Máscara

Medically transitioning for transgender people is a series of steps, each promising to leave behind certain fears, only to unveil new ones lurking on the horizon. This project immersed audiences in the multifaceted experiences of transmasculine individuals before, during, and after medical transition. It conveyed the profound fears and anxieties that often accompany this journey in a way that is both fantastical and grotesque.

Latine transmasculine artists, Solovino and Bobby Pudrido, presented a 30-minute horror play, written and starring the artists, that chronicles their individual experiences as transmasculine people who are both in different moments of their medical transition.

For many cisgender individuals, the complexities of navigating a medical environment as a trans person are often overlooked, and the nuances of medical transitioning are even less understood. From hormone replacement therapy to surgery and the societal perceptions that follow, the artsits invite the audience to feel and reflect on the intense emotions of horror, panic, and dread that they experience throughout their transitions.

Central to this project is a question that resonates deeply within the transmasc community: "Do you see me?" While the narratives of trans feminine individuals are crucial and deserving of attention, the experiences of transmasculine folks, especially people of color, are often overlooked in media, news, and even within the LGBTQ+ community.

The artists used costuming, video projections, and a minimal set design to depict a vision of medical transition as perceived by conservative right-wing individuals who view it as body mutilation. The aim was to present what transitioning looks like from this perspective, challenging the narrative surrounding gender-affirming practices by illustrating the way they may be interpreted as destructive. Through this lense the artists intended to provoke thought and discussion about the complexities of gender identity and societal perceptions.

They also looked to confront the monstrosity of the external challenges encountered during transition, particularly the rejection from a society that often fails to accept them, while highlighting how our journey led them toward an identity that can itself be seen as monstrous. Masculinity, frequently linked to male dominance and patriarchy, is often associated with harmful behaviors. This production delved into the fears the artists face about embodying this monstrous identity—something they were once victimized by before their transition.

A short horror play about the transmasculine experience