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The exhibition exploring misinformation surrounding the Black trans community
Exhibition hosted by
For years it has been widely reported that Black trans women have a life expectancy of just 35. This bleak statistic first arose back in 2015 when a report compiled by the ‘Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ found the average age of Black trans homicide victims in some parts of Latin America was between 30 and 35.
Although a very real and shocking statistic, it has since been extrapolated, taken out of context, and shared thousands of times across social media - fuelling a rippling effect of fear within the entire Black trans community around the world.
A life expectancy of 35 would put Black trans women on a par with people living in the 16th Century - an absurd comparison - but one that brings to life how misinformation can be harmful, as it precipitates a self-fulfilling prophecy within the community.
This contemporary portrait series highlights the dangers of misinformation - both conscious and unconscious - and engages five prominent Black trans people to elicit their opinions on what needs to be done to ensure the protection of the trans community.
16th Century Life Expectancy seeks to unearth the misinformation surrounding the Black trans community whilst also shining a light on the bias, discrimination, and racism they encounter on a daily basis.
Talulah-Eve she/her
Untitled [1506 / 2023]
Oil on canvas, retouched digitally
__________________
Talulah-Eve was the first trans model to be a contestant on Britain’s Next Top Model, and has become a beacon of trans joy, broadcasting to her 70,000 Instagram followers on a daily basis. When speaking on misinformation surrounding the Black trans community she said:
“I think it starts at understanding us and that we’re human too. We’re not some weird freakish creatures that have just popped up in the 21st century. You don’t have to look far to see discrimination and violence against our community - especially for trans people of colour – and a lot of us have been in places in our journey when you don’t want to be here anymore.”
41% of trans people have experienced a hate crime in the past year, and are two times more likely to be victims of crime than cisgender people – and as anti-trans misinformation intensifies, so too does the threat to trans people and those who support them.
“A lot of us have been in those places in our journey when you don’t want to be here anymore.”
Amani Cosmo she/they
Untitled [1594 / 2023]
Oil on canvas, retouched digitally
__________________
Amani is a resident artist at the Tate and a collaborator of the Baxsan Collective, and in her own time has created a collective for other Somali LGBTQIA+ people to come together and share experiences. When reflecting on the bias affecting the Black trans community and misinformation in the press she said:
“We’re spoken about as if we’re a concept, and when that happens you dehumanise people, and it’s easier for you to not have compassion for them - it’s easier for you to debate their rights - this stuff isn’t debatable, and that narrative needs to change in the UK.”
Negative rhetoric around the trans community is growing alarmingly, with articles written about trans people increasing by 400% over the past five years, in tandem to this we’ve seen in recent studies that 70% of trans people felt media transphobia impacted negatively on their mental health.
“How I present myself impacts on how my day will go, and whether I’ll get home in one piece.”
Ebun Sodipo she/her
Untitled [1529 / 2023]
Oil on canvas, retouched digitally
__________________
Ebun is an artist who creates work for Black trans people of the future, producing and finding Black trans histories that bring joy, not pain. When asked about the narrative around the 35-year life expectancy statistic, Ebun said:
“Transness for me is about being alive and living and imagining myself into the future, it wasn’t until I started transitioning that I was like I could do this. I wonder what I’ll look like when I’m 65, so let’s plan that out. I’m excited to think about the future now because I’m trans.”
Many people suggest that being trans is ‘just a fad’ or ‘a phase’ forgetting that indigenous cultures have understood and embraced gender fluidity from the Hijari of South Asia, the two spirited Indigenous North Americans to the mudoko dako Langi of northern Uganda; they have always existed. It is colonialism that has erased this rich history from across the globe, making the journey for some to be their true authentic self, riddled with the risk of social stigma, discrimination, and harassment. Over half of the users of LGBT+ homeless shelters and LGBT+ hotlines are people of colour. The legacy of colonialist hate of gender fluidity instilled in communities across the globe still exists and impacts people to this day.
“Every day we
face structural,
institutional
and systemic violence.”
Rico Jacob Chace he/him
Untitled [1561/2023]
Oil on canvas, retouched digitally
__________________
Rico is a social entrepreneur, activist, Trustee & Treasurer at LGBT+ Consortium, and semi-finalist on Channel 4 Make Me Prime Minister. He spends his time fighting for equal rights for the trans community. Speaking on the discrimination his community faces, he said:
‘In the last few years, there have been hundreds of clickbait articles published about trans people by the mainstream press, and not once has a member of the trans community been consulted or quoted for it. This fuels the misinformation and the anti-trans rhetoric. To better understand the community, media outlets and the press need first to engage trans people and hear first-hand about their struggles and lived experiences.”
Rico concluded, “The waiting time for accessing trans-specific healthcare if 5 years. Can you imagine not being your true self for a 5-year period? There is an obvious impact on mental health, pushing the community to a survival mode of self-medication. There are 10 countries in Europe that don’t require a mental health review to access healthcare; some countries like Malta are offering all gender-affirming care for free. ILGA-Europe, which has ties to the European Union, has downgraded the UK over the years from its consistent 1st place in 2015 to the now 17th place due to long wait times for gender-affirming care and anti-trans rhetoric in the media. It’s progressively worsening- this is the news they should report.”
“There have been so many moments where I’ve felt as if I wanted to give up…
I was exhausted.”
Mzz Kimberely she/her
Untitled [1502 / 2023]
Oil on canvas, retouched digitally
__________________
Kim Tatum AKA Mzz Kimberley has had an expansive and successful career spanning decades as a singer actress, the face of an all white establishment, Heaven nightclub in the 90s and director of Mzz Kimberley’s LIFE, a production company highlighting trans art. She sits pride of place in the LGBTQIA+ community as a pillar of trans excellence, and speaks from her lived experiences to galvanize a new generation of trans youth and trans women of colour. When talking about her experiences as a trans woman she said:
“I never had role models so I grew up very alone in my thoughts, I couldn’t really share myself with anyone because I was afraid of being ridiculed. But as I got older you develop this toughness and this ‘I don’t give a fuck anymore attitude’; which is forced upon by society, where you have to learn to be strong to survive.”
Disinformation has devastating consequences for trans children. Many people in the media, press and online are peddling myths like “rapid onset gender dysphoria,” which suggests that more children are coming out as the result of a “social contagion,” to justify new laws and legislation that restrict trans medical care.