Interview in Hello Gorgeous

I’m very reluctant to give interviews on trans issues these days, I even say so publicly on my trans cruising site. My reasons are a mixed bag: I don’t like being pigeonholed into one single issue any more, still I feel like I still have a lot to say about gender and sex positivity, but on the other hand I feel like I am no longer ‘current’ and I feel I need to make room for younger generations to have their say (because I don’t want to sound like a grumpy old transman). But… I am from a time when the Netherlands was a lot less prudish, and I think I hate how being transgender has become ‘normal’ now, so when Hello Gorgeous Magazine asked me for an interview, I said yes. Also because I knew they have an intelligent angle and chief editor. If you are ever interviewed, make sure the one asking the questions is smart enough to understand your nuances. The entire interview here is in Dutch, but you can run it through an online translator. I am quite happy to address the parallels between the early trans movement and the HIV movement, so this was a great opportunity to talk about the past, with hopefully some lessons for our current troubled times. We really need in-your-face progressive activism again.

And if you are wondering what this has to do with my art: I am also an illustrator for this same magazine. I get the chance to experiment with different styles with them, and I am quite happy with how my ‘storm’ illustration turned out that was published in the same issue:

Klik om het interview te lezen.