, passing the first-ever law that placed legal limits on drag shows on public property or—as in the case of the all-ages Women in Memphis Music Festival—any event without age restrictions.

This law—which was struck down as unconstitutionally vague by a federal judge—could have classified an artist such as Maggie as a “male or female impersonator,” and therefore legally a cabaret performer engaged in a criminal act. Even with the law gone, a host of predatory state laws against trans people in Tennessee went into effect in July, and the threat against trans performers of all kinds is palpable. 

Trisler, 40, has been part of the Memphis underground music scene for 12 years but has discovered new possibilities for self-expression since transitioning in March of 2018. TransLash interviewed Trisler on her evolution not just as a trans woman, but also as an artist and an introvert.

When I first started playing as a teenager, I created a caricature of myself to perform because I’m a shy person. Creating a version of myself with a lot more confidence helped me do this thing I wanted to do—write and perform songs.  

I started this band in 2015, before I was even out as trans to myself. Most of the bandmates have treated me the same. They’ve all been very supportive, and even when they’ve made mistakes, it’s all been very well intended. 

I started transitioning around 2017, and for the next couple years I played a few shows fairly normally. I was out, but not terribly out. Then I played a few shows wearing dresses—people thought it was kind of like a gimmick at first until we had conversations after the set. Then when I got laid off from my day job at the start of the pandemic,  I went full-time as Maggie. 

As restrictions lifted, I got the band back together and we started playing shows again in late 2021, I just decided that I was going to be aggressively assertive about my femininity. 

I’m not the most passing trans woman, and I don’t really care to be. It’s not my goal. My goal is to get people to read me correctly duringin interpersonal interactions. I am best understood as a woman—always have been, and always will be. Transitioning was more about that.

My mission today is just to be who I am. Asserting myself—my real self this time—not a caricatur

Maggie’s band, Mystic Light Casino, has a new sound now, developed through the voice feminization lessons she took to change her speaking and singing style. She hopes to record a new EP with the band later this summer. 

Hormone replacement therapy can’t undo the damage that testosterone does to your vocal cords, so if I hadn’t gone through [those lessons] then I wouldn’t have been able to talk to you the way that I’m talking right now.

The switch does flip when I get on stage. I still get really horrible stage fright even if there’s two people in the audience. Honestly, that’s worse. If there’s two people in the audience I get more nervous, and my anxiety gets ramped up, but the second I get on stage, all that energy that builds up gets put into the performance. 

And part of that is playing with that notion and how to perform and just to be who I am and do what I do. 

While Trisler has found a supportive community in her home of Memphis, the state legislature of Tennessee and its mayor, Bill Lee, have passed increasingly hostile legislation against the trans population.

Whereas drag is an exaggerated performance of gender, part of my transition was an exaggerated performance of myself, but in a way, it’s more vulnerable than I know how to do in real life—which is why I’m single.

I am aware of the fact that Tennessee state law defines me as a drag queen or a drag performer when what I’m doing is very much not that. So now I’m interested in walking right up to that line and playing up where that line is for me as a protest, but also as a way of expanding my ability to express myself. 

I’m looking at booking a tour for later this year, and that’s becoming scarier. I do have lots of queer friends in lots of towns across the country (thank God for the internet!). I can connect with them and see where they would play, but there’s still a few gaps in the map I have in my head. I’m like “I don’t think I want to drive quite that far. I don’t know if I want to stop in any of the cities between here and there.” So how do I figure that one out? 

Trisler recently had an opportunity to be an example that she needed for herself when she was a young punk rocker trying to understand her own identity. 

I got to play a Pridefest in Jonesboro a couple of weeks ago and did have younger kids come up to me afterward and say they had never seen a queer person perform anything but drag and didn’t know that that was something that they could do. Just perform their regular creative work in a different context.

When I was a kid I didn’t have the chance of seeing queer people just being queer people and performing. I didn’t have the experience of seeing a trans person do anything but drag, and it’s kind of on me to be the example that I wanted to see. 

Featured photo courtesy of Aaron Brame. It took me until I was 36 and met [late Memphis trans icon and entertainer] Lisa Michaels, dearly missed Lisa Michaels, doing a stand-up bit about being a trans lesbian for me to realize that “Oh, wait, I can be a girl and like girls? I did not know that.” My mind was blown.

