Title: All my friends are angels
Author: Kyle Angel Leeson
Publication Year/Date: May 2024
Document Version: Fine Art Hons dissertation
License: CC-BY-NC-ND https://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20933/100001303
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Duncan of Jordanstone University of Dundee
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in Fine Art DJ40002
List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Abstract
Introduction Pg 1
Chapter One: Curatorial Thesis Pg 2.
- Curatorial Thesis Pg 2.
- Venues, Exhibition Layout and Curatorial Decisions Pg 3.
Chapter Two: Curatorial Decisions Pg 10
- Artists and Their Artwork Pg 10.
Chapter Three: Significant Ideas on Curation Pg 16.
- Failures And Barriers In Trans Focused Curation Pg 16
- Previously Successful Exhibitions Pg 17.
- Challenges Faced By The Trans Community Pg 18.
Chapter Four: Curatorial Influences Pg 21.
- Interviews Pg 21.
- Media Pg 21
- Personal Experience Pg 22.
Conclusion Pg 25.
Appendices Pg 27.
- Further Curatorial Analyses Pg 27.
- Interview Transcript Pg 37.
- Unsuccessful Layouts Pg 54.
- Glossary of Terms Pg 56.
References Pg 60.
Fig 1. Page 5, Proposed installation layout shot 1 [floor plan of proposed exhibition including corresponding numbers and artworks, Glue Factory, Ground Floor] Kyle Angel Leeson. 2023
Fig 2. Page 7, Proposed installation layout shot 2 [floor plan of proposed exhibition including corresponding numbers and artworks, Glue Factory, First Floor] Kyle Angel Leeson. 2023
Thank you to Helen for your encouragement and support, Tivali for your generosity, openness to share and your compassion, and thank you to all my trans friends, family, and strangers for loving and leading me when I couldn’t see tomorrow, for inspiring my life and my love, I live for you!
shout outs for
All of my friends are angels!
and all my creative friends.
Special Blair, Hamish, Carmen, Tom, Keira, Jaélynn,This exhibition dissertation forms a proposal to curate an exhibition containing works entirely from trans artists facilitating comfort, escapism, and euphoria for trans people.
Focusing on artworks that convey the multitudes of overlooked intersectional trans identities, these installations and performances encourage dreaming and celebration Aiming to provide trans people a space to feel seen, supported, and cherished; this exhibition provides experiences of joy and comfort rarely offered to trans individuals in such spaces.
This proposal forms a new contribution to knowledge and curatorial practice by highlighting the issues of accessibility and intersectionality faced in the contemporary lived experience of trans people; providing trans artists with opportunities in a way that recognises the care the trans community is entitled to. Furthermore, the proposal will investigate how trans lives and experiences have not only been neglected from galleries and museums but harmfully misrepresented to prioritise cis comfort; ultimately at the cost of trans lives (MontielMcCann, 2022). The proposed exhibition seeks to begin remedying these issues, stressing the importance of authenticity and wider representation of trans experiences when it comes to making trans people feel seen, and emphasising the value of escapism as a tool of survival to facilitate euphoric experiences for trans people.
Firstly, the dissertation will introduce the subject, themes, and aims of the exhibition; followed by Chapter One which will explicitly state the curatorial thesis, providing the motivations behind the exhibition alongside a walkthrough of the exhibition layout with justification of curatorial choices and how they align with the exhibition’s aims. Chapter Two will summarise each chosen artwork together with an evaluation of their contributions to the curatorial themes and aims Chapter Three provides the significant ideas behind the curation and exhibition making; critiquing previous trans focused events in mainstream art, investigating barriers faced by trans artists alongside the tokenisation and ghettoisation of their works and careers. Furthermore, this chapter visits the context of the world which trans people currently exist in; exploring the challenges faced by the trans community, the importance of portraying intersectional trans identities authentically, and
the value of escapism and trans joy. Chapter Four will discuss additional ideas influencing the exhibition; evaluating content from interviews with one of the exhibition’s artists, and a prominent figure from Glasgow’s queer club scene, films and series with trans focused narratives, and personal lived experiences from the trans curator. The appendices will contain further curatorial analysis of artists and their artworks, primary interview content, unsuccessful layouts, and a glossary of terms.
This dissertation forms a curatorial proposal for the exhibition, ‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’; an exhibition of work entirely by trans1 artists creating an environment of comfort, joy, escapism, and euphoric experiences for trans people. By endeavouring to capture the spectrum of lived trans experiences and elevate intersectional trans identities that are often ignored; the proposal critically examines the failures of mainstream galleries and museums to create these environments and outlines reparative actions implemented in my exhibition. Furthermore, this dissertation examines the current context of everyday trans livelihood to highlight the vitality of spaces uniting and celebrating trans communities to counter relentless isolation and dehumanisation.
Realising the concept of this exhibition has been deeply entwined with my personal artistic practice; working from love to capture the intimacies of relationships and my lived experiences as a trans person. I live with an endless desire to express my love for trans people and the importance of celebration, comfort, and euphoria to my community. This proposal is an opportunity to imagine creating these experiences in a language familiar to me as an artist. By considering contemporary perspectives, intersectional identities, and accessibility to provide an interactive and immersive environment, this proposal crucially plans reparative steps to successful exhibition making where trans people have so far been failed
Imagining the possibilities of deeply needed trans comfort and joy has been an exciting experience for me in a world that doesn’t often let me see further than my immediate future and survival. I have also used this proposal to platform some of my favourite artists whose radical voices of deep knowledge and compassion deserve to be heard.
1 definition for ‘Trans’ can be found in appendix 4.22
Trans lives are beautiful, sacred, and akin to angels as our existence inherently rejects the norms forcibly prescribed to us.
Our beauty found in existing outside these norms has made us a target for disproportionate discrimination and oppression because we threaten the construct of a gender binary2 and therefore larger oppressive structures. The gender binary functions as a pillar of white supremacy (Smith, 2016) and many intersections of transness challenge this. Existing outside these systems is a double-edged sword. Trans people are alienated and punished, facing discrimination in many aspects of our lives; while simultaneously living our truthful identity shows us the strength found in our community and our ethereal identity The world lacks spaces for trans people to exist comfortably, let alone spaces for us to thrive. ‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’ aims to provide safety from the everyday oppression we endure and affirm the power and beauty of trans identities and communities.
Escapism is a survival tool for trans people that releases us from the repressive hate enforced on us. Therefore, my exhibition will emphasise escapism alongside the acknowledgement of intersectional trans experiences; facilitating euphoric experiences and the opportunity for trans people to rest and dream in the space. To facilitate this successfully the exhibition must recognise intersectional trans experiences; allowing trans people who have up until now been erased or misrepresented by cis3 people to feel seen. This, alongside my desire to celebrate trans artists who are regularly under-platformed while facing disproportionate discrimination and exploitation, is the reason behind my choice to present exclusively trans artists from differing intersectional backgrounds in my exhibition.
2 The gender binary is a socially constructed classification system rooted in racism, eugenics and white supremacy which enforces a rigid division of individuals into male or female to reinforce hierarchies and ideals associated with gender, race and power.
3 The term “cis” or “cisgender” is used to describe individuals whose gender identity aligns with their sex assigned to them at birth.
Trans lives are fleeting. Living visibly trans offers the privilege of being seen and connecting with our trans siblings, finding joy in our truth. Simultaneously; there is always danger that being seen by the wrong person can lead to our death. The Trans Murder Monitoring project data reports 321 trans people murdered in 2023, with the age group of the most murders being 19-25 years old. It is also important to note trends of transmisogynoir4 (Krell, 2017) from this data, with disproportionately 94% of those murdered being trans women or trans feminine and 80% of all reported murdered people being black or brown (Transgender Europe (TGEU), 2023)5 Not many trans people have the privilege of imagining ourselves in old age because so often our lives are cut short. This has motivated my desire to create ‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’ as an exhibition that unites our community in celebration of our transness and facilitates dreaming of queer futurity6 (Muñoz et al., 2019) through escapism.
‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’ will take place across multiple venues and locations in Scotland and NYC to expand outreach and provide access for multiple trans communities. Each venue considers its location, cultural value, local connections, and physical capabilities.
Inspired by NYC-based artists within the exhibition, CARA and NOWADAYS have been chosen for their support and popularity with multicultural trans POC7 and queer communities. The exhibition honours overlooked intersectional trans identities through artworks that examine
4 Transmisogynoir encapsulates the intricate oppression uniquely experienced by black transgender women and femmes consisting of the intersections of anti-black racism, transphobia and misogyny (Krell, 2017) Expanded definition can be found in appendix 4.25
5 This data is not comprehensive and only gives a glimpse into a reality which is definitely much worse than numbers suggest, for the following reasons (Transgender Europe (TGEU), 2023):
- Data only shows cases which have been reported and there is no data or estimates for unreported cases.
- The data presented does not include all reported cases worldwide, only those found on the Internet, along with murders reported to us by local activists or partner organizations.
- Due to use of many languages on the Internet, the variety of terms used to identify trans and gender-diverse people, and the myriad numbers of web pages to search through, it is not possible to find all reports
- Finding reports of murdered trans and gender-diverse persons in particular is problematic as not all trans and gender-diverse people who are murdered are identified as trans or gender-diverse in their death
6 Queer Futurity is a concept within queer theory by José Esteban Muñoz, envisioning a utopian future for queer people that transcends our current limitations; where queer lives are liberated beyond acceptance and are celebrated (Muñoz et al., 2019). Expanded definition can be found in appendix 4.20
7 POC is an acronym for People Of Colour. Expanded definition can be found in appendix 4.18
varying trans experiences. Ensuring access for diverse trans communities such as these in NYC is crucial to allowing them to benefit from these celebratory works.
