Weekend Portfolio: Laurence Philomène

Puberty (in quarantine).

Images and text by Laurence Philomène.

Puberty is a self-portrait project which looks at the intimate process of undergoing hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) as a non-binary transgender person. Shot over a period of two years, it combines surreal colours and mundane environments to document daily moments and slow, subtle physical changes occurring during my transition. Looking at HRT as a process without a fixed end goal, Puberty challenges viewers to consider identity beyond binaries and preconceptions.

While I began this project prior to the current pandemic, Puberty revolves largely around domesticity and home-making, themes that have resonated more intensely around the world as we collectively navigate the various stages of social isolation. By offering a glimpse into these moments in my life, I am creating a multi-faceted, in- depth primary source document of a trans experience in North America during this pandemic.

This project takes inspiration in the tradition of diaristic autobiographical photography, such as Nan Goldin’s classic “The ballad of sexual dependency”, as well as in the works of photographers like Texas Isaiah, Hobbes Ginsberg, and all my trans siblings around the world reclaiming their narratives.

Having dedicated my practice to documenting non-binary lives over the last 5 years, Puberty allows me to dig deeper into what it means to reclaim autonomy over our stories as marginalized individuals. In addition to this, I work with the hope of providing representation to and solidarity with future generations of queer and trans individuals as they navigate institutional hardship and erasure.

This work serves as a means to create the kind of world I want to live in: one where the gender binary isn’t upheld as an excuse for violence against those who do not fit into it. Non-binary trans people exist--we are here, and we are thriving.