Mindful Protesting: Creating Spaces for Trans Solidarity and Joy

At a time when considerable disinformation is being spread in the press, in the parliament and on university campuses about trans and non-binary identities, University of Edinburgh’s staff networks came together with support from the Edinburgh branch of the UCU to create a much needed safe space for trans and non-binary staff and students and their allies. This solidarity space was hosted at Lighthouse Bookshop on 22nd November from 6-9 pm. It included a showcase of poetry, storytelling, and music on trans and non-binary experiences and joy.

Four local trans performers and artists were asked on stage to share their work, after which those attending had a space to come together and chat. When attending the event, I realised that in order to respect the courage and passion of the artists in sharing their work, I had to discuss the themes and topics touched by each artist individually in order to continue on the solidarity work of the evening and provide them another platform in which their voices and experiences could be heard.

RJ Hunter (they/she), a spoken word poet, shared five poems with us – “Just”, “The Grievance”, “Beautiful Bastard”, “Body Horror” and “Patience.” An incredible performer, their poems were deeply personal to their lived experience and touched on themes of trans identity-making, community, and trans joy and love. One poem that particularly struck me was “The Grievance”, in which RJ takes us through her feelings on finding intense, long-lasting love and community with other trans people, the likes of which she has not experienced anywhere else.

Niall Moorjani (they/them) is a storyteller, writer and theatre maker who weaves intricate and poignant tales that focus on kindness and hope. On this particular night, they told us a story of a young couple, who upon wishing to have someone to love and cherish, got a little boy into their fold. As a child, the boy liked to wear lipstick and dresses, but as he grew more into himself and his identity, the couple tried stopping him from presenting the way he wanted to in public. The child goes through changes, becoming more subdued and wanting to be referred to with they/them pronouns. It worries the parents to the point they go to a medical doctor, who claims the child is a Changeling and sets the couple on tasks to demand the Changeling reveal their real, stolen away child. It isn’t until the parents go to the local witch, who tells them the child is theirs and always has been, that they grow to understand that there is nothing wrong with their child, that they are not in fact a Changeling, but just someone who is a little bit different, and needs their care and acceptance to be who they truly are. What I’m giving is an abridged version of the story Niall told, without the grace and charm they wove into their words and performance. But the message was clear regardless; it was a story about the kindness, acceptance, and patience that all trans children deserve growing up.

Odhran Thomson (he/him) is another spoken word poet, who shared four of his works, with topics ranging from finding connection through poetry and art within an unexpected yet welcomed source, realising himself and finding his own voice, and reflecting on his trans journey and the joy of becoming who he was meant to be all along. One poem, in which he talks about meeting and connecting deeply with someone who reminded him of a younger version of himself, and offering himself as a source of comfort and guidance for them really struck me; it was an incredibly moving piece that was tender to both the subject, and to the author himself, providing a space of intimacy and vulnerability.

Elsie MacDonald (they/them) is a singer and songwriter who performed three of their songs for us; taking us through their reflections of feeling inadequate as an activist from a marginalized community, their understandings of care and the richness of each and every life they come across, and finding little joys and new reasons to keep going even when it seems incredibly difficult to do so.

The evening was incredibly successful in providing a platform for trans voices and their work, and I found that the timing was especially meaningful. We live in incredibly difficult times for marginalized voices across the university and beyond, and while explicit resistance and demonstrations are necessary in the face of oppression, I also believe that mindful acts of protest are essential to creating long-lasting movements. A trans solidarity evening like this hosted by university staff and supported by the local community embodies what I believe true, intersectional resistance is: a community of people coming together to imagine and create the marvellous, however briefly, in the face of hostility and structural violence.

Author Bio:

Sheher Bano is currently a final year undergraduate in Sociology and an Undergraduate Communications and Events Intern at GENDER.ED.