And now I’m a cranky 40-year-old trans lesbian wearing flashy clothes. But rock and roll flashy! I mean, I have gold lamé pants now.

I look trans. I don’t care. I like the way I look. I like the way I feel. I like the way I am.

Featured photo courtesy of Aaron Brame.

Aaron Brame is a journalist, educator, and poet living in Memphis, Tennessee.

The post Maggie Of Mystic Light Casino Is Trans, Proud, And Rocking Memphis appeared first on TransLash Media.

The 2023 Outfest LA Film Festival is the first in the organization’s 41-year-old history with transgender artists’ films marking both the opening and closing nights of the festival. Outfest, which runs two film festivals, was founded in 1982. This is the first time since its inception that transgender filmmakers are featured so prominently as part of the main festival programming.

The LGBTQ+-oriented nonprofit for storytellers amplifies filmmakers who have not historically been connected with key individuals who can bring the filmmakers’ work to the larger public.

Aitch Alberto directed “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.” Sav Rodgers directed “Chasing Chasing Amy.”

“Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe”, which opened the festival on Thursday, is based on the book of the same name by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Set in 1987 El Paso, Texas, it’s a coming-of-age story of two teenage Mexican-American loners as they explore their friendship and the difficult road to self-discovery. The film is scoring 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and will be released across the U.S. theatrically.

“Chasing Chasing Amy,” which will end the festival and screen on June 23 at 6:30 p.m. Pacific, is a documentary that examines the complex legacy of director Kevin Smith on LGBTQ+ people and the film’s life-saving impact on Rodgers. It is scoring 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

“Both of those films are just absolutely incredible stories that speak to your heart,” Mike Dougherty, Outfest’s director of programming said after noting that opening and closing nights have to fill big theaters. He also noted that the bookending films are “the perfect narrative for Outfest in particular” given that Alberto and Rodgers were part of Outfest development programs when they were younger, and Alberto has gone on to mentor succeeded program participants. Rodgers, who said that Outfest gave him a portal to Hollywood when he didn’t have one, is making his directorial debut with “Chasing Chasing Amy.”

“Closing the festival with my first feature is pretty surreal,” he said. “It feels like a very full-circle moment. If I think about it too much, I might freak out…The fact that people who I care about, who program movies and are quite discerning, finding that our film is worthy of a closing night slot at one of the largest queer film festivals in the world…that’s pretty amazing.” 

While the landmark moment in Outfest’s history is “long overdue…it’s perfect timing with what is happening in (the United States),” Alberto said.

The 491 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the U.S., according to the American Civil Liberties Union, include 353 active anti-transgender bills.

The adversarialness is “also part of the hope,” Alberto said. “Historically, when there is so much resistance to a community, it is because we are on the way to it being normalized.”

The historical moment for Outfest opens new avenues for trans filmmakers according to  Rodgers who says that “Trans filmmakers are often pigeonholed into stories of coming out and the superficial stuff that being trans is.” He wants to see trans filmmakers everywhere, including major feature films; “not just at Outfest, and not just at a regional festival.” 

When asked why it’s particularly important that artists of transgender experience figure more prominently into a film festival like Outfest’s LA event Dougherty said, “In media at large, trans artists are not given the microphone very often.” In the LGBTQ+ community, “gay men get more opportunities and more spotlight shone on them…Sometimes the culture at large thinks that the trans community is a monolith.”

Dougherty said that despite the progress Outfest has made, every year brings new challenges such as “right-wing media depicting LGBTQ+ people as things we are not.” This is where “the very tried-and-true idea that film is an empathy machine” helps shift that narrative, Dougherty said.

In a press release about Outfest’s programming of the opening and closing nights, Alberto had said that “anything is possible when we move with intention, resilience, and purpose to show that we are more than what you define us as.” She understands that it’s easier to put folks into a box. However, since she finds it limiting to be called “a trans filmmaker,” Alberto refuses the title. 

When asked what it meant for her to stand in her truth on opening night, Alberto said it took her a long time to transition and that it was a truth that she never thought she could claim.

“But everything changed as I did. Everything started to flow to me…It wasn’t until I transitioned that I knew I was ready to direct. It goes back to that purpose and truth aligning.” Tickets remain available for “Chasing Chasing Amy.”