Many events and exhibitions of this nature are held in large cities like London and NYC, leading to geographically isolated trans communities. The following venues in Scotland challenge this trend and provide access to communities overlooked due to their location. Lyth Arts Centre has valuable ties with local trans communities generated by its LGBTQI+8 arts club for young people. Its location provides access to rural trans communities in Scotland, challenging geographical hierarchies normalised for exhibitions of this style.
Home to one of Scotland’s largest and most active trans communities, I have chosen Glasgow’s Glue Factory as a flexible, multifunctional venue. The exhibition design values transition between different environments, blending club atmospheres with gallery spaces to facilitate an immersive experience. Utilising multiple rooms and programming specific opening nights for use of the space as a club challenges the notion that trans people can only exist in nightlife party spaces.
‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’ will be a touring exhibition, opening at Glue Factory on the summer solstice to harness this transitory evening and invite us into a dream-like environment untethered from our everyday lives. The exhibition will remain at each venue for a month before moving, ultimately closing in November. To prioritise the safety and experience for the trans audience the first two weeks of every month will be restricted to trans people only. Summer touring takes advantage of warmer nights, heightened exploration, and a relaxed atmosphere; our walls come down, portals to learning open and we are less confined by reality. These factors contribute to the exhibition forming an experience of comfort, escapism, exploration, and celebration. Opening in June as pride month increases chances of securing funding for trans-focused celebrations and encourages attendance from trans people looking to celebrate their community.
8 An acronym representing the community of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and other marginalised sexualities and gender identities (appendix 4.13)
Although the exhibition will visit multiple venues, for the purposes of this dissertation I will be discussing the use of Glue Factory. Accompanying venues will follow a similar layout and programme of events. Several layouts were trialled for Glue Factory and unsuccessful floorplans can be found in appendix 3.
The opening night will feature TAAHLIAH performing ‘THE ULTIMATE ANGELS’ in Glue Factory’s ‘Tank Room’, the dance floor accessible from ground level. TAAHLIAH will begin an ethereal soundscape to fill the room and seep a magical air throughout the galleries. Breaking only to reduce sound overlap during performances by Tivali Thomas and Rhabi Bhose; before deepening her performance and turning the venue into a club space with hard hitting beats and euphoric dance music until close.
The exhibition commences in the long gallery 'Warehouse' with Rhabi Bhose's 'Dance In The Sacred Domain’. He will guide us through his bog installation that delves into shared historical and contemporary experiences of genderqueer9 bodies transcending their reality. The bog transitions fluently into Furmaan Ahmed’s 'Kirin Protects The Lily' at the other end of the space, creating a fluid movement between two artworks exploring trans realities with immersive dream environments Harmonising the coexistence of Bhose's and Ahmed’s installations establishes a dreamscape that invites exploration, setting the tone for the rest of the exhibition. Simultaneous to our progress through the gallery we are approached by TAAHLIAH’s soundscape, enriching the overall sensory experience as we begin to hear her liquified sound aesthetics that complement the fluid structures of the physical artworks.
Leaving ‘Warehouse’ we enter its annexe, the exhibition’s quiet space. Dim lighting and comfortable, low to the ground seating of bean bags and pillows provide a low stimulation environment for overwhelmed visitors. Its location makes it easy to find and return to as it is not entirely isolated from the rest of the exhibition. This space upholds the exhibition’s values of accessibility, providing comfort through care for the audience to make them feel safe to explore their experiences deeply and fully.
9 An umbrella term used to describe a spectrum of varying gender identities outside the cis binary of male or female (appendix 4.8)
Leaving the annexe presents options to explore the exhibition freely; follow the music to ‘Tank Room’, enter ‘Machine Room’, the gallery parallel to ‘Warehouse’, or upstairs access another gallery and cinema room.
In ‘Tank Room’ TAAHLIAH performs ‘THE ULTIMATE ANGELS’. On a raised platform to the back of the space she stands at a white altar with her fluorescent pink logo acting as her luminous halo. Her halo casts a steady pink glow in the otherwise dark room, occasionally lit by flashing spotlights and strobes that increase in intensity responsive to her music. Brewing excitement in the crowd as music beats in their chests, the intensity deepens into hard hitting dance as the night progresses, creating a nightclub dreamscape. Her performance contributes to the exhibition’s environment of escape and dreaming through its facilitation of a euphoric, celebratory experience for trans people.
In ‘Machine Room’, Amalteaah’s ‘Bubblegum Dreams’ installation coexists with Tee Jaehyung Park and Gbenga Komolafe’s ‘Winter Insect, Summer Flower’, and Tivali Thomas’ ‘Untitled Performance’.
‘Bubblegum Dreams’ creates a gentle, comforting, fantasy environment through its soft pink structures and visuals. Trans people are continuously exploring gender in a world that makes us feel like we are always searching for our place. Responding to this experience of moving through a world that feels as though it is designed against us, this arrangement temporarily provides the space trans people are searching for. Tactile pink branches and a large butterfly pillow-seat draw from nature, reflecting the imagery in ‘Winter Insect, Summer Flower’ This film will be projected onto a screen resting on the floor against the north wall of the gallery, creating a reflection of colours from the film on the floor and softening the transition to ‘Bubblegum Dreams’; ‘Winter Insect, Summer Flower’ is a visually rich story that captures the multifaceted experiences of a black trans woman’s journey through the seasons; confronting love, loss, and redemption.
In the south-west end of the room Tivali will perform ‘Untitled Performance’ Utilising literature, dance, music and live mixing, she constructs an immersive environment of love while exploring multidimensional and intersectional trans identities. Her performance examines her desire for gender affirming10 breast augmentation, the instability of transition11 and her ultimate euphoria in embracing her body without surgery, reflective of the journey we see in ‘Winter Insect, Summer Flower’. Tivali will perform ‘Untitled Performance’ on the opening night, and then twice weekly throughout the exhibition. In her absence, bloody dresses remaining from her performances will accumulate in the space. All together these artworks effectively construct a space of fantasy and comfort which depicts trans experiences, seeing and celebrating our beauty and struggles.
10 Gender Affirming refers to actions, practices or environments that support and validate an individual’s gender identity (appendix 4.5)
11 In the context of gender, transition refers to the processes that transgender or gender non-conforming individuals may undergo to closer align their gender identity with their outward appearance and how they are perceived by others. This may also involve various social, legal and medical aspects and is a unique and personal non-linear journey that varies drastically for every individual (appendix 4.27)
On the first floor, accessible by stairs or step-free access from the street, is ‘Project Gallery’ which will hold Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s ‘I CANT REMEMBER A TIME I DIDNT NEED YOU’ Next door, ‘Gallery 2’ will hold Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s ‘BLACK TRANS ARCHIVE’.
These are two interactive video games conveying variations of intersectional trans experiences in sincere depth; they successfully offer escapism through acknowledging our realities to highlight joy and encourage our dreams. These artworks are an intimate and emotional experience, placed upstairs in their own rooms so the installation can be fully immersive and effective.
‘Gallery 1’ will be transformed into a cinema room with comfortable seating, a large screen and sound system for screening Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’ ‘MUTT’. Due to sound interference with performances, this film will play at scheduled times throughout the weeks that the exhibition is open after the opening night. The film contributes to the exhibition’s aims to genuinely connect with trans people by prioritising recognition of universal trans struggles.
Therefore, it is isolated in this cinema environment for an immersive screening and to place its distance from themes of escapism in other rooms of the exhibition.
There will be a total of 10 artworks throughout the exhibition varying from permanent installations to performances and film screenings. Each artwork has been selected for their contribution towards the exhibitions aims to create an environment of comfort, joy, escapism, and euphoric experiences for trans people. Further curator analysis on the artists and their works alongside interview material can be found in Appendices 1 and 2
Installation of a bog made with vinyl, peat, earth, clay, cacao, testosterone gel, video, foraged branches, rusted steel, cast pewter, cock rings, leather straps, cruising hankies, latex balloons and zip ties. Dimensions vary with installation.
Rabi uses his personal experience and research in his practice to investigate queer12 masculinity, transness as a sacred entity, spiritual transition and the idea of ‘crossing over’. ‘Dance In The Sacred Domain’ effectively frames these fluid explorations in a bog as a historically sacred place and portal of ancient bodies passing which facilitates Rabi’s investigative performance. Rabi’s construction of the bog using contemporary queer ritualised objects combined with the history of bodies that were either sacrificed or disregarded captures the duality of the trans experience of being hyper-sexualised and/or murdered for our identity.
12 A reclaimed slur originally used to marginalise individuals whose gender identity or sexual orientation did not conform to societal norms which the LGBTQI+ community has embraced as an umbrella term to encompass the diverse spectrum of marginalised sexual orientations and gender identities. (appendix 4.19)
2. Rabindranath Xavier Bhose – ‘Dance In The Sacred Domain: Body of the Bog’ (2023)
Solo dance performed by the artist, 15 mins in length, Beginning in the installation and progressing throughout the exhibition space.
