16th-Century-Style Paintings Of Black Trans Community Spotlight Ongoing Plights
One of the more misconstrued notions of the Black trans community is that trans women, in particular, can only live up to age 35.
Marketing company McCann London and UK Black Pride, an organization that uplifts LGBTQ+ people from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean, are looking to bring to light the dangers of such misinformation and prevent it from spreading any further with the 16th-Century Life Expectancy campaign.
The myth of the expected age first came about after the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights found that those living in South America between 30 and 35-years-old were often victims of homicide. Since then, many have ran with this and turned the truth on its head to fit a narrative that induced fear of the trans community, not for it.
While the life expectancy may not be entirely true, what is real is that those in the community who identify outside of being cisgender are more likely to be victims of hate crimes. LBB Online also highlights a current wave of anti-trans sentiments that are only causing strife to such individuals.
McCann and UK Black Pride are thus calling attention to the issue with five prominent members of the Black trans community and turning their images into 16th-century portraits, an era where the life expectancy truly was 35. These individuals include Talulah Eve, Amani Cosmo, Ebun Sodipo, Mzz Kimberley, and Rico Jacob Chace.
In celebration of the unveiling of the portraits, Christie’s London debuted the artwork at its Lates London: Pride exhibit.
The portraits will continue to be shown in an online gallery here, where advocates and allies can join in to fight against misinformation.
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[via LBB Online and 16th Century/UK Black Pride, cover image via McCann London]
