Transsexual Euphoria
WARNING: ARTISTIC DEPICTIONS OF NUDITY AND SEXUAL ENCOUNTERS BELOW
Through this series of artworks, I wanted to convey common experiences in the sex lives of trans people. Being trans is a significant part of my identity. I myself have struggled with allowing myself to be intimate with partners due to dysphoria or fear of rejection. Even with all of the negative aspects, there's still so much beauty within trans sex. While I could have based the pieces on my own personal encounters, I believed it would be much more beneficial to try and capture some of the more common experiences among the trans community at large.
Each of the artworks are representations of topics I read about through research of trans experiences and healthy sex lives. I had four sources I looked to: “Views from both sides of the bridge? Gender, sexual legitimacy and transgender people's experiences of relationships”, “Sexual Wellbeing according to Transgender Individuals”, “How to Navigate Gender Dysphoria During Sex”, and “The Experiences, Challenges, and Hopes of Transgender and Nonbinary U.S. Adults”. "Views from both sides of the bridge? [...]" consists of data from online surveying 1,229 trans individuals in the United States. Throughout the discussion of data, there's statements from those surveyed. I was inspired by a lot of the topics discussed such as sex in the dark, [Insert other topics]. "Sexual Wellbeing according to Transgender Individuals" is similarly structured as it also uses direct quotes. 15 European trans people, aged 19-74, were interviewed for around an hour, discussing topics surrounding healthy relationships with others and oneself. "How to Navigate Gender Dysphoria During Sex" is an incredibly helpful article made for trans youth that surrounds gender dysphoria during sex, a topic that is rarely talked about in Sex Ed classes in the U.S. The article explains gender dysphoria and also goes over some ways to help alleviate it when involved in sexual activity with partner(s). Finally, "The Experiences, Challenges, and Hopes of Transgender and Nonbinary U.S. Adults" is an article discussing all sorts of trans experiences beyond sex. It covers topics such as the journey of finding out and transitioning, navigating the world as a trans person, experiences regarding Gender Affirming Surgery and the medical field, connections to the rest of the queer community, and hope for change within how society regards trans people. The article is also filled with different statements from the 27 trans people they had interviewed.
I wanted my pieces to represent as many trans people as possible, choosing to display a wide variety of body types and different gender expressions. The heads of all the figures are just sketchy circles with no facial features, allowing anyone to connect to the pieces. It’s crucial to me that every trans person is able to relate to at least one aspect of the series, and I’ve done my best to replicate it in a fashion that is positive and that can also be playful.
Can I Touch You Here?
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Blissful Partnership
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Low Visibility
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Boundaries
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Ideal Body
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Comfort
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