The artist’s dance encircles the glittering pools and various structures through the bog and exhibition space, embodying his creation the ‘gender fugitive’, inspired by ancient bog bodies. Rabi uses dance to reject the trans experience of feeling like a ‘gender fugitive’, and uses movement to dismantle superficial social norms and codes of gender. This performance celebrates the joy and liberation of the ‘gender fugitive’ as they escape the restrictions assigned to them. The artist’s performance holds solidarity with other transitional bodies waiting to become, or those in the process of emerging.
3. Furmaan Ahmed – Kirin Protects The Lily (2020)
Installation using light beams, water, and sculptural forms
‘Kirin Protects The Lily’ is a dreamy installation that urges us to question our norms of existence and invites us to experience a fantasy space of escapism and contemplation. The installation utilises queer aesthetics to make the audience feel seen and emulate our connection to transness. When interviewed by DAZED on what they hope people can take away from experiencing their art, Furmaan Ahmed said; “I hope people can for a few seconds leave this gross binary unreality and experience that mental state of transness…” “I hope people can connect to that part of their imaginations to explore more of what could be.” (Cadogan, 2021), (Leeson, 2023)
4. Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley - I CAN’T REMEMBER A TIME I DIDN’T NEED YOU (2020)
Video game installation (play time approx. 30mins)
In ‘I CANT REMEMBER A TIME I DIDN’T NEED YOU’ Brathwaite-Shirley invites us into the ‘CITY OF DREAMS’. Upon starting the game, the player is asked to disclose their identity from trans, non-binary13, cis, etc to continue. The following experience is determined by these choices as the artist enacts a reparative reversal that stages the type of access typically allowed to white/cis people, as opposed to black/trans people and other historically marginalised groups. Brathwaite-Shirley has created a narrative for us to overcome isolation and receive acknowledgement of our experiences that we are entitled to.
5. Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley – BLACK TRANS ARCHIVE (ongoing project)
Installation of video game (play time approx. 30mins)
‘BLACK TRANS ARCHIVE’ is an ongoing project centering black trans people and rejecting ‘trans tourism’ by discarding the obsession with trans bodies and trauma. The archive takes the form of a video game where black and trans people can interact with an experience that captures the dimensions of trans experiences with deep authenticity. Playing in the archive offers joy and liberation; we can refuse being subjected to traumatising probing and access immediate gender affirming care. The archive effectively provides escapism by capturing our lived experiences, highlighting joy, showing us what we deserve and encouraging us to dream. This artwork provides an important intersectional contribution to the exhibition. Crenshaw’s framework of intersectionality highlights how various social categories such as race, gender, class, and sexuality intersect to form an individual’s life experiences, often of systems of oppression (Crenshaw, 1989). It is important to
13 An umbrella term for gender identities that do not align with categories such as male or female and exist outside the traditional binary understanding of gender. (appendix 4.16)
examine trans experiences intersectionally as transphobia is notoriously worse for black trans women, who will experience transmisogynoir (Krell, 2017).
6. Tivali Tanay Thomas aka DOLLNXTDOOR – Untitled performance (2023)
Live performance utilising music and sound, live mixing by the artist, stage design, costume, spoken poetry and dance
‘Untitled Performance’ investigates Thomas’ long term desire for gender affirming breast augmentation, the turbulence of her body in transition and her eventual discovery of euphoria in her own body without surgery. Utilising literature, performance, dance, music and live mixing, ‘Untitled Performance’ constructs an immersive environment of love and exploration of trans identities.
During my conversation with Tivali; carried out as a primary research interview for the purposes of constructing this exhibition dissertation proposal (Thomas, 2023), she made clear how strong her wish is to humanise trans bodies and our sexuality, exploring the opposing positions of disgust and desire that trans people are placed into.
7. TAAHLIAH – The Ultimate Angels (2023)
Live Performance utilising sound, music, live mixing by the artist, costume, stage design & lighting
‘The Ultimate Angels’ is a performance of music mixed live by TAAHLIAH at a white altar with her fluorescent pink TAAHLIAH logo acting as her luminous halo. She emerges in a graceful white dress and veil to build an ethereal and transcendent soundscape, brewing exhilaration in the crowd as music beats in their chests. The intensity of her performance creates a dreamscape for us to feel confidence in our hopes and dreams through euphoria and excitement. This performance contributes
to the exhibition’s themes of escapism and dreaming through its facilitation of a joyful, celebratory experience for trans people.
Moving Image, 12 mins
Both Park and Komolafe’s practices build the idea of a collectively imagined future where trans, queer, black, and marginalised bodies are not just seen but enthusiastically celebrated.
Park and Komolafe’s Co-Directed ‘Winter Insect, Summer Flower’, is a visually captivating story of a trans woman as she voyages through the seasons; representing her experiences of love, loss, and redemption and beautifully conveying the many dimensions of black trans women. The abstract symbolism of her traveling through these seasons allows the audience to find what this represents for themselves; their own challenges and joys they have navigated and experienced in their lives.
Moving Image, 1h 27m
A Chilean-Serbian trans filmmaker growing up between Chile, New York City and Serbia, Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s films diversify queer narratives and highlight intimacies often overlooked. ‘MUTT’ captures intensely difficult and beautifully relatable experiences, following the protagonist, Feña, as he reunites with 3 people from his life pre transition. Lungulov-Klotz portrays universal trans struggles in ‘MUTT’; having to justify our existence, being misgendered14, interrogated by strangers and rejected by family. Although difficult experiences to witness and relive, this film recognises trans people in our fight and acknowledges our reality which is crucial for the
14 The act of incorrectly identifying or referring to an individual’s gender. This could be using the wrong gendered pronouns or using gendered terms that do not align with an individual’s gender identity. Misgendering can have a significant emotional impact on the person who is misgendered. (appendix 4.14)
audience to feel seen authentically. Witnessing Feña’s trans struggles makes us reflect on our own, drawing hope where we have overcome and managed to stay alive.
Mixed media installation, dimensions vary, interactive seating, hanging sculpture, prints
‘Bubblegum Dreams’ uses a collection of soft sculpture and prints of digital artworks to a create a gentle fantasy of comfort. A butterfly shaped pillow sculpture functions as a seat under curling pink tentacle-like branches and frames. ‘Bubblegum Dreams’ transcends written meaning and articulated feelings, using structures and visuals to explore gender and the experience of moving through a world that makes us feel like we are always searching for our place. The installation constructs the place we are all searching for and begins to imagine a fantasy space that transcends norms, where we can start to feel the freedom to transcend norms in ourselves.
There have been several significant ideas contributing to my curatorial approach:
The Tate’s 2012 Civil Partnerships conference discussed museums and galleries’ failures to convey the diversity of queer lives and the obstacles curators encountered when attempting to challenge this; Museums consistently lack queer artworks by queer artists in their collections and if they do, they are hidden from the public and even curators (Milevska et al., 2012). Curators proposing queer exhibitions are regularly denied under the pretence that it is inappropriate for public viewing, while museums that agree refuse to integrate queer works into the main body of the museum (Milevska et al., 2012). Therefore, queer exhibitions are dismissed to specific sections in the museum; ghettoising15 and tokenising16 the artists and their work. Finally, museums are careful not to display artworks that radically challenge any norms (Milevska et al., 2012). Consequently, queer artists whose work challenges norms are regarded as too radical and are punished by barriers denying them a successful career. Intersections of an artist’s identity unrelated to their work can also be a target for punishment, for example; a black trans woman from a working class background will face more structural barriers and discrimination than a white cis gay man from a wealthy background (Milevska et al., 2012).
Discussing queerness and attempting to cover all identities in the LGBTQI+ community leads to the neglect of the most marginalised groups such as transgender communities, especially non-white transgender communities (Sandell et al., 2018). While examining significant issues
15 This term is used to criticise practices that segregate artworks, artists and cultural movements to restrict their visibility and influence within the broader art world. Ghettoising refers the marginalisation that results when artworks and artists are segregated and dismissed based on factors such as race, gender or class. (appendix 4.9)
16 Refering to the practice of featuring a limited number of artworks or individuals from marginalised groups to create a false appearance of diversity. Crucially, without genuinely addressing systemic issues or providing meaningful representation this reduces complex identities to stereotypes and is an ingenuine act that does not meaningfully contribute to inclusion or understanding.
in queer and feminist curation, this conference discussing ‘queerness’ and ‘queer curating’, was limited to white, cis, gay men. There was no discussion of intersections of race and class or trans issues in curating, as stated previously the discussion of intersectionality by Crenshaw (Crenshaw, 1989) is not often discussed in queer curating. This outdated conference being hosted by the Tate; who are guilty of tokenising and ghettoising queer artists and their work in its own poorly curated ‘queer’ exhibitions (Bosold & Hofmann, 2018); prompted further research on contemporary trans issues in curating aligning with my desires for my exhibition.
Searching for exhibitions investigating gender and platforming trans artists, I found ‘Kiss My Genders’, curated by Vincent Honoré and exhibited in London, 2019. Involving a multitude of artists with different backgrounds and styles made it a successful celebration of differences in the spectrum of gender identity17. Following the exhibition, essays and conversations with artists and organisers were published alongside photographs of the works (Southbankcentre, 2019).
While ‘Kiss My Genders’ successfully captured a spectrum of trans identities and their intersections with race and class, I found myself distanced from portrayals of gender variance more applicable to older queer generations. We frequently see repeated or outdated narratives about transness that are deemed acceptable and easier for the audience to digest (Faye, 2018). ‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’ will focus on compiling works that address contemporary trans identities and experiences by platforming and celebrating younger generations of trans voices that have yet to speak. Accessibility for geographically isolated trans communities feels overlooked in the development of these kinds of exhibitions, prompting my desire to make my own celebration of transness available to geographically isolated trans communities by touring multiple venues.