Featured Photo: still from “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.” Courtesy of Outfest.

Described by a rival community newspaper as a “big-city cousin,” Alysha Scarlett (she/her) has had bylines in USA TODAY, Screen Rant, Bleacher Report, and several times in Patch. She was a screenwriter for the theatrical feature “Before Your Time” and wrote “‘Star Wars’ Is Still Intact: Re-finding Yourself in the Age of Trump,” which was published by Thought Catalog Books. She currently contributes to That Hashtag Show and writes at Medium. Alysha is the first person in a rural Utah county to have their name and gender be legally affirmed.

As director of festival programming, Mike (he/him) is in charge of programming Outfest Los Angeles and ensuring the highest experience of filmmakers and audiences at all Outfest festivals. He has over a decade of experience in the finance, production and distribution aspects of the industry. Mike joined Outfest after five years as acquisitions and distribution executive at Radiant Films International and five years prior to that as a Creative Executive at Hyde Park Entertainment. Since 2014, he has been the director of programming for the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and is an associate programmer for AFI FEST.

Aitch Alberto (she/her) is a writer/director born and raised in Miami, Florida. She is a Sundance Episodic Lab fellow, recipient of a Skowhegan Artist Residency, a Yaddo fellowship, a Latino Screenwriting Project Fellowship, and an alumnus of the Outfest Screenwriting Lab. Aitch has written on DUSTER, a 1970s-set crime drama series from J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan for HBO Max and WBTV. She also served as a writer on AppleTV+’s BAFTA and Film Independent Nominated anthology series LITTLE AMERICA from Alan Yang, Kumail Nanjiani, and Emily V. Gordon. Most recently, Aitch has adapted and directed the award-winning young adult novel ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eugenio Debrez producing, from Limelight. She has been included on The Black List’s inaugural Latinx List, as well as the Tracking Board’s Hit List and Young & Hungry List, and NALIP’s list of “Latinx Directors You Should Know”. Aitch has most recently been featured on Variety’s 10 Directors To Watch for 2022 and Indiewire’s 22 Rising Female Filmmakers to watch in 2022.

Originally from Kansas, Sav Rodgers is a filmmaker and screenwriter whose feature directorial debut CHASING CHASING AMY is about the complicated legacy of Chasing Amy (1997) and its profound impression on his life. The TED Talk he gave in 2018 kickstarted this filmmaking journey, and spurred the writing of scripts that center on highly specific, surprising stories about queer people. His screenplays have been recognized by GLAAD, Outfest, ScreenCraft, among others. An alumnus of the Producers Guild of America’s inaugural PGA Create program, Sav is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Transgender Film Center, a nonprofit aiming to help trans creators bring finished films to audiences around the world. Sav is a proud University of Kansas graduate and still sports KU baseball caps wherever he goes.

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In the third of three Artistic Legacies films, Ballroom legend Kimiyah Prescott opens up about how she grew from the rigid and repressive rules of an extremely religious household to find freedom through expression in the ballroom community. As Kimiyah prepares for an upcoming performance, she tells us what liberation feels like. And how once she experienced it, she never looked back.

Credits: Creator And Executive Producer: Imara Jones | Producer: Tiler Wilson | Producer: Ruby Rose Collins | Producer: Sophia Kiapos | Editor: Gracie Simonett | Director Of Photography: Nicholas Lattimore | Assistant Camera: Etienne Pelissier | Sound Mixer: Zach Salem-Mackall | Colorist: Michael Schatz  | Digital Strategist: Daniela “Dani” Capistrano | Special Thanks To: Jordyn Jay, Btfa, And Kimiyah

About Artistic Legacies

Artistic Legacies explores the power of the Black Trans Femmes in the Arts (BTFA) collective through the stories of Founder Jordyn Jay, artist and musician/songwriter Iman Hill, and ballroom legend Kimiyah Prescott. This three-part docuseries shows how these members use artistic expression to change themselves and the world around them, bringing hope to the most of the marginalized at a time of unprecedented violence and political attack. Artistic Legacies points to how we can create brighter futures by using what’s already inside each of us. The 200-strong BTFA demonstrates how to manifest these possibilities.

