A friend & former student of mine (possibly my first student ever) who has consistently inspired me with both her creative work & her activism! Noél posted aniconic selfie the other day & I was totally compelled to make something based on it - I haven’t done a finished portrait in ages but I loved working on this. The border features tropical flowers & draped fabric inspired by Noél’s own textile sculptures/installations, which you can see here.
Things don’t always line up the way it seems like they would or should. Clothes can be an expression, but also mean something different to everyone. Gender is an experience, not a fixed location.
Please check out Laneha House, the small press who edited and printed the anthology The BAYlies that this is included in!
“I consider myself trans masculine. Throughout my life I’ve swung between presenting more masculine and more feminine.”
“It’s not that I felt equally boy and girl, it was more like… [BOY MODE] [GIRL SUBROUTINE]”
“Sometimes dressing "as a boy” would just make my dysphoria worse.“
"Excuse me, young lady!” [FAILURE]
“And sometimes dressing "as a girl” could enhance the boy feeling. (Maybe my wires got crossed or something…) It was kinda like it make me hyper aware of it.“
"Gender identity doesn’t always align with typical expectations of masculine or feminine gender expression. I just want to wear what makes me feel good!”
We are in the midst of the holiday season! Thanks to the generosity of some talented artists, you can send love and support to someone who might need some extra joy this holiday season: bit.ly/TEP-ecard
By making a donation of $3 or more, you can pick your favorite design and send a personalized e-card to the person of your choosing! Not only will your gift ensure that your loved ones know you were thinking of them, it will help us continue to provide vital resources to trans people in crisis, particularly QTPOC.
All of the artwork featured was created and donated by trans artists, and we have given them a shoutout on our social media!
Being isolated from each other feels especially tough during the holidays. Send your loved ones an e-card so that they can feel your love and support from afar! Choose your e-card here: bit.ly/TEP-ecard
[ID: Blue snowy background with the TEP logo in the top left. A dusty blue card is centered with a white heart, a pink scarf, and a white banner with the donation link. Two plant branches frame the card. Below is text describing the fundraiser.]
Our holiday e-card fundraiser closes TOMORROW NIGHT! If you have not had a chance to look at the art donated by some wonderful trans artists, make sure you do so before 11:59pm EST tonight!
This fundraiser not only helped our supporters share some much-needed holiday cheer with their loved ones, but also helped us raise funds for our direct aid program – providing vital resources to trans people in crisis, especially QTPOC. You can support our efforts through this e-card fundraiser through tonight here: bit.ly/TEP-ecard!
Thank you again to all the artists who donated their time and work to our organization, and to everyone who has sent a card to their loved ones through us. Happy holidays, and happy New Year!
[ID: Blue snowy background with the TEP logo in the top left. A dusty blue card is centered with a white heart, a pink scarf, and a white banner with the donation link. Two plant branches frame the card. Below is text describing the fundraiser.]
As the holiday season and this year wind down, make sure you send some extra love and support to someone who might need some extra joy with an e-card: bit.ly/TEP-ecard
By making a donation of $3 or more, you can pick your favorite design and send a personalized e-card to the person of your choosing! Your gift will ensure your loved ones know you’re thinking of them and will help us provide vital resources to trans people in crisis.
Being isolated from each other feels especially tough during the holidays. Send your loved ones an e-card so that they can feel your love and support from afar! Choose your e-card here before tomorrow night:bit.ly/TEP-ecard
[ID: Blue snowy background with the TEP logo in the top left. A dusty blue card is centered with a white heart, a pink scarf, and a white banner with the donation link. Two plant branches frame the card. Below is text describing the fundraiser.]
“Caw, caw!” A huge black crow circled above me in the air and landed on a rock nearby. We looked at each other in silence.
“Crow, are you a boy or a girl?”
“Caw, caw!”
I laughed and rolled over on my back. The sky was crayon blue. I pretended I was lying on the cotton white clouds. The earth was damp against my back. The sun was hot, the breeze was cool. I felt happy. Nature held me close and seemed to find no fault with me.”
-Leslie Feinberg, Stone Butch Blues
*** CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS ***
“Nature Held Me Close” is a zine about gender dysphoria and the great outdoors. Sometimes it’s hard to exist in a physical body, but spending time in nature can be one of the best ways to feel more comfortable in your own skin.
This zine is a place to feature art and writing from trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people about how spending time outdoors – hiking, camping, gardening, birdwatching, landscaping, doing outdoor education or research, or just sitting quietly in nature – has influenced how you feel about your body and your gender. Submissions are open to dysphoric people of any and all gender identities!
You are welcome to share:
Essays and other nonfiction writing
Poetry
Digital and/or traditional art
Photography
Mixed media
How to participate:
Email[email protected] with your submission. Please include 1) your name or a nickname you’d like to be known by, 2) social media handle if you’d like it to be published with your piece (optional), and 3) any author’s or artist’s notes you’d like included as well. Once submissions are collected, this zine will be published as a free PDF. Submissions are due by June 20, 2020: this year’s summer solstice.
The white on black version is finished, and it’s available on RedBubble! Uncensored image is up there where you can order it on stickers, pins, shirts, and more. Please send me photos if you do buy something. ❤
prospect park / coney island, ny (17th january 2014) original diana, 120 rollfilm
i want you to come visit me. please. baltimore, new york, for 3 days, for 7 days, whatever it is, we can figure out the logistics. that’s the most important thing for you to know, but it’s also important to me that you know why. if you need to take a minute, that’s okay, there’s plenty of time for me to explain. - NicoVitti personal correspondence (4th january 2014)
James Lyons is an Australian artist and holistic nutritionist. His work draws on his experience of growing up queer in country Victoria and features Australian landscapes and flora. Spirituality drives his artistic process and he strives to express grace and destruction through his art. He is most recently inspired by the mythology of New York city, tarot archetypes, prison abolition, and nutritional biochemistry.
James now lives in Melbourne with his boyfriend and is completing a degree in nutritional medicine.
Castor was slain, and Pollux, inconsolable for the loss of his brother, besought Jupiter to be permitted to give his own life as a ransom for him. Jupiter so far consented as to allow the two brothers to enjoy the boon of life alternately, passing one day under the earth and the next in the heavenly abodes. According to another form of the story, Jupiter rewarded the attachment of the brothers by placing them among the stars as Gemini the Twins. (Thomas Bulfinch, Age of Fable)