17 Gender Identity refers to an individual’s internal sense of their own gender, encompassing a broad spectrum of experiences and expressions which may or may not align with their sex assigned at birth. (appendix 4.7)
Additionally, I read ‘Co-curating with trans people: the challenges of collaborating with heterogenous minoritised communities’(Iervolino, 2023). This peer reviewed paper raises crucial and relevant issues in trans curating. While there is an increase in exhibitions claiming to be trans focused (Sandell, 2017, Adair & Levin, 2020), many use trauma focused, one-dimensional portrayals of transness which feed into trans tourism18 (Sandell et al., 2018). The desire to portray trans lives in a way that is attractive and easy for the audience to digest becomes inauthentic and reductive (Rigney 2003, Madrigal-Borloz 2019); echoing societal pressures for trans people to conform to cis narratives and erase the spectrum of trans identities challenging the oppressive structure of the gender binary (Sandell et al., 2018). ‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’ rejects trans tourism and strives to platform authentic trans experiences with artworks investigating intersections of transness and non-normative trans experiences that challenge cis narratives.
Efforts to create LGBTQI+ inclusion typically discard transgender lives (Levin 2010, Mills 2006, Sandell 2017), marginalising trans experiences while centering white, cis, gay men (Sandell et al., 2018) as they are the most palatable to cishet19 audiences (Bosold & Hofmann, 2018). ‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’ will have an entirely trans team of artists from different intersections of race and class exhibiting and performing to platform voices that have been silenced for too long.
Increased trans visibility in mainstream media is parallel with immensely increasing transphobia resulting in regressive anti-trans law making in the UK and EU (Ilga Europe, 2021); massively affecting the livelihood of trans communities. Anti-trans rhetoric has become prevalent in mainstream media and politics (Ilga Europe, 2022); several candidates
18 From a trans curatorial perspective, my understanding of trans tourism involves a recent surge in cisgender individuals showing heightened interest in transgender lives, fueled by media attention, sensationalism, and misrepresentation. Therefore, perpetuating a harmful trend of prying into intimate details under the guise of curiosity, contributing to an epidemic of dehumanising trans people that endangers our lives; exemplified by tragic cases such as the murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey. Cisgender individuals can gain entertainment from this exploitation of trans lives without ever experiencing the harmful consequences. (appendix 4.24)
19 Cishet or Cishetero combines two concepts, “cisgender” and “heterosexual” to describe individuals who are both cisgender and heterosexual (appendix 4.2)
for the Conservative Party leadership weaponised hostility towards trans rights in the summer of 2022 (Pritilata 2022) and Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government exploited neverbefore-used legislation in January 2023 to block the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill passed by the Scottish parliament in December 2022 (Crerar and Brooks 2013).
It is crucial for trans people to have spaces where we can escape from a world that is relentlessly crushing the life out of us. ‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’ endeavours to facilitate escapism, celebration, and much needed euphoria for trans people.
Galleries and museums fail to provide authentic, human portrayals of trans people in response to hateful media hunger to see trans people exploited and dehumanised (Iervolino, 2023). Instead, they curate exceptional, highly gendered, one-dimensional portrayals of trans people (Sneeuwloper et al. 2020, Pieper 2015) that appease cis narratives and leave trans people feeling unseen and misunderstood. ‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’ fights to provide a space for trans people to feel seen by exhibiting artworks and performances that reflect the many dimensions and intersections of trans identities and experiences.
Trans people are rarely involved beyond a superficial level in curating gender diversifying exhibitions by mainstream galleries and museums (Iervolino, 2023). I am curating ‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’ informed by my own personal experience of transness, informal nonstructured interviews with trans artists (Thomas 2023), (see Appendix 2), and research of issues in trans curating to construct an exhibition reparative to failures of cis curators.
Trans identities challenging traditional gender binaries or expressing gender fluidity, along with intersections of race and class are neglected and marginalised (Parent et al, 2013).
Trans identities that fit into traditional ideas of gender are favoured, creating a generalised narrative of white, passing20, non-disabled trans people (Sneeuwloper et al, 2020). Consequently, huge groups of people are ostracised, feeling unseen and unsupported in their identity. ‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’ actively seeks to platform artists from a range of intersectional trans identities to create a space for as many trans people as possible to be
20 In the context of gender, passing refers to a transgender individual being perceived as a cisgender individual of the gender with which they are identifying, rather than the gender attached to their sex assigned at birth. Expanded definition can be found in Appendix 4.17
seen and heard in their experiences. Although transgender individuals’ experiences vary and are impacted by intersections with race, class, and sexuality, the favoured narrative of trans people “perpetuates a white and predominantly middle-class transgender experience, identity, and collective.” (de Vries 2012). My exhibition involves trans artists with varying intersectional identities of race and class which is reflected in their artworks, to platform voices that are silenced and create an experience where people can feel seen in their differing experiences.
Traditional white space galleries reproduce oppressive norms and structures (Filipovic, 2014). My exhibition rejects these structures by using non-traditional gallery venues and creating a fluid space, taking inspiration from queer night clubs to build a non-normative atmosphere facilitating comfort and escapism for trans people.
Seeking more information on the importance of spaces for trans people to feel seen and safe, I studied ‘To Carve Out Space: Transgender Visitors' Experiences in Museums’, (Berliner, 2020). This publication studied trans peoples’ experience of visiting museums and galleries and highlighted the veiled discrimination trans people experience in everyday life. These everyday struggles have influenced my desire to create ‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’ as a space that provides comfort, escapism, celebration, and acknowledgement of trans experiences.
Trans people disproportionately experience structural barriers, including but not limited to; extreme poverty, harassment; by police and in school and workplaces, higher risk of unemployment, mistreatment at work, housing discrimination and instability, homelessness, discrimination, or assault at homeless shelters, discriminatory treatment in public places and by government officials and police, assault in jail or prison, discrimination by medical providers, higher risks of suicide attempts and poorer health outcomes overall (James et al. 2016). This being the reality of everyday life for trans people, the existence of spaces where we can exist safely and have our experiences validated is vital. This is why my exhibition places a heavy focus on making the audience feel seen in their experiences of transness and providing escapism from the distresses of everyday life.
In interview with Tivali Thomas (See Appendix 2), she spoke to me about her art practice and experience of the art world as a black trans woman (Thomas, 2023). We spoke about our shared desires to honour trans people and for more trans spaces centring safety and trans joy. Tivali is extremely passionate about humanising and teaching the desirability of trans bodies in all the different forms they take. Her passion reinforced my aspiration to compile artworks which authentically capture and celebrate the fluidity of trans experiences while humanising our existence.
When researching venues, I interviewed Hamish Leeson (Leeson, 2023), an active DJ, promoter, and set designer in Glasgow’s queer club scene. His active knowledge of the scene helped inform me of spaces that would not be welcoming to my exhibition, or spaces that may host for monetary gain but would not be supportive of the artists and audience in attendance which is all too common for trans focused events. It was important for me to find spaces that meet the functional needs of the exhibition being both a night club and a gallery, while considering the attitude of the venue staff, security, and access to gender neutral toilets. Hamish was able to inform me of several venues from which I chose Glue Factory to meet the needs of my exhibition.
The following films and series are some of my favourites that capture and document trans experiences because of their authenticity, humility, and emotional impact:
“20,000 Species of Bees” (2023) is a slow paced coming of age film that highlights unarticulated, concealed intimacies and difficulties of the trans experience through the lens of an eight year old trans girl grappling with her gender identity.
“Veneno” (2020) is a dramatic series based on the life of La Veneno, aka Cristina Ortiz Rodríguez, one of the first trans women in mainstream Spanish media as a singer, actress, sex worker and media personality.
“Paris is Burning” (1990) is a documentary that investigates the vibrant 1980’s Ballroom scene of New York City's primarily Black and Latinx21 queer and transgender communities. The oppression these marginalised communities face has led them to reject pursuing acceptance in mainstream society; Instead building their own to validate each other and find joy within.
“5ninthavenue Project” (1983-89) (published 2018), is an archive of video by Nelson Sullivan (1948–1989) documenting New York City’s queer arts and club scene during the 1980s.
Providing first-hand, intimate glances of the emerging drag and LGBTQI+ scene; the archive includes footage of iconic venues and interviews with notable figures of the era. A valuable historical record of the LGBTQI+ community's struggles, celebrations, and artistic expressions during a transformative period in queer and trans cultural history.
Discovering each of these during different periods of my life has cultivated the love I have for my community and expanded my perspectives on the possibilities of our existence, forever leaving me in awe of the beautiful, purely transcendental nature of trans lives. I have a deep love for my community and want to make this exhibition a show of appreciation for the diverse spectrum of ways that we exist. The trans experience is not an easy one, it is one of immense love and passion to be real, and in a world that punishes that, we deserve to be celebrated.