Kimiyah’s Story: Transcript

I got into the hint of ballroom when I got into high school. People tell me like you’re a star, but I don’t think you know it yet, and I used to be like I know I’m a star but what could I do to take it to the next level?

*Washing hair* Washing… Yes, It’s jet black.

My parents is Caribbean. And, you know, my father is a pastor. So, you know, I was very sheltered. I wasn’t able to like be outside and socialize with a lot of people.

I was battling living a double life and hiding myself from the world.

My parents would usually drop me off halfway to school, so they dropped by the train station. But my best friend at the time lived like down the block.

So I would go to her house and I would change my clothes into whatever I wanted to wear, whether it was a skirt or some cute sandals or just like even just do little things like do my makeup a little bit.

And when I got home, I used to stop around the corner from my house and I would like take it off and then go in the house like nothing happened.

*Kimiyah on the phone* I’m running on 20 minutes of sleep, but yeah, I have to get ready for this ball girl. And my dress isn’t even here yet. I got my ticket.

I wasn’t going to back down. I wasn’t going to change who I was for anybody. When I got to ballroom, just seeing people that are unapologetic and just living in their truth and being happy, I wanted that. 

When I got into high school and I saw my friend, her name is Tati, voguing. She just went spin in the air into a dip, and I was like, what is that? Whatever that is, I need to learn it.

We ended up going to HMI and I saw all these gay people and I’m like, wait, there’s more of me.

From there, I just kept practicing and perfecting my craft. Brought me to my first ball, and even then I was like, Wow, it’s underground. It’s lights the big speaker. It was just crazy. It was like, I need to I want to be a part of this. I want to be a part of this, so badly. 

*Kimiyah walking up to venue* Hi, i’m so sorry. Thank you. Thank you for coming. You okay. Oh, shit. Damn. She got somebody in the chair. Come on. I’m about to tell her right now. 

My ballroom career took off. Then I joined the Iconic House of Juicy Couture, which is like my second family. I love them so dearly.

I’m confident in who I am. I’m confident in what I do. I’m confident in anything that I put my mind to do.

Being able to vogue and showcase like my talent and me being the only one on stage, I feel like I’m on another level.

I just always try to think like what is the next best thing I could do?

People say “wow, watching you just inspired me to go out there and do my thing.” That’s what makes you legendary. 

Why Translash Honors Black Trans Women

Black trans femmes have historically been the first to stand up for LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, while also disproportionately facing the most anti-LGBT+ and anti-Black violence. We at TransLash want to give our Black trans femme siblings their flowers 24-7. Our #BlackTransArtisticLegacies campaign is part of our mission of telling trans stories to save trans lives.

Did you find this resource helpful? Consider supporting TransLash today with a tax-deductible donation.

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REWIND: HISTORY ON REPEAT spotlights Black LGBTQ+ experiences from the late 1970s to mid-1990s, and in particular, pays tribute to now-passed members of McCall’s chosen family. The exhibit is a snapshot of life during the era McCall remembers as a time of disco, the AIDS crisis, the LGBTQ+ rights movement, and anti-trans violence. Layering McCall’s personal photos, button embellishments, and archival materials, the exhibition is an invitation for all generations to feel empowered as they reflect on the past, present, and future of Black LGBTQ+ communities. 

TransLash spoke with McCall and Souleo about the exhibit, their shared artistic vision, and how we can draw strength from queer lineages. 

TransLash: Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves?

McCall: I am Beau McCall from Down South, Philadelphia. I am a self-taught button artist. My journey started many moons ago, over forty years to be precise, with a jar of clothing buttons in my mother’s basement. I saw the buttons just sitting there and talking to me. Eventually, I began to create wearable and visual art using buttons. That’s why they also call me The Button Man.

Souleo: I am a creative, curator, impresario, consultant, and muse. It sounds like a lot to digest but it’s really all about using creativity to tell stories (mainly underrepresented narratives) whether that is through exhibitions or public programs or writing. Oh, and I’m one of those rare New York-born and-raised individuals, you know, like the disco song. 

TransLash: Beau, can you talk about how you came to work on REWIND: MEMORIES ON REPEAT as a book? What was the artistic process like for you? How did the book evolve into an exhibit at the Stonewall Archives?

