Skip to main content
  • IetpShops , adidas crop longsleeve semi solar yellow , Bad Bunny adidas Forum Buckle Low Black GW5021 Release Date Info
  • Best shoes IetpShops - Calções adidas Techfit Badge of Sport azul claro mulher - adidas Originals ZX 2k Boost Utility Gtx GV8051 shoes
  • Nike SB NK T - IetpShops - Shirt - Nike Air Huarache Tripple White , Black
  • air jordan 6 low insignia blue x jordan air sneaker socks , Grailify , Is a Nike SB x Air Jordan 4 "Pine Green" in the Pipeline?
  • Envío Gratis, Nike Air Force One negras bajas 44, 95 € , Products tagged Undercover x Nike LDWaffle "Night Maroon" , OFERTA
  • 1574 nike air jordan 1 blancas y negras
  • nike air max 1 travis scott cactus jack baroque brown do9392 200
  • air jordan 4 bred black cement 2019 308497 060 release date
  • nike air jordan 1 mid unite totale white sneaker review
  • girls air jordan 1s og valentines day black hyper pink white 881426 009
  • Home
  • Calendar
  • About Us
  • Watch/Listen
  • FOIL Docs
  • Editorial Policy
  • Log in
  • Publish Article

Upcoming Events

No upcoming calendar events.

The Transcending Gender Project Opening Exhibition

Primary tabs

  • View(active tab)
  • Devel
Submitted by janitorqueer @ janitorqueer.com/ on Wed, 2014-11-12 12:00

original article: http://janitorqueer.com/2014/11/11/the-transcending-gender-project-opening-exhibition/

My partner and I attended the opening exhibition for this ongoing project that has been really gaining momentum in the last few months.  Rhys Harper launched an indiegogo campaign to raise funds for a cross-country road trip this summer, photographing trans and gender-non-conforming people along the way.  The results are beautiful 24X36 inch black and white portraits, along with brief bios of each subject, to illustrate who they are as people, beyond their gender identities.

To learn more about this project, (and find out how to get involved!) here is the website:  The Transcending Gender Project and also a Huffington Post article and interview.

transcending gender

I first heard about the project in May and donated immediately to the campaign.  We exchanged a few emails and then I met Rhys in person at the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference.  When he asked if I’d like to get my photo taken by him, I said, “yes, definitely.”  Not realizing he was taking photos right there at the conference!  (I think.)  I said it more as, yes, let’s set that up!  D’oh, haha.  Since then, we’ve been messaging further, and I’m very much hoping to be a part of this ever expanding collection of photographs which are gaining visibility and audiences!

My partner and I made a trip of it this weekend – we went to a vegan restaurant, book store, art museum, Mediterranean restaurant, and then to the event.  It was a blast; nice to get out of town.  The art museum portion of the day was totally bizarre and surreal.  The docent seemed surprised we wanted to pay the full $5 each suggested donation.  No one else was in the museum except for her and a very friendly (and bored?) security guard.  Or so we thought, until we headed toward the stairway to the bottom floor – there were loud banging noises and the sounds of screaming children en masse.  I just kept visualizing a stampede of school-aged children horsing around and slamming into the glass cases housing invaluable ceramics.  I wasn’t too far off – it was indeed a stampede of children, but they were contained within a “play area.”

priceless ceramic piece #1

priceless ceramic piece #1

priceless ceramic piece #2

priceless ceramic piece #2

We wandered around for a solid 2 hours, and were trailed by the guard for much of that time.  She made sure to let us know we could take photos of the ceramics, as long as we didn’t use flash.  She pointed out some specific ones to us, commenting, “this one fools a lot of people,” etc.  She asked us if we’ve ever heard a player piano before (part of one of the exhibits) and we felt obligated to follow her back into a room we’d already been in, because the piano was rolling out the music.  I asked her how many times the piano kicks on per day.  She said, “three or four.”  There was an A/V exhibit where you could record a 10 second digital video of yourself, while manipulating special effects.  So, we went ahead and did that, and playback mode shows what you just recorded, followed by everyone else’s segments…  Our block was followed by 10 seconds of the guard, pacing the room at a slight distance, all pixelated and swooping (she must have recorded herself earlier in the day).  It was a distorted version of our real life experience, at the art museum.  It was a moment.

