TransLash family, This special edition of TransLash Zine is a companion to our #TransBodiesTransChoices campaign, centering the voices of TGNC people in our fight for bodily autonomy in all facets of our lives: reproductive justice, medical care, sex & romance, and more. The aesthetic for this zine was inspired by the 1970’s novel Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. That iconic book was about a young cis girl coming into herself in every way, especially into her body.
Because of this dichotomy of experiences at camps, and its absurdity, it’s no surprise that there are so many horror and comedy films devoted to the camp experience. It could be both terrifying and hilarious. Beyond camp though, the truth is that many TGNC people have gone through two phases of adolescence. Our first adolescence is imposed upon us, with the second one (our egg cracked) embraced by us in order to become who we are truly. This second adolescence is where we are able to face the truth of who we are, and are able to make choices about what happens next.
Our homage to the essential aesthetic and approach of this book explores what it would be like for this legendary coming of age tale to be about a trans youth who cracked their egg—became aware of their gender identity— at a sleepaway camp. For some of us who had the privilege of going to camp during their adolescence, it was a place where the thrill and angst of our changing bodies could build to an intoxicating frenzy, inspiring us to take wild leaps of courage and attempt things we would never try at home: learning a new skill, a whirlwind summer romance, and other diary-worthy experiences. But that euphoria––for those of us whose gender assigned at birth didn’t match what we knew about ourselves––was a complicated experience. Out in the stillness of nature, under green canopies, we could take a breath and imagine new ways of being after we one day escaped from our old lives––when we could finally be free.
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