McCall: Nick Kline at Rutgers University’s SHINE Portrait Studio Press offered Souleo the opportunity to do an artists’ book. At the time, Souleo didn’t want to do a book about his experiences so he asked if I was interested and if he could edit the book. I thought about it for a minute and started reflecting on my core group of friends, or as I call them, my chosen family. They are all deceased. But mentally and spiritually I am still holding onto the memories of our time together. So I wanted to honor them in the book.

The day before I began to work on the book my closest friend, Tracy, passed away. So it made it very difficult to begin because I had to mourn that loss. But in many ways working on the book while mourning was also cathartic. I was able to reminisce and reflect on how important these friendships are to me. 

In terms of the artistic process, I created the collages by hand using my historical photographs (mostly shot by me), archives, and detailed images from my actual wearable and visual artwork. Before social media and camera phones, I always had a disposable camera at hand in my pocket or bag. I would document all the things me and my friends were doing whether we were just hanging out at a club or putting on makeup. My friend in the book, Antoine aka DeeDee Somemore called me “picture crazy.” But at some point, I knew I was gonna utilize all the information I collected. I just didn’t know how I would use it. 

The photographs I selected are heartfelt, joyous, and fun. For example, the image of me and Saifuddin Muhammad at the Patti LaBelle concert is one of my favorites. I remember us being in the lobby at the Forrest Theatre in Philly. This photographer came up to me and saw I had a photo of Patti in the breast pocket of my blazer. He asked to photograph us and we said yes, not knowing where the image would end up. The next day we were in the Philadelphia Daily News and we got 15 minutes of fame off of that photograph. 

The book and the exhibition are full of such special moments. The exhibition was a vision me and Souleo had from the beginning when we first started working on the book. We both agreed that Stonewall National Museum, Library, & Archives (SNMLA) was the perfect place to launch the exhibition. 

TransLash: REWIND: History on repeat functions like a personal tribute and memorial, as well as evidence of life in the 70s-90s. What do you want people to understand about the friends who inspired this art? About this period in time?

McCall: I want people to understand that true friendship never dies. At some point, we all reflect on the past because your past has a lot to do with the current state of who you are. Because of my experience with my friends, I am who I am today. I’m grateful for them being in my life. This time period, despite its struggles, was also joyous. I had the time of my life with them. It made my life easier with these particular folks that I welcomed in as my chosen family. They were all unique, talented, and we all had something to offer each other and the world. So I really want people to know how special these individuals were and to reflect on the friends in their lives and to be thankful for those bonds.

TransLash: Souleo, can you describe a little bit about your process working as both an editor and curator for this collection? How did you and Beau begin working together?

Souleo: We started working together really from the beginning of our romantic relationship about thirteen years ago. But it was during the COVID-19 pandemic when I officially became a consultant and started representing him. In terms of working on this project, I had to balance my role as his lover with my professional duties. There were times he would break down in tears of pain or joy reflecting on his friendships. So I had to lend an ear and comfort him during those times as a romantic partner. At the same time, I had to keep us on track to make sure we hit our deadlines, I had to ask him a lot of questions to fact-check his memories as much as possible, and be objective enough to edit and curate the work even if it meant challenging him on certain aspects. 

TransLash: The exhibit description notes: “…select collages are paired with an archival item from SNMLA that relates to the theme of McCall’s artwork. This pairing draws a parallel between the personal experiences of McCall and his friends and the larger historical moments that impacted their lives.” 

Can you tell me about the historical and social contexts the exhibit speaks to? 

McCall: One of the biggest historical moments that shaped our lives and the collection is disco. We were friends during the height of disco in the 1970s. I remember going out every Friday listening to incredible music and watching people do the Hustle dance. When we went to the club we were free and didn’t have the pressure of society with a magnifying glass looking down on us for being part of the LGBTQ+ community. Disco allowed us a space that was welcoming and open to people of all backgrounds and identities because the music connected us. 

In terms of trans identity and expressions of gender, you have to remember that at that time we didn’t have the language we do today. There wasn’t a trans label for those who identified as such. You were just called a drag queen. In these disco clubs, I met individuals who were trans men and women. So that was fascinating to me because I was young and had never met a trans person. Seeing the confidence with which they carried themselves was inspiring to me. So the disco clubs created an environment where me and my friends felt safe enough to express ourselves in ways that were authentic to who we were and that challenged sexuality and gender norms.

