Grace Parra on 3 Intersectional Projects You Must Know About
(1) TW Pittman
TW’s essay “Transgender…but Seriously, to Hell with Boxes” is the most important piece of writing on transgender identification that I have encountered this year. It is all encompassing in its breadth, addressing pronoun use, the duality of gender (with some fascinating observations on how truly precocious Native American culture has been), even “the problem with pretty,” or how seeking the feminine ideal necessitates that trans women have an awareness that said feminine ideal “has been wielded for thousands of years to oppress women.”
In this era of Buzzfeed listicles, bulleted theses, and be-Gif’d rundowns, it is rare to find a beautifully crafted essay that makes clear, succinct observations with masterful prose. Even for the educated allies amongst us, it’s an imperative read. TW is a dear friend, and one whose voice is not limited to essays: she’s also a filmmaker whose film Nakom was inspired by her time in Ghana as a Peace Corps member (check out the website and Twitter for more info), and she serves as Executive Producer of Sombras.
-Actress and host Grace Parra
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