An oblique self-portrait-adjacent diptych, Nowhere to Hide I and Nowhere to Hide II were created as a way of probing into the unease I feel as a trans person. In some ways, being trans has never been more accepted. Hormone replacement therapy and gender affirming surgeries are more accessible and safer than ever. Moms across the country are trying their best to use they as a singular pronoun. Positive transgender representation in media is more common than ever. In 2014, Black trans actor and activist Laverne Cox was the first trans person to appear on the cover of Time magazine. Transness seemed to have gone mainstream.
Recently, Elon Musk, the world’s most powerful transphobe, graced the same cover. In under a decade, the number of anti-trans bills in the US rose from 21 proposed in 2015 to an astounding 672 in 2024[1]. In Alberta, anti-trans legislation is set to become law which will, among other things, restrict access to puberty blockers and require parental consent if a student’s wishes to use different pronouns or be called something other than their name on file. So where does all this leave me?
Growing up, I saw the rise in representation and acceptance of queerness. Because of this, I have been able to understand and explore my identity as a nonbinary trans masculine person. But now more than ever in my memory, despite the movement towards acceptance, I feel a terror and dread for the futures of trans people. Our visibility has both facilitated community and has made us targets; like pigeons, we scatter in unison from a threat, which some do not see.