FEATURE:
New Verse, Chorus, and Coda
IN THIS PHOTO: Munroe Bergdorf is an English transgender model and activist. She appeared in the video for ANOHNI’s track, It Must Change/PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Rossi for Rolling Stone UK
Greater Visibility and Respect for the Trans Community – and How the Music Industry Can Help
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THIS year…
PHOTO CREDIT: Lisett Kruusimäe/Pexels
has been one of the most extreme and horrifying one for division and ignorance. In terms of specific groups of people being attacked and abused. Take aside the genocide happening in Gaza, think about how there has been an escalation of extremism and racism. It is notable that there is still so much ignorance and hatred still aimed at trans people. The L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community have always had to face discrimination and abuse. This year, it is still very much alive. On social media, I am seeing so much ignorance aimed at the trans community. One would think that the appalling murder of Brianna Ghey would prompt greater awareness and respect for trans people. Regardless of such a horrific and senseless act, you still see so much bile and harassment against trans people. I follow people like Katy Montgomerie, who is a trans-identifying woman – and the fact she has to field wave of abuse and ignorance from people. A community still very much vilified and seen as inferior and immoral. It is angering to see. Next year needs to be one where trans people do not have to face abuse and attack from so many people. High-profile transphobes like J.K. Rowling, Sharon Davies and Graham Linehan spend so much of their day attacking trans people. How trans women are men. How trans people are the sex they were assigned at birth. It is incredibly stupid and ignorant. But, when you consider how many trans people will read these posts, they will feel alienated and alone. There are quite a few celebrated and loved trans artists in music. That said, I feel there are many more coming through who might feel fearful about revealing the fact. Identifying as trans in an industry where there is not a great deal of representation (compared to other members of the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community, there are not a huge number of trans artists) is quite challenging.
IN THIS PHOTO: ANOHNI/PHOTO CREDIT: ANOHNI with Nomi Ruiz/Rebis Music
I will come to how the music industry can be more embracing and open regarding trans artists and why more artists need to speak out against transphobia and a community who are literally being murdered for being themselves. I want to start with an interview from Rolling Stone. Recently, for International Transgender Day of Visibility (which happened on 31st March), they interviewed Munroe Bergdorf. She is an English model and activist. She has walked several catwalks for brands including Gypsy Sport at both London and NYC Fashion Weeks. Bergdorf was the first transgender model in the U.K. for L'Oréal but was dropped within weeks after a racial row. In February 2018, she was appointed as an LGBT adviser to the Labour Party, but resigned the following month. Bergdorf appeared in the Channel 4 documentary What Makes a Woman, which aired in May 2018.
PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Rossi for Rolling Stone UK
An activist and important voice for trans rights, Munroe Bergdorf answered questions from some well-known names about her work. How, given the debasement of trans people by sections of the media and society, changes can be made. How greater awareness can be raised:
“Now more than ever, trans people are under attack, whether with their identity being ‘debated’ in the media or by extreme right-wing groups actively working hard to remove their right to live their life authentically and peacefully.
The UK Census 2021 revealed that only around 48,000 people (0.01% of the population) identified as trans men with the same number identifying as a trans women. The trans community is a small minority, and yet it is one that is grossly and disproportionately targeted by people with openly prejudiced views. And the generational divide is evident: 91% of baby boomers identify as straight, compared to only 71% of Gen Z. One thing is certain: the future is undoubtedly progressive and inclusive when it comes to sexual and gender diversity.
One of the UK’s most outspoken champions of trans rights, Munroe Bergdorf’s unapologetic and outspoken attitude to justice has seen her attract her fair share of enemies. Reassuringly, for every negative voice on social media or in the press, there is a growing number of allies prepared to stand beside a community that is under extreme threat, both from within society and through government policy. Here, Munroe takes questions from some of the biggest names in film, TV, politics, publishing, music, radio and beyond to commemorate International Transgender Day of Visibility, tackling issues as diverse as how to be a trans ally to the joys of embracing your authentic identity.
PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Rossi for Rolling Stone UK
NICOLA COUGHLAN: We’ve basically seen in media over the last couple of years, the erasure of trans people and this sort of idea that trans people have been around for only like 10, 15 years. And its sort of a ‘new thing’, when we know that’s not the truth. What I’d like to know is, do you have a trans figure from history who is someone that has been really inspiring to you, or that you feel like the world needs to know about?
There are so many incredible trans people that have contributed towards society and history. And so much of it has been buried. From religion to law making to just bigotry in the same way that what we’re seeing now, it’s really been a tough road for our community. And I think that often our contributions are downplayed or erased or overlooked. But the amazing thing about being in this industry, especially the fashion industry, is that I’m really living out the dreams of my ancestors. And that’s such an incredible honor that I don’t take lightly. And hopefully I’m also pushing the envelope further so that what I don’t achieve, those that come after me will be able to achieve it because I pushed it that further as well. So, I like to think of it as baton passing.