There are a multitude of academic papers written on the importance of queer and trans nightlife spaces (see for example: (Held, 2015), (Cisneros & Bracho, 2019), (Adeyemi et al.,
21 A gender-neutral term used as an alternative to “Latino” or “Latina” to refer to people of Latin American heritage. (appendix 4.12)
2021), (Fischer et al., 2022)). However, the sources I wish to discuss are from personal experience. A club night with the most influence on my work to date has been Fast Muzik, hosted by Jules aka Joeymousepads at Stereo, Glasgow. Fast Muzik established itself in 2019 as a party for euphoric raves open to everyone, but especially for ravers, freaks, and children of the night. Fast Muzik quickly became known as a predominantly queer night due to the trans DJs and performers; hosted by a trans woman whose mission placed emphasis on freedom and fun. These raves were striking in their ability to unite people with a high energy experience of intense euphoria. Music combined with strong visual effects and strobes created an otherworldly experience in the club. Jules always valued safety and comfort in tandem with intensity and energy, knowing that neither could be experienced without the other at the party. Fast Muzik was recognised for providing quieter spaces with comfortable seating within the venue to relax and recharge. The importance in valuing the duality of these experiences at Fast Muzik has influenced my style of curating to provide both high energy and relaxed, passive spaces within this exhibition. It is important to me to create an overwhelming experience to facilitate escapism and intense emotions, but it is equally important to care for my community and provide them with support and safety during their time at the exhibition. Other nights that have influenced my curating with a similar ability to entirely transport the audience with music, performance and visual effects while maintaining care and support for a predominantly trans and queer audience are PonyBoy Glasgow and Bloodsport.
Additionally, there are papers on trans accessibility to museums and galleries, as examined in my previous chapter. Here I will talk about my personal experiences of accessibility to trans centered spaces and their influence on my curatorial choices.
I grew up in Aberdeen, a city in the northeast of Scotland during the downturn of the oil industry. Aberdeen is a city that I often describe as a cultural desert, with a general rightwing attitude. I wrestled with my gender identity from a young age and came out as trans when I was 13. By 17 I had developed an unhealthy relationship using drugs and alcohol to escape from questioning my identity again, this time as a young trans man. I was successfully
passing as a young man after accessing hormone replacement therapy22 through years of invasive struggle in the NHS Scotland gender service for young people. I faced many more challenges alongside years of incessant transphobic abuse from peers, adults and teachers perpetuated by the general political environment of the city. With no queer spaces that I could access I was the only trans person I knew and trying to find myself in a world with so much hate for my identity taught me to hate myself and transness. After managing to achieve what everyone around me had assured me would bring me happiness – passing – I couldn’t understand why I was so unhappy The issue was that everyone around me was cis and truly had no place to educate me on transness, but it was all I had. It wasn’t until another year later when I moved out of the city that I began rediscovering my trans identity; learning to love and celebrate it in myself at the same time I was beginning to meet and love my community. Breaking free of cis binary expectations saved my life, and I can’t imagine what having access to celebrations of authentic, diverse, trans experiences would have done for me earlier in my life.
It is crucial for these celebrations to be available to trans people who are geographically and economically isolated. This has influenced my decision to make ‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’ a touring exhibition, visiting venues like Lyth Arts Centre in the far north of Scotland. Trans people exist everywhere, and I wish to challenge the geographical hierarchy of needs and access created when trans spaces are limited. No one deserves to feel forgotten or invisible simply because they are not close to capitals of queer culture such as London, NYC or Berlin. All trans people deserve to be included in celebrations of trans joy; these experiences save lives.
22 In the context of transgender healthcare, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is a gender affirming medical treatment utilising hormones to align an individual’s secondary sexual characteristic with their gender identity. (appendix 4.10)
Chapter One reveals the dangers and challenges faced by trans people in their day to day lives and the anti-trans nature of our world before introducing the themes and aims of the exhibition to create a much-needed space of comfort, joy, escapism and euphoria for the trans community.
Chapter Two lays out the artists and artworks that will be presented, examining how exclusively selecting trans artists exploring differing intersections of the trans experience through multiple immersive mediums prioritises the exhibition’s aims. The decision to tour the exhibition at multiple venues including remote, isolated locations challenges geographical hierarchies and supports the significance of accessibility. This is additionally supported by affording trans-only periods of the exhibition to prioritise the safety and accessibility of trans people, the primary audience.
Chapter Three critically analyses academic papers, previous exhibitions, and the failures of museums and galleries in portraying the reality of trans lives to investigate the barriers faced by trans curation in the art world. This emphasises the importance of this exhibition and its goals to take reparative action on these failures by rejecting trans tourism and prioritising an intersectional, contemporary approach.
Chapter Four reviews personal experiences of the trans curator, interviews with a trans artist in the exhibition, and a DJ from Glasgow’s queer scene to support the curatorial approach of providing both high-energy and relaxed spaces and endeavouring to promote intersectionality.
Furthermore, Chapters Three and Four acknowledge the current context in which trans people exist, facing immense challenges in their lives every day and therefore the vitality of creating spaces like this exhibition.
In a world of increasing anti-trans rhetoric ‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’ creates a refuge for trans people and provides a critical response to the historical and contemporary challenges faced by the trans community. Prioritising intersectionality and recognising the diverse identities of trans people ensures every visitor can see themselves reflected in the exhibition’s celebration of transness. The exhibition rejects trans tourism and one-
dimensional trauma-focused depictions of trans people; escaping the constraints of cisnormative expectations and deconstructing harmful narratives to provide a vital space honouring trans people making them feel seen and supported. My personal lived experiences as a young trans person and my love for my community have influenced my curatorial choices in forming ‘ALL MY FRIENDS ARE ANGELS’ as an exhibition that is an homage to my community and the invaluable contributions of trans people to this world. Beyond a celebration of varying trans identities this exhibition encourages a conversation about the wider issue of barriers in the arts and the importance of platforming diverse artists; laying the groundwork for more inclusive and genuine spaces for trans people in the arts My exhibition rejects the erasure and isolation my community faces and strives to honour the angelic beauty of trans lives. I dream of a future where our existence is not simply tolerated but cherished.
Tivali Thomas is an internationally recognised poet, performer and DJ; practicing music, literature, and art to celebrate and interrogate the black trans experience. Thomas utilises her practices to construct immersive environments of love. As DOLLNXTDOOR, her DJ sets allow her to communicate her deep love and appreciation for black queer influence on art and music. Tivali uses her own experience as a black trans woman to explore and humanise trans people and our experiences. During my conversation with Tivali, she made clear how strong her wish is to demystify trans bodies and our sexuality, exploring the opposing positions of disgust and desire that trans people are placed into.
In Untitled Performance Thomas investigates her long term desire for gender affirming breast augmentation, the turbulence of her body in transition and her eventual discovery of euphoria in her own body without surgery
“I used the whippet canister* to fill up balloons and then I took these syringes full of fake blood and pumped up the balloons with blood and air until they popped. There was this whole dysphoria about how I used to really want a boob job, and then me giving myself one on stage and then them popping and I went through this dysphoria of being flat chested again By the end of it, I found euphoria in my own body and [in] the second act I came out completely naked. Well, almost, I had on panties. I was still covered in the blood from the first scene, and I danced to one of my songs that I made for the event and I had this huge roll of Saran Wrap and had people wrap me up in [it], and at the end of the show cut me out and it was like a cocoon.” (Thomas, 2023)
2 * Whippet (US) or Nos (UK) Nitrous Oxide, Laughing Gas, commonly used as a recreational drug
- Excerpt from my interview with Tivali; describing her performance. Full interview transcript can be found in Appendix 2.
Thomas uses her performance to confront and reject the demand placed on trans women and transfeminine people by cis people to perform to their standards of gender. Trans people are only deemed tolerable or acceptable when we can either be sexualised or perform gender by cis standards, or both. Black trans women experience this more than any other trans people, and black trans women and trans feminine people are at more risk of violence and murder than any group. She eventually rejects the demand to be closer to cisness and the need to perform as expected to fit their binary. Tivali pursues the surgery to survive, her intense need for safety causing her to fill the balloons in excess until they burst, and she finds herself flat chested again. Returning to her body as it was pre surgery, she finds safety in herself and her body. While dancing to her music, her friends wrap her naked blood covered body in plastic film until she can no longer move, and they cut her free from the cocoon. Emerging from this plastic chrysalis, she finds the transformation was only one of finding the love and euphoria in
the body she already has. Thomas strikingly captures the beauty of trans bodies and this turbulent experience of transition. Even in all this rejection of conformity and norms its worth acknowledging that Tivali can perform to pass. So double flop to cissies for that one. She has the body she wants, that SHE CHOSE, her own trans body in all its beauty that she can celebrate, and she passes when she wants. It’s also worth acknowledging that gender affirming surgeries are named so for a reason and if trans people want them then there is no shame to be held in that. Yes there is a cis expectation placed on us to perform, and there are choices that we have to make for our own safety and survival, but I promise you every trans person making changes to their body is doing it for themselves before anything else. Trans people do these things because it makes us feel good and we want to. Not because you want us to.
This performance is a stunning exploration of the trans experience of wrestling with our desire to feel comfort in our bodies. It instigates a crucial conversation that questions what is beautiful and comfortable to us as trans people? Rather than looking at what is beautiful and comfortable for cis people to look at. Many media portrayals of transition show a very linear transition, where a person transitions from one side of the gender binary to the other and feels happy again after the medical transition that takes them there. While this can be a true and valid narrative for many trans people, it fails to understand that the trans experience is never linear. Many trans people can feel shame after not seeing themselves in this simplified, butchered cis portrayal. The reality is we will never feel seen by these because they are representing us through the cis lens, which refuses to see the reality of our experience so that they can fit us into their binaries and not have to deconstruct any of their ideas and beliefs around gender. I feel it is important to platform trans people with bodies and experiences that don’t fit into this narrative. All trans experiences are valid and all trans bodies are beautiful. I want to recognise the importance of pursuing our own needs and wants before fitting into anyone else’s idea of how we should exist. Pursuing gender affirming surgery as a need is just as valid as choosing not to.