The gallery event was incredible.  Very well attended.  Lots of snacks and drinks (I usually make a bee-line for the free snacks at these kinds of things).  Seeing these images (many of which I’ve seen online) on these white walls, in person, felt really powerful.  There’s an Episcopal nun.  A fire fighter.  An ex-military person.  A cat rescuer.  A MMA fighter.  A DJ.  And so many more.  I think Rhys’s project is going to go far.  He’s already going far!  He recognized me right away, and we talked further about my being photographed in the future.  We also talked about being introverts and stuff like that.  He invited us to an after-party outing which was super nice, but we politely declined (since my partner and I are such introverts.  Haha.)

me and Rhys!

me and Rhys!

The opening was a joint effort with Gavin Rouille, a conceptual and graphic artist living in Minneapolis. gavinlaurencerouille.wordpress.com.  If you go to his website and click on “personal” (personal work), you’ll come upon a lot of really cool visual stuff.

lots of interactive and take-away materials!

lots of interactive and take-away materials!  (apologies for the blurriness – this stuff is all on his website as well.)

The text on the card reads:  “Dear friend, I am a boy.  I am sure you did not realize this when you called me, ‘lady, girl, miss, she, her, or ma’am.’  In the past I have attempted to alert people of my gender identity in advance.  Unfortunately, this causes them to react to me as pushy, or socially inappropriate.  Therefore, my policy is to assume people don’t make these assumptions about me, and to distribute this card when they do.  I regret any discomfort my presence is causing you just as I am sure you regret the discomfort your assumptions are causing me.”

Edit:  I JUST saw this: this article about Rhys’s photos was published 2 hours ago in Cosmo.  (!!!)
Cosmopolitan article:  14 Beautiful Photos That Will Change How You See Gender Forever

Miscellaneous
Media
Theory and Information
Arts and Entertainment
Civil Liberties / Human Rights
Anti-sexism / Sexism
Anti-homophobia / Anti-transphobia
Gender & Sexuality
Feminism
  • Facebook logo
  • Google logo
  • identi.ca logo
  • Twitter logo
  • Digg logo
  • del.icio.us logo
  • Reddit logo
  • StumbleUpon logo
  • Yahoo logo
  • Log in or register to post comments

Search form

Local News

Did District Attorney Sandra Doorley Violate Ethics Guidelines While Attending a Local Republican Fundraiser in May?
Jim Goodman - Sleeper Cell for the Revolution!
The Press as Powdered Donut with Blue Badge in the Middle
Blueprint for Engagement: Evaluating Police / Community Relations Final Report (2017)
The Police-Civilian Foot Patrol: An Evaluation of the PAC-TAC Experiemnt in Rochester, New York (June 1975)
Police Killing of Denise Hawkins (1975)
Complaint Investigation Committee Legislation (1977)
Race Rebellion of July 1964
Selections Regarding the Police Advisory Board (1963-1970)
Prelude to the Police Advisory Board
A.C. White (January 26, 1963)
Police Raid on Black Muslim Religious Service (January 6, 1963)
Rufus Fairwell (August 12, 1962)
Incarcerated Worker sheds light on Prison Labor Conditions during Pandemic
Police and Political Commentary
BWC video indicates Mark Gaskill was holding his phone as police shouted "gun"
How the NY Attorney General's defended the police who killed Daniel Prude
Hats off to Kropotkin!!
Agreement between the City of Rochester and the Rochester Police Locust Club, 2016 - 2019
Facebook Posts Lead to Federal Rioting Charges for Justice for Daniel Prude Protester

Recent Comments

Any status on FOIL request?
Media's Goebbels
Related
Related
USA as NAZI criminals
oops
PS
A message of Truth from Geral
Fyi
See related data...

Syndication

  • Feature Stories
  • Local News

Account Creation Policy Change

Rochester Indymedia is now requiring editor approval for account creation.

We came to this decision after we had repeated spam posted to our website that caused difficulty with the website's functioning.  We will still have open publishing and keep our site as nonrestrictive and accessible as possible.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.  As before, we will continue to be Rochester's grassroots news and education site.  Thank you for your continued support and remember, "Don't hate the media, be the media!"

Editorial Meeting Times / Locations

The Rochester Independent Media Center (R-IMC) is no longer meeting regularly.
We will set up meetings by necessity and appointment. Please contact us at rochesterindymedia@rocus.org.
Our home is still the Flying Squirrel Community Space at 285 Clarissa St. Occasionally, we hold meetings at RCTV located at 21 Gorham Street.

Global IMC Network

To be downloaded