The “X” in the title of this project — Queer x Trans Memoir: In Sight of an Embodied History — stands for the multiplicity of queer identity: the "x" a multiplication sign that indicates an action in itself. 

The original vision of this project was one of a queer and trans* memoir digital archive. In my original project proposal, I wrote, "This project works to construct a queer historical archive built on an analysis of queer memoirs...the very subjectivity of the queer memoir—which some would argue is why it should not be considered history—actually enacts queerness in itself. Queer identities, by nature, vary based on self-identification and self-understanding, and differ from person to person. The memoir allows writers to communicate the ways in which they conceptualize their own identity, which need not rely on generalizations, oversimplistic labels, or previous stereotypes. 

The project has grown since the initial vision and I hope it will continue to grow. I believed, and still believe, that the proximity of the writer to their own story renders the memoir an invaluable tool to understand queer identities. 

In My Autobiography of Carson McCullers, memoirist Jenn Shapland writes, "Carson is changing as I write about her, and so am I" (119).  Queerness shows us that the self is always up for revision, that no mode of thinking need be fixed. The act of creating this project has changed me. I hope that viewing this project and learning about their stories will touch you in some way, just as it did for me. I admire the vulnerability, honesty, and bravery through which the authors of these memoirs have written about the details of their lives, and I want to thank each and every one of them for sharing their stories. 

Welcome to the exhibit. 

-Rhyan

This project was piloted in August 2022, made possible by a generous research grant from Chapman University. I want to acknowledge the incredible support of Dr. Jan Osborn throughout the making of this project. 

Cover photo credits: Queer.Archive.Work, Inc.