There are so many other transwomen that have come before me in the fashion industry, such as April Ashley, Caroline Crossley, Tracey Africa, Octavia St. Laurent. All of these women really inspired me. Especially at the beginning of my transition, because they had such big dreams, and it encouraged me to dream big as well and to go for what I wanted to achieve. And I wouldn’t have gone for it if I hadn’t have seen them. If I hadn’t seen Octavia in Paris Is Burning, if I hadn’t learned about April Ashley’s life and everything that she was put through. Same with Caroline Crossley.
We all owe them so much. All of these incredible women are such unsung heroes. They just haven’t had the recognition that they deserve. They really walked so we can run. We wouldn’t be seeing all of these conversations happen if it hadn’t have been for their stories and their resilience.
PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Rossi for Rolling Stone UK
NICOLA COUGHLAN: We get to hear so much about the struggles of trans people and the amount of adversity you face unduly in society. But I would love to hear about your joy, something about the trans experience that you think is superhuman and brilliant and that people don’t get to see.
The joy of being trans is that you have access to a community that is so strong. And not just strong because of what we need to deal with in society, but strong enough to do the exploration of self in order to be happy. And I just think it’s an incredible feat to ask yourself questions about what do you really want? Who are you really? Rather than what do I need to do to fit in? How can I make people see me, rather than how can I see myself? And anyone that makes the decision to transition… Because being trans isn’t a decision, but the decision to transition… Anyone that is strong enough to make that decision and to explore that act of love for themselves, I’ve got so much respect for. That is the most incredible thing, regardless of whether or not it’s about being trans or making a difficult decision for yourself and exploring something that is a tough truth.
That’s why I wrote my book, Transitional, because I wanted people to understand that all of these tough decisions that we make for ourselves, that they are transitions in themselves because it’s taking the non-easy option. It’s asking yourself the tough questions. It’s confronting and healing from what you’ve been through in order to get to the place that you want to go.
PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Rossi for Rolling Stone UK
EDWARD ENNINFUL: What advice would you have for people who want to turn the tide on this attitude?
That really starts with educating yourself on what is actually going on. And it isn’t about concern for women-only spaces, and the violence that is happening to women and girls worldwide, because it isn’t coming from the trans community. It’s coming from cisgender men, mainly. So, there’s deflection happening.
We also need to be aware that transphobia within the conservative space is very en-vogue, in terms of trying to prove who is more hardline. A lot of the policies are discriminatory. They aren’t really about making life better. It’s about how can we stop this? How can we change this? How can we push back on change rather than how can we fix society? A lot of it’s about voting and the impending elections on both sides of the Atlantic.
There’s literally a list that is longer than my body of reasons why we are seeing what is happening. And I think that it’s really about understanding the nuances and just continuously staying abreast of what’s going on, because it’s until the elections are over, it’s going to be a snowball. Unfortunately, I don’t think that it is got as bad as it’s going to get. And that in itself is a call to arms because we are going to need support. We’re going to need allies. We’re going to need people speaking up on our own behalf. We’re a very small percentage of the population and we can’t do it alone.
TOM RASMUSSEN: Beyond visibility, what gives you hope?
We have seen this all play out before, in terms of how gay men were treated in the 1980s and where gay men are right now. I think that we’ve got a lot to look forward to. And we’re going to look back at this time in history, and a lot of people are going to really struggle to answer why they thought it was okay for a cross-section of society to have their human rights stripped away, to be banned from public spaces. Just in the same way that they look back and understand the segregation was wrong, that Jim Crow was wrong. They’re arguing for the same things.
This needs to be a turning point. This can’t just be something that’s erased from the history books. This is a pivotal moment in history. It’s going to be a fight, especially with the election coming up. But I just think that our community has never been more visible. We have never been able to communicate like we do now. We have more resources than before. And although this moment in time is tough, I don’t think it’s going to be this way forever. We’ve got a fight on our hands, but I really think that we’re going to win”.