This exhibition exists to honour and hold trans people and make us feel seen. So, it has to recognise and value many different trans experiences and celebrate trans artists who capture our many dimensions. Tivali is one of these artists and deserves to be platformed. From her trancelike states that she enters in her performances through the influence of her own music (sometimes made live during the performance), to delivering sickeningly resonant poetry, Tivali is an artist of passion whose energy and love is easily recognised in any medium. Trans bodies are sexy in all forms and we deserve to feel that way, and cis people need to start recognising that as well and stop imposing on us. this is just one thing Tivali communicates in her art practice.
Rabindranath Xavier Bhose is a Glasgow based artist with a performance centred practice that unites dance, movement, text, drawing and sculpture. Rabi uses his personal experience and research in his practice to investigate queer masculinity, transness as a sacred entity, spiritual transition and the idea of ‘crossing over’. He uses
dance and movement to explore bodies in transition while weaving poetry, drawing, sculpture and ritualised objects into his performances.
In this performance Rabi dances circling the glittering pools and various structures through the bog and exhibition space. The filmed glances of dance playing in the bog will set in Rabi’s dance as he plays the movements of a body emerging to life from the bog. In this dance Rabi embodies his creation of the figure of the ‘gender fugitive’, inspired by ancient bog bodies. As this figure Rabi uses dance to reject the trans experience of feeling like a gender fugitive and uses movement to dismantle superficial concrete social norms and codes of gender. This dance and ritual celebrates the joy and liberation of the ‘gender fugitive’ as they escape the restrictions assigned to them by the world they have existed in. the artist’s performance holds solidarity with other transitional bodies waiting to become, or those in the process of emerging.
Rabi’s transitional bog portal belongs in this exhibition with him performing the body of the bog dance. He has sculpted this mystical environment where we can come to explore such fluid rivers of thought with him, navigating queerness, bodies in transitional states, tenderness and the changing of energies, spirituality, and death. I feel Rabi’s bog performance will be an important addition to the exhibition as he can show us the freedom of how to move through this space he has built and encourages us to explore with him. His work builds this environment of historical mysticism, a strong bog where he uses his body in dance to guide us through transition and this portal he has sculpted. I want to bring people to his invitation to his bog where we enter this portal of ancient bodies passing accompanied by his contemporary structure of the space. We will get to exist in a transitional space inspired by histories of the transition of bodies that have been held with the importance and highness of ritual sacrifice as well as those discarded with no real burial, capturing the duality of the experience of trans bodies. This space removes us from our present (without doing it full because we experience rabis contemporary queer objects and structures). In our escapism we get to be further from the oppressive structures and binaries reinforced in our consciousness everyday by the structures we live under. Stepping through rabis bog takes us to a space where our thoughts can be a little freer. He holds us in his dance and show us how bodies can transcend, framed in this nature/queer/erotic bog.
Furmaan Ahmed is a multi-disciplinary artist using choreography, set design and image making among other mediums to explore their identity as a transgender Muslim. Born to Pakistani parents in Glasgow, their practice explores world-building in trans and non-white communities. (Ghosh, 2022)
The following exploration of their artwork and its themes is from my unpublished Research Report (Leeson, 2023)
“Kirin Protects the Lily” is an installation by Furmaan Ahmed that uses light beams, water, sculptural form and AR to ‘weave the planes of the earth, the sky and a virtual augmented consciousness through the use of AR filters accessed by codes in the space. In a human sized petri dish, Ahmed accelerates the urgent need for veneration of queer and polytheistic belief systems using the intricacy and algorithms of nature, and the recycling nature of energy of the earth’ (Ahmed, F 2020; HERVISIONS, 2020)
“Kirin Protects the Lily” formed a part of ‘Chasing Unborn Shadows’, an exhibition at Gossamer Fog curated by Zaiba Jabbar of HERVISIONS. This body of work also contained Augmented Reality filters that could be accessed via QR codes in the exhibition space by Noor Dhanju among other artists (CLOT, 2020).
Pools of water and liquid formations are a common theme in Ahmed’s world building dreamscapes, with this installation centred around a dark pool of misty grey water. In the darkened room this pool is illuminated in brief moments by flashing and scanning beams of cold light conveying a sense of fluidity and impermanence that gives us our first introduction to a state of dreaming. This ephemeral vision of the installation created by the fluctuating light is also reminiscent of the transient nature of the transgender experience. In the half-light we are drawn towards the pool, which is our portal into Ahmed’s fantasy world, where they guide our dreaming further into queer futurity (José Esteban Muñoz, 2009). Emerging from the water are two globular forms that shine a glossy blend of vibrant blue, silver, and magenta. These rich colours contrast the murky water while their smoothly bubbling surfaces are juxtaposed to the mound of sharp, grey rocks that they arise from just beyond the surface of the water. Their fluid shapes and exciting colour are reflective of the nature of trans and queer livelihood and our rejection of cishetero norms and binaries (Monaghan, 2016). Below the surface of the water is an expanse of uniform greyness, representative of a cisheteronormative society of restrictive roles and binaries that enforce conformity and limit expression. The impossible to navigate murky pool clouds any variations, just as imposing norms restrain trans and queer lives from thriving (Eckstein, 2018; Gill-Peterson, 2018). As the sculptures emerge to exist outside of the clouded grey waters we imagine ourselves and the lives we can live when we are free of cisheteronormative restraints. Just as these sculptures of vibrant colour and fluid form can only exist outside of the water, trans and queer lives can only thrive out with cisheteronormative binaries and restraints (Halberstam, 2005; Monaghan, 2016). Ahmed is encouraging us with the vitality of these shapes to imagine how we can live when we too escape and reject these restraints. As Ahmed’s sculptures convey so much variance and power in their rejection of limits we are reassured that our lives do not need to be imagined any one way, and we are permitted to conceive ideas of queer futurity beyond the present. (Eckstein, 2018; Gill-Peterson, 2018).
The square tiles of the pool are white and textured by pressed flowers and organic matter trapped under the paint. Viewing the work through the lens of Roland Barthes' ‘The Death of the Author' (Barthes, 2004), it can be deduced that this is suggestive of the methods in which humans appropriate natural matter to assert
restraint and control in western society. For example, we can look towards the arguments used by trans exclusionary radical feminists (TERFS) who use biological essentialist ideas which have developed alongside capitalism to oppress and harm trans communities (Miles, 2020). Biological essentialism suggests that gender and the way gender is expressed is predetermined and an informed fact by sex (Stone, 2004). Ahmed’s tiles use flowers and natural materials repurposed and reshaped under the white paint to contain the pool of water, just as TERF’s oppressively repurpose human bodies in a narrative of biological essentialism to restrain and extinguish trans and queer lives (Miles, 2020)
Spindling white arches emerge from heaps of earth and rocks surrounding the pool to twist in their uneasy branch-like forms adorned with ribbons of fleshy latex. Outside of the restrictive containment of the tiles and murky water that is suggestive of constraining binaries, Ahmed uses queer organic forms to convey a sense of the surreal and create gateways that reinforce our journey into a place of dreaming (Melnicky, 2021). The shine of colours against grey and the forms of the sculptures are briefly illuminated to us, before being hidden again in the darkness and our minds are left scrambling to rebuild what we see before the light changes again. This everchanging light and perception grants us the experience of infinite possibilities of the dreamscape as we are lead to conceive the infinite possibilities of trans and queer futures. This play of light across the installation builds on the surreal and reinforces the escape of Ahmed’s dreamscape, allowing us to become fully immersed in a place out with the present and thus explore queer futurity (McCann & Monaghan, 2020).
When Interviewed by DAZED on what they hope people can take away from experiencing their imagery, Furmaan Ahmed said; “I hope people can for a few seconds leave this gross binary unreality and experience that mental state of transness,” “I hope people can connect to that part of their imaginations to explore more of what could be.” (Cadogan, 2021)
The concept of queer futurity allows trans and queer people to imagine new ideas of what their future could look like living outside of cishet norms when the present world of restrictive and oppressive conditions controlling queer and trans lives limits how we exist and dream (Eckstein, 2018; Gill-Peterson, 2018).
Furmaan Ahmed emulates this experience through their immersive installations that use surreal visuals and fantasy forms to first transport us from the present into a fantasy dreamscape, before gently encouraging us to conceive of our trans and queer futures. Once we are released from the present into this dreamscape, Ahmed utilises their sculpture and world building techniques to suggest representations of our present contrasted with ideas of what our futures could look like, thus facilitating queer futurity. This experience is crucial to the survival of trans and queer people as without these moments of escape to dream, we are trapped living in a present that restrains us from even being able to imagine a more bearable future. Without the possibility to hope and dream, one cannot survive a life that is so burdened with grief. This escapism gives the trans audience the space to remind ourselves of our
beauty and possibility. For a secondary audience of cis people and non-queer people, this experience offers an insight into the turbulence and determination behind the survival of trans and queer people. Our livelihoods are no less than beautiful and while cis people will always see us, because they can only view us and the trans experience through their lens of cis experience they will never know our dimensions.
(Leeson, 2023)Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley is a video game developer, animator and visual artist from London living and working in Berlin. Seeking to archive the black trans experience she utilises technology to envision black and trans lives in environments that centre our bodies; living, dead and those who were forgotten.
