“When people speak admiringly of a butch, what I see is someone who has taken on the best gendered characteristics of both woman and man, left a lot of the stuff born of misogyny and heterosexism behind, and walked forward into the world without apology.” – Butch is a Noun, S. Bear Bergman
When Liting wrote Pretty Butch, she had written a play for all who feel a little in-between everything. It is a play about the best of misfits: those who are brave enough to be honest with who they are and how they want to live.
It has been a privilege to interview and photograph members of Taiwanese society who identify as being T. With their life stories as inspiration, I made portraits, each a puzzle piece, culminating in a series visualising what being T feels like.
The actors of Pretty Butch hang up these portraits on stage as the play progresses; life on stage and life in the city of Taipei merge.
My hope is that they say something true about what it means to carve out a space for oneself to breathe. Here’s to pride, without apology.
We are grateful to all the people who shared their stories with us and have agreed to been photographed for this series: Ah Friday, Ah Kai, Chien Liying, Chiung Wen, Eddy Liang and May Chiang, Eden, Hai Ting and Xiao Bian, Joyce, Lee Ya Yun, Louise Lai, Niu Niu, Pai Yifang, Penny, S, Shawn, Stan, Tarzan, Wei Ke, Xiao Bai and Xiao Tzi, Yun Liu.
Special thanks to: Ah Ken, BAMF, Day Chang, Hope, Hui Ru, Jen, Love Boat, Lu and Neo Hair Salon, Taboo.
This work would not have been possible without the support of all the Taipei Arts Festival team.