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Black Trans Femmes

About Black Trans Femmes in the Arts: ‘Artistic Legacies’

About Black Trans Femmes in the Arts: ‘Artistic Legacies’

This page is a one-stop shop for our #BlackTransArtisticLegacies narrative effort. Watch all three films in this docuseries and listen to our Black Trans Femmes in the Arts podcast episode. You can also read BTFA-related content from our TransLash News & Narrative platform and throughout our website. Bookmark this page to access a special edition of the zine produced with BTFA in Fall 2023! Subscribe below for alerts.

Black trans femmes have historically been the first to stand up for LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, while also disproportionately facing the most anti-LGBT+ and anti-Black violence. We at TransLash want to give our Black trans femme siblings their flowers 24-7. Artistic Legacies is part of our mission of telling trans stories to save trans lives.

Black trans femmes artistic legacies

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Watch Artistic Legacies

Artistic Legacies explores the power of the Black Trans Femmes in the Arts (BTFA) Collective through the stories of Founder Jordyn Jay, musician and songwriter Iman Hill, and ballroom legend Kimiyah Prescott. This three-part docuseries shows how these members use artistic expression to change themselves and the world around them, bringing hope to the most of the marginalized at a time of unprecedented violence and political attack. Artistic Legacies points to how we can create brighter futures by using what’s already inside each of us. The 200-strong BTFA demonstrates how to manifest these possibilities.

Watch all three Artistic Legacies short films featuring Black Trans Femmes in the Arts (BTFA) Collective members and learn more about the organization.

Jordyn's Story

In this first of three films, Jordyn Jay shares what led her to create an artistic organization during a time of social reckoning in the United States. That organization, Black Trans Femmes in the Arts, is now an international organization. But its roots are deeply local and deeply personal to Jordyn. As she gets ready for a groundbreaking event at the Brooklyn Museum, Jordyn reflects on the emotional journey that led her to create space for hundreds of Black trans femme artists around the world. Access the full transcript here.

CREDITS: CREATOR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: IMARA JONES | PRODUCER: TILER WILSON | PRODUCER: RUBY ROSE COLLINS | PRODUCER: SOPHIA KIAPOS | EDITOR: GRACIE SIMONETT | DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: NICHOLAS LATTIMORE  | ASSISTANT CAMERA: ETIENNE PELISSIER | SOUND MIXER: ZACH SALEM-MACKALL | COLORIST: MICHAEL SCHATZ | DIGITAL STRATEGIST: DANIELA “DANI” CAPISTRANO | SPECIAL THANKS TO: JORDYN JAY AND BTFA | APPEARANCES: ANGELICA ROSS, MISS MOJO, MILA JAM, MISS SHALEA

Iman's Story

Artist and performer Iman Hill centers community in her powerful story of growth which starts in Atlanta, Georgia and leads to stages in New York City. As she became herself, Iman’s artistry flourished and changed. Along the way she found powerful connections in those around, whose love and support sustain her while she ponders what’s next. Access the full transcript here.

CREDITS: CREATOR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: IMARA JONES | PRODUCER: TILER WILSON | PRODUCER: RUBY ROSE COLLINS | PRODUCER: SOPHIA KIAPOS | EDITOR: GRACIE SIMONETT | DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: NICHOLAS LATTIMORE | ASSISTANT CAMERA: ETIENNE PELISSIER | SOUND MIXER: ZACH SALEM-MACKALL | COLORIST: MICHAEL SCHATZ | DIGITAL STRATEGIST: DANIELA “DANI” CAPISTRANO | SPECIAL THANKS TO: JORDYN JAY, BTFA, AND IMAN HILL

Kimiyah's Story

Ballroom legend Kimiyah Prescott opens up about how she grew from the rigid and repressive rules of an extremely religious household to find freedom through expression in the ballroom community. As Kimiyah prepares for an upcoming performance, she tells us what liberation feels like. And how once she experienced it, she never looked back. Access the full transcript here.

CREDITS: CREATOR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: IMARA JONES | PRODUCER: TILER WILSON | PRODUCER: RUBY ROSE COLLINS | PRODUCER: SOPHIA KIAPOS | EDITOR: GRACIE SIMONETT | DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: NICHOLAS LATTIMORE | ASSISTANT CAMERA: ETIENNE PELISSIER | SOUND MIXER: ZACH SALEM-MACKALL | COLORIST: MICHAEL SCHATZ  | DIGITAL STRATEGIST: DANIELA “DANI” CAPISTRANO | SPECIAL THANKS TO: JORDYN JAY, BTFA, AND KIMIYAH 

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If you enjoyed our content today, support Team TransLash’s journalism and cultural production by contributing to our #BlackTransArtisticLegacies offerings. Thank you for your support.

TransLash tells trans stories to save trans lives. As a trusted source for journalists, thought-leaders, movement activists, researchers, and those wanting to know about trans people, we produce narratives about and for the trans community—accurately and reliably. At a time when disinformation about trans people is being used to undermine democracy and human rights, TransLash Media serves as a beacon of hope through the voices that we share with the world.

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TransLash tells trans stories to save trans lives. As a trusted source for journalists, thought-leaders, movement activists, researchers, and those wanting to know about trans people, we produce narratives about and for the trans community—accurately and reliably. At a time when disinformation about trans people is being used to undermine democracy and human rights, TransLash Media serves as a beacon of hope through the voices that we share with the world.

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