Gender has moved away from a binary understanding of male and female tickboxes, to a more fluid space, a gender spectrum. Meet the man whose new film could help save lives.
I am 34, I am an Aries, my favorite colour is blue, I have a penchant for eighties rock ballads. And I’m trans.
For me, the journey has been blessed. I have had incredible support from family and friends as I accept and express my identity.
Regrettably the experience is not the same for many trans people.
The rate of suicide amongst people with gender dysphoria is five times that of the general populace. In the US one in twelve transgender women will be murdered.
At the same time, trans actress Laverne Cox was recently nominated for an Emmy and featured on the cover of Time magazine. The conversation about gender expression is complex.
On New Years day 2014, the same day I started taking testosterone, I also began shooting this film. My aim was to be as open and transparent as possible; I wanted to share my story with others who are approaching the same experience, as well as those who want to understand more about gender expression. I didn’t anticipate the sense of community I would experience as a result.
This November I’m getting an RV, plastering my name on its exterior and doing a road trip across the United States. Some cis people do not think they know a trans person: I will make our stories visible. I will travel from state to state, meeting those who are on their own gender journey. My film is about peoples' right to identity, to our own forms of expression.
Through exposure to these stories there is education. Through education there is understanding. Opening up this discourse will save lives.
This started out as a deeply personal experience, but now I am willingly, capably and completely a part of a movement.
Lucky is running a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo: THE LUCKY - visit campaign.