There are some terrific and influential trans artists such as Kim Petras and Ethel Cain. Of course, in interviews and through their music, they can discuss trans rights and use their platform. I wonder how much acceptance and flexibility there is from the industry as a whole. It is only in recent years where there has been greater visibility and exposure of L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ artists. More artists coming out as queer. There are a lot of Pop queens and kings who identify as queer or bisexual. In terms of there being a similar explosion and celebration of non-binary and trans artists, is there still too much ignorance and not enough awareness for this to happen? I feel that, whilst there are some awesome trans artists, there is perhaps not the same level of engagement and spotlight from the media. This interview from Rolling Stone with Munroe Bergdorf should inspire spotlighting of trans artists. In a year that has seen unabated hatred and attack of the trans community, I do think it is essential that trans artists coming through are supported and feel like they are heard, seen and understood. Maybe, given what is happening in the media and online, this might not be instantly possible or smooth. There are some trans role models in music but, the more the industry celebrates trans artists and there is more celebration and highlighting on the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community as a whole, the more that will affect and resonate with trans people around the world.
Trans people who want to see idols and people like them in the mainstream. I wrote a feature a while ago where I stated how there are virtually no artists today influenced by and channelling Steely Dan. I came up with a theoretical album with titles and song ideas in the mould of The Dan. Mixing deep and important subjects with the sort of incredible compositions Steely Dan are known for…where is that in modern music?! My wider point is that few artists are really challenging political and social issues that need addressing. More are reacting to climate change and its impact, but what about the terrorism and genocide in Gaza?! Queer and bisexual artists celebrating their love and freedom. There are not many non-trans artists discussing the rights of trans people and their importance. There are magnificent and powerful queer artists writing amazing anthems. In 2021, this article was published by an American journalist that observed trans awareness was increasing through the country. That there was more celebration than ever. The writer observed the lack of trans anthems and asked whether it matters. He noted how few societal anthems change the world. How, if we are seeing trans people visibility and highlighted, why write songs about them?! Joseph P. O’Brien is a trans person, so he was coming from a position of understanding and personal relevance. He said that, whilst there were very few trans anthems, the most important thing was that trans people and their rights are talked about.
Tying things back to Munroe Bergdorf, who appeared in the video for It Must Change, ANOHNI talked to The Guardian about her experiences as a trans woman. How, in her words, Britain is among the most misogynistic nations on Earth. We have these amazing artists speaking about realities that need to change. The music industry at large needs to join trans artists and attempt to affect change and progress:
“A lot of people don’t feel much safer in Britain,” she says, shortly. “This anti-trans nightmare is being birthed in the UK. The UK is one of the birthplaces of loathing gender variance. It’s one of the most misogynist, woman-hating countries in the world. It was since I was a child, because I remember how it affected my mum, how it affected my sister, how it’s affected my family, how it affected me.”
Anohni launched Hopelessness with the single 4 Degrees, an angry indictment of climate inaction released to coincide with the 2015 UN climate conference in Paris. Yet she sought to avoid didacticism on My Back … and its measured engagement with hot-button topics comes off as a reaction to the “us v them” mudslinging of contemporary discourse. Anohni finds this kind of binary thinking of little use. “I was raised to believe in light v darkness, yin v yang, male v female,” she says. “It’s this hideous infantilised [idea]. It’s stripped of its own empirical reality.”
She hopes, instead, that the ecological themes of My Back … will offer a road map out of conflict. “We’re connected to life on Earth; all those creatures of the world are our family,” she says. “And we have to account to our family right now. An aspect of this record is to give people one version of a blueprint for how to talk to oneself through some of these painful truths that we’re all immersed in.” That’s the bigger project, she adds: “It’s a gift to know a little bit more about what life on life’s terms is really about, because that gets me a bit closer to nature. It gets me a bit closer to the tree that falls in the forest, the fox with a broken leg stumbling through a coalfield”.
There is TransForm Music in Wales. This is a space for transgender and non-binary artists in Wales. This 2019 article explored how there is great respect for and visibility of queer artists. Trans artists are still being left behind. Is the industry doing enough to create a platform and highlight their music?! I would disagree with the assumption that trans anthems are not necessary. Definitely in the U.K., with so much anti-trans sentiment and abuse out there, positive anthems and songs that highlights trans people’s experience is vital. Non-trans artists need to speak too. The music industry, mobilised and unified, could make a difference. I disagree with those who say music cannot change worlds and make a difference. Whilst it may never reverse ignorance around trans rights, there is the possibility to both raise trans artists in music, make it is a scene that has more visibility, together with there being the possibility of attitudes being reversed or at least challenged more. Trans people have to face such abuse and stupidity from others. I feel music has an important role. At its strongest when it is more diverse and inclusive. More songs should come from non-trans artists. In my hypothetical Steely Dan-inspired album I envisaged a song, Katy’s Switch, there was this dialogue between an online transphobe and a trans person. Wordplay and stinging criticism, it would be a way to highlight transphobia but do so in a musical setting that was digestible, accessible and inspiring. It should not be the case that, after a year when trans rights have been in the news and the community face so much prejudice, the industry can do more. We all hope that next year is one where…
THIS finally happens.