EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The EL Paso chapter of queer-liberation organization, Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays — aka PFLAG — is launching a new art exhibit Thursday that will travel around the state, bringing visibility to trans and nonbinary communities.
Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families will open at the El Paso Museum of History on Thursday, featuring a slate of speakers, a ribbon cutting, and a Q&A with various authors.
According to PFLAG El Paso, “The Authentic Selves exhibit explores the many aspects of gender identity and variance by sharing important stories, uplifting trans, nonbinary and gender-fluid folks with beautiful photography and first-person accounts.”
The works celebrate a range of views, opinions and lived experiences that are unique and empowering to trans and nonbinary people.
By advocating for inclusive spaces at all levels of society and affirming the power of diversity, Authentic Selves aims to “evoke connection and empathy to make the world a safer place for transgender and gender-nonconforming people,” according to the organizers.
Our 2SLGBTQIA community has endured so much at the hands of biased state leaders in Texas,” PFLAG El Paso said in a statement. “In 2023, Texas has seen 76 anti-2SLGBTQIA bills filed. We must work together to tear down damaging stereotypes and to introduce communities throughout Texas to the beauty and love that exists in transgender and gender-nonconforming communities.
The inaugural exhibit — a collaboration between PFLAG El Paso and the El Paso Museum of History — will be on display until Jan. 6, 2024, at which point it will travel around the state and continue “[contributing] to the process of dismantling the destructive power of prejudice and intolerance.”
The opening ceremony of Authentic Selves kicks off at 5 p.m. on Dec. 7 in the El Paso Museum of History’s Juan & Linda Uribe Community Gallery Pop-up Exhibition room.
The event will feature readings by participating authors via Zoom, followed by a Q&A segment and a ribbon cutting.