TransLash: Beau, you’ve said that “Since the 1970s we have lost so many individuals to AIDS, drugs, and anti-trans violence. So I wanted to tell some of these lost stories through images of my own friends who experienced these issues. It is my way of honoring my friendship with them and bringing greater visibility and representation to the unsung everyday people of the Black LGBTQ+ community.”

Can you talk to me about how the three forces you name — AIDS, drugs, and anti-trans violence — have shaped queer and trans lives broadly, the lives of your friends, and the exhibit? 

McCall: AIDS was something that had a profound impact on my group of friends. Some of the images in the exhibition are from the height of the AIDS epidemic. I remember us all being on pins and needles as to who would be next to get AIDS and die. I’ve always been very particular about who I am intimate with so the fear of AIDS made me even more selective, which probably ended up saving my life. I remember each time when we would meet we’d hear of another person who died from the disease. In my circle, the disease kept getting closer and closer until it claimed the lives of some of my friends featured in the exhibition such as Antoine aka DeeDee Somemore, Joey aka Ericka World, and Saifuddin Muhammad. Mentally, it led me into a depression and I took about a ten-year hiatus from pursuing a professional creative career. I withdrew and became very guarded. After I started losing my friends I didn’t develop any new friendships in the LGBTQ+ community. 

On a positive note, these forces have led to the creation of more organizations and activism surrounding the LGBTQ+ community. There are more spaces where people can share their stories and find support. We didn’t have as much of that back then. All we had was each other. I think we’ve made a lot of progress in terms of visibility and in public policy. Of course, there is still a long way to go and the struggle continues as we see by current political efforts targeting the LGBTQ+ community. 

TransLash: When reading the exhibit description, I thought about what other generations of LGBTQ+ people might take from the exhibit, given our current political moment (and especially in Florida, where the Stonewall Archives are). Souleo, what do you hope people will take from the exhibit?

Souleo: I hope people walk away inspired on several fronts. In the queer community, some are rejected by members of their own families. So to be able to choose your family and have that support is very important. And we need to uplift those bonds as much as possible to add an alternative to the dominant traditional family narrative. 

I hope people walk away inspired with an appreciation for Black LGBTQ+ experiences. Within our own queer community, the Black experience and those of other similarly oppressed groups have been underrepresented. And when there is a spotlight it focuses on the same set of names. But with this project, we are sharing the everyday Black queer perspective from individuals who were surviving and living and trying to figure out life together. Along the way, some of them made important cultural contributions that deserve greater amplification and placement in the canon such as Moi Renee’s music and Beau’s artworks. 

I hope people are inspired to do as Beau did and start their own personal archives and eventually have them acquired or donated to institutions such as SNMLA. It is collections like these that add that emotional and human perspective to our collective history. In particular, this is also how we can expand archives to be more representative of Black LGBTQ+ experiences.

And finally, I hope people are inspired to take political action in one way or another by voting, signing petitions, donating to causes, or whatever it may be. The exhibition arrives during a time when LGBTQ+ rights are under assault in Florida and across the country with numerous bills introduced to restrict access to LGBTQ+ books and lessons in educational settings. That’s why I’m honored to curate this exhibition at SNMLA, because it is spaces like this where we are able to share important stories such as that of Beau’s chosen family.  

All Photos Courtesy of the Artist.

Sara Youngblood Gregory (she/they) is a non-binary lesbian journalist and writer. She is the author of THE POLYAMORY WORKBOOK and a former staff writer for POPSUGAR. She covers sex, queerness, disability, culture, and wellness. Her work has been featured in Vice, Teen Vogue, HuffPost, Bustle, DAME, Cosmo, Jezebel, and many others.

Sara serves on the board of the lesbian literary and arts journal Sinister Wisdom. As a poet, Sara has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best New Voices. She’s also attended the Kenyon Review Workshop in 2019 and 2022, as well as a Winter Tangerine poetry workshop. Her chapbook RUN. is out now.

To learn more and support Beau McCall’s work, visit his website.

To learn more and support Souleo’s work, visit his website.

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