Trans people like me are all over the media right now, and that’s pretty freaking revolutionary. That said, most of the stories about us are the same— they’re all about mega famous people coming out, the process of transitioning, and/or super real, super gloomy statistics (there is nothing awesome about 41% of the trans community having attempted suicide).

I want to combat all this sameness, gloom, and doom by driving across the country and interviewing trans adults about their happiness, hope, and resilience. I’m going to record oral stories, encourage interviewees to make and share art and writing about hope, have interviewees show me around their cities and talk about how they’ve found and made kick-ass trans lives there, and photograph the whole thing. Then I’m going to turn this all into a book and blog so trans folks and those who love us and those who are just curious about us can learn about how awesome our lives can be. Being trans is one of the most spectacular things of all time— you get to understand every aspect of being alive from so many different perspectives and points of view that sometimes I feel like we’re all actually made of magic— but it can also be pretty scary and lonely.

I make interview-based work about bodies and happiness. I’ve made everything from group performance projects to zines to workshops to documentary theater pieces to blogs. I’m ridiculously, energetically hopeful, and I’m constantly trying to figure out how to use that to help lift up voices in my communities that maybe haven’t had the same luck I have.