They/Them Project is an ongoing portrait and interview series documenting the lived experiences of gender nonconforming and Trans+ individuals. Each participant shares their story in their own words. The photography is mine. The voice is theirs.
Recorded Conversation
About
Name: Siren DeLuna
Pronouns: she/her & they/them
Conversation
Q: Who’s your Trans idol, how will you make your mark in history?
A: My trans hero is Laura Jane Grace, front woman of Against Me!. When I learned that she came out I was still very new to the punk scene, and I was so happily overwhelmed at the reality that I was finally seeing someone like myself in music I admired. To this day, whenever I get dysphoric about my body, or my voice the first thing I try to do is put on her song ‘Transgender Dysphoria Blues’ and just scream it as loud as I can, cause it’s helped me save myself on more than one occasion. Depression and anxiety related to self-image, especially so as a trans or non-binary person, can wind up being fatal if you don’t have a way to uplift yourself, and combat those bad thoughts. Thats kinda what I wanna do for other people as an artist. Cause I’m not worried about being cis-passing, and I’m not worried that others won’t see my style as tomboyish. What I really wanna do for people is show them that theres no one way to be a certain kind of person. I can be centered in my femininity and still rock a more ‘masc’ style. I can be black, and listen to metal and punk music. I can be whoever I want to be. To hear more about the power of embracing individuality make sure to check out my interview at TheyThemProject.org.
Episode Info
In this episode of They/Them Project Podcast by Brent Dundore, I had the pleasure of interviewing Siren DeLuna, an artist from the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Siren tells us about her journey to using both she/her & they/them pronouns. We talk about what it means to use more than one set of pronouns, and how when a non binary person says they use more than one set of pronouns, there isn't one set that you "should use" over another, unless you're asked to. She also gives a very personal story of a traumatic experience in a public bathroom, which will help anyone listening understand exactly what that feels like as a trans person. Don't miss this great interview with Siren. EXPERIENCE THE ENTIRE PROJECT AT: TheyThemProject.org.
Part of the ongoing They/Them Project exploring identity, language, and visibility.
