This artist is confronting identity in a really interesting way. Meeting somewhere between male and female, between beauty and ugliness, and at once dangerous and vulnerable, the character created embraces both the inner goddess and the outer chaos of the universe. Through use of elaborate embellishment and decoration, what is arrived at is somehow a place of stripped-down need; a place of attraction and repulsion within all of us, the place that we need to hide most from others and also that we need most to be embraced.
Red is one of the few people I follow on youtube, mostly because she is hilarious and keeps it real. Recently she went on tour with the Tranny Roadshow, and some kind person put this up on youtube. Red talks about life as a transwoman, offers the audience a metaphor they might want to use in their lives (but only if they find it useful!), and is just generally all kinds of awesome.
The CocoRosie sisters are not only talented avant-garde musicians, they are also inspiring genderbenders, who mix male and female in an unique way. Click to see a video made to promote their new album, Grey Oceans. Dressed as men, the sisters dance and pose. They never looked so hot.
Liu Zhu is a contestant in China’s ‘Super Boy’ singing contest who caused some controversy by entering a male-only talent show while dressing as a woman. From interviews it seems that he is happy calling himself a boy and presenting as a beautiful woman, and while he’s been strongly criticized (and harshly questioned by a guest judge on the show) there are plenty of supportive voices out there too. Best of luck to him in the contest, I say!
I’ve simply fallen in love with Bill Kaulitz – not necessarily because of his music, but because of his utter disregard for gender norms and for his androgyny. He’s a beautiful boy who simply enjoys expressing himself, regardless of the tabloids questioning his sexuality over his eyeliner, long hair, and tight pants.
To see a celebrity—a well-known celebrity—pushing the envelope on gender is refreshing and exciting, especially when he’s doing it on MTV or strutting the runway during Milan fashion week in heels and studded leather.
Philippe is gorgeous. Rather than having no gender, shim has the best attributes of both, and thus is attractive to all. Also shim seems to be having lots of fun, and be relaxed even if in the public eye.
Another reason for liking Phillippe is that shim has made shis gender ambiguity into both a positive business attribute, for a highly succesful fashion business – and made it sher USP, while avoiding any tackyness. It’s all done in the best possible taste. And my goodness, I envy Phillipe’s youth, beauty, and confidence!
Amos Mac is a trans photographer who focuses on the genderqueer and trans communities and who has an ftm magazine and website called Original Plumbing. The ‘girl-on-girl’ culture web magazine that I intern at, Autostraddle, did a great write up and interview with Amos.
Chris Crocker talks about both sides of himself and how something such as facial hair or clothing choice can change things. Most of the time we see him/her/or hir (whichever you prefer) dressed as a female with “distinctly feminine” qualities such as makeup, high heels etc but here he discusses how simply growing out his facial hair changed what he wore and even who acknowledged him.
Quote from his website: “Scott Turner Schofield is a man who was a woman, a lesbian turned straight guy who is usually taken for a gay teenager. A former debutante and homecoming queen coming out in the Deep South, the work and the life on which it is based contain hilarious contradictions bordered with the possibility of terrifying consequences. Key to the work is a keen awareness of culture and self that maintains an accessible perspective even within the most particular of circumstances.”
I recently came across his work when he appeared on the reality TV dating show “Conveyor Belt of Love” and created an online buzz about “stealth” trans people on reality dating shows. His work is poignant and moving in its sheer honesty and vulnerability, but he avoids the confessional and depressing with a keen wit and impeccable comedic timing. Also check him out on YouTube touring with his book “2 Truths and a Lie.”
I’m sure many of you have heard of Frida Kahlo before, as she was a very influential Mexican painter, but did you know that she was also a genderforker? That’s her on the left in the family portrait above, in the suit with her hair pulled back. She alternated between very feminine and very masculine presentation and was fairly open about her bisexuality. One of her many self-portraits shows her in a suit, holding a pair of scissors, having just cut off most of her long hair. If you’re interested in learning more, this link goes to an online GLBTQ encyclopedia article about her. Also, you should try renting the 2002 film “Frida”; it’s a very artistic biographical film that deals very nicely with these aspects of Kahlo’s life.
Sunny Drake is a gorgeous FTM (or, as he calls himself, “CARNIVALESQUE MAGICIAN!”) performance artist from Australia that has created some beautiful work around being transgender and dealing with family, relationships, school, and life.
I saw Other-wise twice this year and loved it – so much fun and randomness. There’s clever use of multimedia, flashbacks to school chants, Beryl the Femme Singing Puppet, and a sincere message to his family. You can see videos of his work Other-Wise and Genderqueer Seeking on http://sunnydk.blip.tv/.
Eddie Izzard is not only very funny, he describes perfectly the confusion of being genderqueer and at the same time having a side of yourself that fits your biological gender.
The male transvestite tomboy: “Running, jumping, climbing trees, putting on make-up when you’re up there.”
Peterson Toscano A performance based on transgendered or differently gendered characters in the Bible. (yes! they exist!)
I met Peterson in 2008 in Portland, OR when they did a show at the local queer youth center. I was blown away after what I saw in “Transfigurations,” a one “man” show about trans/differently gendered folks in the Bible. My first reaction was to question his sources (in a curious way)since these stories challenged so much of what I grew up being taught; but what I found that not only is Peterson highly educated in these topics, they allow us to understand and see these stories in an entirely different light.
Adhamh Roland is a guitar-strummin’, accordion-squeezing, whistling warbler who fancies reminiscing about the midwest while devising collective strategies for liberation. Adhamh is a founding member of the Riot Folk Collective, and has toured and created with Benchpress Burlesque (St. Louis’ radical multi-gendered, sex-positive, queer-positive, feminist feast of political performance art), The Tranny Roadshow, as well as many bicycle tours totaling over 3,500 miles of pedal-powered folk shows.
Gender controversy seems to follow this lady, and I guess I’m so queer I don’t get it. But I love what she has to say about it:
“This is really who I am, and it took a long time to be okay with that… Maybe in high school you, Ellen, you feel discriminated against. Like you don’t fit in and you want to be like everyone else, but not really, and in the inside you want to be like Boy George – well, I did anyway. So I want my fans to know that it’s okay. Sometimes in life you don’t always feel like a winner, but that doesn’t mean you’re not a winner, you want to be like yourself. I want my fans to know it’s okay.”
Janelle Monáe She’s a musical artist who rocks a pompadour, a 1950s Elvis aesthetic, and an amazing voice.
Janelle Monáe is an amazing musician who has a distinctly queer sense of style. Her first album, Metropolis: The Chase Suite, is a wild trip in a science-fiction universe where the forbidden love is between androids and humans. Her lyrics are smart and engaging, and her vocal range is wild!
Chris Pureka changed my perception of gender. I heard she identified as genderqueer, but I had no idea what that was. Since then, I learned more and more. She’s totally amazing. Her laugh (well, giggle) doesn’t match her appearance. Her voice doesn’t sound like her laugh. She’s a genuine, intelligent, cool person that more people should know about. Hell, my slightly homophobic sister likes her.