Her games let us walk through so many experiences; joy, community, isolation, fear, pain, connection, and transcendence. In I CANT REMEMBER A TIME I DIDN’T NEED YOU we have to face our fears alone, we learn where to be gentle, when we should take of ourselves, we can push our boundaries and be cared for by our community when we can’t manage on our own. We experience fear and isolation diving into a new world, danger from those who can’t understand us and want to harm us, and connection and safety when we find our place with our people. In BLACK TRANS ARCHIVE we experience spiritual connection with our ancestors and community, we learn how we can care for black trans people, we can receive our gender affirming care with no barriers and much more in this lo-fi transitional world.
I think these are both strong games to have in the exhibition. People can come and fully engage here by making choices in a narrative defined by their identity. BrathwaiteShirley acknowledges and captures the dimensions of trans experiences with deep authenticity. Black and trans people deserve to experience the worlds that BrathwaiteShirley builds for us. importantly for sharing this exhibition space, she also builds a narrative into her games for people who are not black or trans. I have not played these narratives, but I trust they suggest an experience to people that has them leaving the game with some new compassion, appreciation, and ideas of how to be more supportive for black trans people.
Her practice focuses on archiving the livelihood of black and trans people while rejecting the obsession of our physical appearance. Her archive provides a history and documentation of trans lives that have been misrepresented or completely erased up until now. The many dimensions and paths of these narratives makes her games very effective in capturing the many different aspects of black and trans experiences. The immersive worlds of lo-fi graphics construct an experience where we are not concerned about physical appearances and instead we are free to engage with these pixelated representations to our own capacity. She provides trigger warnings and makes it optional to engage with subjects such as grief; suggesting we check in with our own capacity and take a different path if needed. There is so much care in the way she has built these
worlds for us. she allows safety alongside the opportunity to challenge ourselves and our beliefs. She affirms our experiences of pain and fear and isolation, she reminds us of the power and reassurance we can find in our own strength and our community. Importantly, she also lets us experience a world where we don’t have to be subjected to traumatising probing and life-threatening waiting to access gender affirming care. She makes us feel seen, she tells us how amazing we can be, and she shows us what we deserve, encouraging us to keep dreaming and not to settle for less.
Having the opportunity to experience Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s work installed for Art Night in Dundee was deeply valuable for me. I was so gagged that the curatorial team for Art Night had brought this black trans artist whose very contemporary work examines blackness and transness so loudly. Artwork like this is unheard of in Dundee and is not mainstream in bigger cities that we would consider to be more ‘progressive’ or ‘accepting’ either. Artworks and installations like this that provide what her work provides should be much more common and accessible. I really enjoyed that for the art night installation she had repurposed dance matts as the game controls, and you had to stand on different pads across the space. This encouraged bodily movement to engage and communication with others in the space to stand on controls simultaneously, making passive and individual viewing impossible. We had to use our bodies and our voices to explore the world she built for us. something challenging but encouraging for trans people are used to hiding, making ourselves as small as possible, we spend our lives learning how to go unnoticed. I felt very seen and cared for by the artist. I want other people to have this experience too. She effectively achieves escapism, she captures our lived experiences, she encourages us to dream, she bandages our wounds, and she keeps us safe. When someone else or other enters her space that she has made for us, she lets them in with limitations and teaches them how to bring more compassion for our experiences when they leave.
TAAHLIAH is a DJ & Producer from Glasgow who gained popularity in underground queer club scenes of Berlin & Glasgow. TAAHLIAH uses her music to explore personal experiences that have shaped her livelihood; coming to terms with being trans, entering the creative world from a working class background, break ups and falling in love.
Throughout her work TAAHLIAH projects universal messages of power, love, fearlessness, and euphoria in seeking to represent and bring visibility to her community She is the first black trans artist to be nominated at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards, and the first artist to ever be nominated and win in two categories in the same year.
Angels are a recurring concept throughout TAAHLIAH’s work as she seeks to interpret her own understanding of angels in the theme of trans existence.
The title of TAAHLIAH’s The Ultimate Angels is inspired by a book of the same name by Photographer Byron Newman, photos documenting a community of black and brown trans women living and working in the underground nightlife of Paris in the 1980’s. In
the beginning of her performance, she invites us (her predominantly trans and queer audience) as her angels to join her in heaven before she begins her set. The Ultimate Angels is a performance of music mixed live by TAAHLIAH at a white podium which becomes her altar. Behind her a screen that has displayed ‘TRANSGENDER SUPREMACY’ darkens for her entrance, and her fluorescent pink TAAHLIAH logo creates a luminous halo for her arrival. She emerges in a graceful white dress and veil to begin building an ethereal soundscape. As she builds she lifts her veil and the soundscape develops with her staple sounds that build excitement and euphoria in the crowd as music beats in their chests.
TAAHLIAH turns tides with her sets and uses music and sound to create entirely new dreamscapes for us to exist in. The way she uses her artistry to command at atmosphere is deeply powerful and having her perform this in the exhibition space is an experience I want the audience to have. She uses her position to inspire our community that you don’t need to appear any certain way to achieve the things you want to, and her music brings us into those spaces where anything is possible. This is important in the exhibitions aims to make us feel seen and give us hopes and confidence in our dreams and desires as trans people. The power of her music and performance creates the right atmosphere for escapism and fantasy through euphoria and excitement. The intensity of her performance can create that removal from real life and offer the space to dream. Lose yourself and your body in the sensation and movement. Dream of where else your body could be and what else it is possible for you to feel.
Tee Jaehyung Park is a transgender writer, director and actor who migrated to LA from Seoul aged 12. Throughout her work, Park pursues the authentic portrayal of her community of trans people of colour to honour their livelihood. Park dreams of building a world where marginalized people are not simply tolerated but truly liberated.
Gbenga Komolafe is a Nigerian multimedia artist and filmmaker currently based in LA. Gbenga uses the intersections of photo, video, textile and sculpture to explore the parallels between traditional African art practices and mid 20th century queer and black American creative communities. Similarly to Park, Gbenga uses their practice to build the idea of a collectively imaged future where trans, queer, black, and marginalized bodies are not just seen but enthusiastically celebrated.
Co-Directing Winter Insect, Summer Flower, Park and Komolafe create a visually captivating story of a trans woman as she voyages through the seasons; representing her experiences of love, loss, and redemption. Saturated vibrant greenery and blossoms juxtaposed with howling gales and tipping rain immerses in this beautiful fantasy. We watch her wake from the earth, travel through different weathers and landscapes before coming to find peace and resting in the earth and undergrowth again with flowers blooming from her body. The abstract symbolism of her traveling through these seasons allows the audience to find what this represents for themselves; their own challenges and joys they have navigated and experienced in their lives.
Winter Insect, Summer Flower beautifully conveys the experiences of a black trans woman and how she may possess many different dimensions. Black trans women have historically been misrepresented in one dimensional way that are reductive and dehumanising of their lives and experiences. The piece is fantasy like and removes from real life representations that obsess over appearance and stereotypes Instead, we get to move through a dream with her that authentically encapsulates these universal emotional experiences. This is fantasy contributes to the dreamscape of the exhibition, taking us to escape where we can rest and engage with emotions as much as we are comfortable to do so. Winter Insect, Summer Flower gently in suggests different experiences for each viewer. We can project our own experiences in parallel; romances and relationships, fears we have faced, difficulties we have overcome by ourselves and the experience of finding peace, rest and growth.
Amalteaah is a trans nonbinary artist working out of Glasgow and Slovakia inspired by nostalgia, dreams, naturalistic landscapes and navigating daily life as a queer, neurodivergent individual in which they are constantly searching for their place. Excited by using their work to question and play with stereotypically gendered colours, their expression is deeply entwined with their queerness and rejection of prescribed societal constructs.
Bubblegum Dreams uses a collection of soft sculpture and prints of digital artworks to a create a soft fantasy of comfort. A big butterfly shaped pillow sculpture functions as a seat for the audience under curling pink tentacle like branches and frames. Using this installation as a tool, Bubblegum Dreams transcends written meaning and articulated feelings. Using this big pink mystical butterfly pillow seat, they invite us to sit under their great branches and rest in their fantasy space. These structures and visuals explore gender and queerness and the experience of moving through a world that makes us feel like we are always searching for our place. Amalteaah constructs the place we are all searching for. An alien fantasy space for us to be ourselves within. When we get to exist in a fantasy space that transcends norms, we can start to feel the freedom to transcend norms in ourselves. If we already are, this space will provide some relaxation from the constant battle we feel from living truthfully because of the dangers presented to us from living out with prescribed norms. This installation is a really important addition because it’s by a trans artist who is searching for trans peoples space in this world, and Bubblegum Dreams begins to imagine and create what that space could be. As part of the exhibition overall its creating a trans dreamscape, through natural influences and otherworldly experiences, very similar to Furmaan Ahmed and Rabi Bhose. This dreamscape is the space that is going to help trans people feel removed from reality and all that imposes. Having this space provides escapism from struggle and oppression, grief and pain from the overarching transphobia imposed on our everyday lives. This escapism grants us space in our minds and our bodies to breathe and rest first of all, and if we have the capacity to engage further, we can. But rest and comfort is first and foremost what we need. Having the space of comfort in this dreamscape means the exhibition can have artworks that offer a deeper engagement to trans experiences and the emotions
we feel from everything we see in the exhibition, as well as the opportunity to engage in dreaming further into what trans futures can look like. This fantasy is trying to wipe the slate clean a bit so we can write something new in our minds to take with us when we leave.
