To “Be a Menace" explores the concept of being a disruptor in society—a challenge to the status quo and a rejection of “normality.” This program delves into the idea of being a “menace” to societies built on racism, hierarchies, and state violence, particularly in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom.
The focus is on the experiences of gender outlaws, particularly transgender individuals, whose very existence challenges these systems. Rather than sensationalizing trans experiences, the program serves as a resource for transgender people to better understand their bodies, the financial realities of transitioning, and access to life-affirming medical surgeries.
The program will be enriched by a special talk with Campbell X and Sweatmother, offering deeper insights into these vital topics and our shared lineages of resistance.
Film Programme
- DES!RE | Campbell X | 2017 | United Kingdom 9 mins
- Pirate Boys | Pol Merchan | 2018 | Germany 13 mins
- Sweatmother with Campbell X in conversation
- Break
- Transexual Menace | Rosa von Praunheim |1996 | United States 55 mins
Total Run Time: 77 minutes
Film access: Transexual Menace subtitles are unavailable due to resources
Content Warning: outdated use of language, transphobia and brief mention of violence
DES!RE | Campbell X | 2017 | United Kingdom 9 mins
An experimental film exploring desire for transmasc, transmen, butch, stud, Agressives, and other masculine of center (MOC) people assigned female at birth.
Pirate Boys | Pol Merchan | 2018 | Germany 13 mins
In Pirate Boys, fiction and documentary become intertwined as we explore the relationship between embodiment, identity, and desire.
Transexual Menace | Rosa von Praunheim |1996 | United States 55 mins
This seminal documentary follows several parts of the trans rights movement as it started to emerge more prominently and visibly.
Otherness Archive Bio:
Otherness Archive is an accessible online archive: providing an open-access library and freely available resource, featuring their first iteration - focusing on *trans moving-image, both contemporary and pre-existing work. This is a resource for our trans and queer community. After one year of cultivating research and an international call out, Otherness Archive launched in January 2023.