2.1 TRANSCRIPT:
This unsuccessful ground floor layout moves Tee Jaehyung Park & Gbenga Komolafe’s ‘Winter Insect, Summer Flower’ out of Machine Room and into Warehouse Annexe. While this creates an isolated experience for the short film, it interferes with the exhibition’s quiet space which I believe should have minimal sensory stimulation to be effective. In Machine Room, the absence of the film means that when Tivali is not performing, the room lacks balance and flow with a largely unoccupied space for the majority of the exhibition’s opening. Examining these issues helped me to conclude that Tee Jaehyung Park & Gbenga Komolafe’s ‘Winter Insect, Summer Flower’ co-habits Machine Room to effectively construct the themes of the exhibition as its themes are complimentary to those of Amalteaah’s ‘Bubblegum Dreams’ and Tivali Thomas’ ‘Untitled Performance’
Key: 1. Rabindranath Xavier Bhose – ‘Dance In The Sacred Domain’ 2. Vuk Lungulovklotz –‘MUTT’
This unsuccessful first floor layout utilises Gallery 1 to house Rabindranath Xavier Bhose’s ‘Dance In The Sacred Domain’ and Gallery 2 to house the screening of Vuk Lungulov-klotz’ ‘MUTT’. Placing Rabi’s installation in Gallery 1 isolates the piece, limiting its ability to create transitions and compliment other installations in the exhibition such as Furmaan Ahmed’s ‘Kirin Protects The Lily’, which so effectively creates the environments of escapism the exhibition aims for. Crucially, the placement of Vuk Lungulov-klotz’ ‘MUTT’ in Gallery 2 disrupts the flow of the exhibition seen in the successful layout as it creates too much contrast between the film screening and Rabi’s installation next door in Gallery 1. The transition between these installations is not seamless. Furthermore, Gallery 2 is a transitory space which visitors will travel through to access Gallery 1 which will create disruption during film screenings. This layout has helped me conclude that ‘MUTT’ is best housed in a space where I can be isolated for a successful screening, and that Rabindranath Xavier Bhose’s ‘Dance In The Sacred Domain’ is more effective amongst other installations that build escapism within the exhibition.
4.1 Cis
The term “cis” or “cisgender” is used to describe individuals whose gender identity aligns with their sex assigned to them at birth.
4.2 Cishet / Cishetero
Cishet or Cishetero combines two concepts, “cisgender” and “heterosexual” to describe individuals who are both cisgender and heterosexual. In discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity this term emphasises that the individual’s identity aligns with societal expectations placed on them.
4.3 Cisnormative
Cisnormativity refers to the societal norms and expectations that favour cisgender identities as standard, correct and default; implying that the experiences and rights of cisgender individuals are considered normal while those of transgender individuals are marginalised and not afforded the same privilege.
4.4 Cisheteronormative
Cisheteronormativity refers to the societal norms and expectations that favour cisgender and heterosexual identities as standard, correct and default; implying that the experiences and rights of cisgender and heterosexual individuals are considered normal. In this context any relationships, identities and behaviors that deviate from these norms are marginalised and face stigma.
4.5 Gender Affirming (care)
Gender Affirming refers to actions, practices or environments that support and validate an individual’s gender identity. In the context of healthcare this can involve medical procedures aligning an individual with their gender identity; such as hormone replacement therapy or gender confirmation surgery.
4.6 Gender Binary
The gender binary is a socially constructed classification system rooted in racism, eugenics and white supremacy. Enforcing a rigid division of individuals into male or female and reinforcing hierarchies and ideals associated with gender, race and power. This binary framework fails to account for the full diversity of gender identities and expressions and has been used to justify and maintain social inequalities based on gender and racial hierarchies.
4.7 Gender Identity
Gender Identity refers to an individual’s internal sense of their own gender, encompassing a broad spectrum of experiences and expressions which may or may not align with their sex assigned at birth.
4.8 Genderqueer
An umbrella term used to describe a spectrum of varying gender identities outside the cis binary of male or female.
4.9 Ghettoising
This term is used to criticise practices that segregate artworks, artists and cultural movements to restrict their visibility and influence within the broader art world. Ghettoising refers the marginalisation that results when artworks and artists are segregated and dismissed based on factors such as race, gender or class.
4.10 Hormone Replacement Therapy
In the context of transgender healthcare, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is a gender affirming medical treatment utilising hormones to align an individual’s secondary sexual characteristic with their gender identity.
4.11 Intersectional
Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term “Intersectionality”, referring to the intersections of various social categories such as race, class, and gender and how they form unique and complex experiences for individuals navigating multiple marginalised identities. Intersectional approaches recognise that individuals and their experiences of discrimination or privilege are not defined by single social categories, but rather by the intersections of these categories.
4.12 Latinx
A gender-neutral term used as an alternative to “Latino” or “Latina” to refer to people of Latin American heritage. Gaining popularity in queer communities as a more inclusive and contemporary term to represent the diverse Latin American and Hispanic communities, it embraces individuals of varying gender identities.
4.13 LGBTQI+
An acronym representing the community of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and other marginalised sexualities and gender identities.
4.14 Misgender
The act of incorrectly identifying or referring to an individual’s gender. This could be using the wrong gendered pronouns or using gendered terms that do not align with an individual’s gender identity. Misgendering can have a significant emotional impact on the person who is misgendered.
4.15 Norms
Norms or “normalities” refer to accepted standards or behaviours within society, dictating what is considered appropriate and what is not; often used to justify discrimination and stigma.
4.16 Non-Binary
An umbrella term for gender identities that do not align with categories such as male or female and exist outside the traditional binary understanding of gender.
4.17 Passing
In the context of gender, passing refers to a transgender individual being perceived as a cisgender individual of the gender with which they are identifying, rather than the gender attached to their sex assigned at birth. Passing is a nuanced concept inciting discussions of what cis people set as the standards for ‘passable’ as it a performance of cisnormative ideas of gender, often performed to secure a trans person’s safety amongst cis people, rather than their personal comfort.
4.18 POC (People of Colour)
POC is an acronym for People Of Colour, an umbrella term encompassing a wide range of racial and ethnic backgrounds which are not of white European descent. Used in discussions of race and identity to recognise the diverse experiences of individuals who are marginalised because of their race or ethnicity and emphasise their shared experiences of racial discrimination and systemic inequalities.
4.19 Queer
A reclaimed slur originally used to marginalise individuals whose gender identity or sexual orientation did not conform to societal norms which the LGBTQI+ community has embraced as an umbrella term to encompass the diverse spectrum of marginalised sexual orientations and gender identities.
4.20 Queer Futurity
Conceptualised by José Esteban Muñoz, Queer Futurity rejects normative frameworks and endeavours to create a space where alternative possibilities for identity, relationships and societal structures thrive; envisioning a future for marginalised identities where we are liberated from current norms and inequality. Encouraging us to engage in “queer worldbuilding”, imagining and working towards a future that is free from the limitations of our present promotes hope and resilience.
4.21 Tokenising
In the context of the arts, tokenising refers to the practice of featuring a limited number of artworks or individuals from marginalised groups to create a false appearance of diversity. Crucially, without genuinely addressing systemic issues or providing meaningful representation this reduces complex identities to stereotypes and is an ingenuine act that does not meaningfully contribute to inclusion or understanding.
4.22 Trans
For the purposes of this dissertation, Trans serves as an umbrella term shortened from the combined terms “transgender” and “transsexual”, Encompassing a range of all gender identities and expressions which do not align with an individual’s sex assigned to them at birth or which challenge societal norms and expectations of gender.
4.23 Trans Siblings
Reflective of elements of the idea of “Chosen Family” within the queer community, this terms refers to the familial connection trans people share with each other through their shared experiences. This term can be used by trans people to refer to their close trans
friends and loved ones, and is often also used for trans strangers; emphasising the love and connection shared for each other within the trans community regardless of our relations.
4.24 Trans Tourism
From a trans curatorial perspective, my understanding of trans tourism involves a recent surge in cisgender individuals showing heightened interest in transgender lives, fueled by media attention, sensationalism, and misrepresentation. Therefore, perpetuating a harmful trend of prying into intimate details under the guise of curiosity, contributing to an epidemic of dehumanising trans people that endangers our lives; exemplified by tragic cases such as the murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey. Cisgender individuals can gain entertainment from this exploitation of trans lives without ever experiencing the harmful consequences.
4.25 Transmisogynoir
This term encapsulates the intricate oppression uniquely experienced by black transgender women and femmes consisting of the intersections of anti-black racism, transphobia and misogyny. This term is rooted in the broader concepts of transphobia, hatred and discrimination against transgender individuals, misogyny, hatred and discrimination against women, and anti-black racism, hatred and discrimination against black individuals.
4.26 Transphobia
This term refers to a form of discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming individuals that has serious consequences for the physical well-being and mental health of transgender individuals. Transphobia can manifest in various forms, including verbal abuse, physical violence, denial of rights and social exclusion.
4.27 Transition
In the context of gender, transition refers to the processes that transgender or gender nonconforming individuals may undergo to closer align their gender identity with their outward appearance and how they are perceived by others. This may also involve various social, legal and medical aspects and is a unique and personal non-linear journey that varies drastically for every individual.
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