In today’s world where every part of our lives is documented publicly, a project like Relationship (Prestel 2016) is refreshing to see.
After meeting in 2008 when MySpace was the height of communication, Rhys Ernst and Zackary Drucker were shielded from the outside world. Over the six years they were together they recorded every part of their relationship from holidays to weekends in bed, and their transitions to the opposite sex. With no initial intention of sharing the images, they subconsciously produced something honest, intimate and culturally influential that would go on to be shown at the 2014 Whitney Biennial and develop into a book, which is just being released.
Despite being created pre-social media madness, the photographs feel somewhat futuristic. Fast-forwarding to an age in which gender has no meaning, like flicking through a photo album where transitions are just background noise in their relationship. Taking the best from both the past and the future, Relationship is incredibly vital in the present. Yes, trans recognition is improving due to the increase of trans figures in the media, but it’s still in the early stages of being fully accepted by society. Zackary and Rhys’ new book projects an image of fluidity between genders as the norm. Their visibility as a trans couple is the type of presence needed to propel trans rights forward to a stage where gender is not even considered. We caught up with them to find out more about the book, as well as their thoughts on Hollywood, love and the future of relationships.
The images are so personal, was choosing to publish the book a difficult decision to make?
Zackary: Yes, it was difficult. When a relationship has moved into a new role, of course there’s awkwardness presenting it. But Rhys and I agree that this project is about much more than us as individuals and is really about love. About trans people loving, being loved and loving each other. It’s about a civil rights movement moreover than just about our personal lives.
Rhys: I think there was a feeling that this project would lend itself really well to a book. Being able to have a more intimate viewing of it seemed more suited to the content. We’re no longer a couple so it’s strange to revisit and share that history; it really hit me all at once when the book was finally coming together. That said, I hope it becomes somewhat of a small moment in terms of the trans rights movement, whatever small contribution that visibility does to contribute.
Zackary: There’s this old feminist slogan, ‘the personal is political’ and I think it could not be more apropriate to this project. It has something so deeply personal that it acquires a political meaning.
When you look through the book, is there any particular images or moments that really stand out to you?
Zackary: For Rhys and I, this book really does transport us to a very specific time and place. It was before our careers had really taken off, we had a lot of time to build a world of creativity around our domestic life and I hope that viewers get that as well. There are a lot of feelings that I have with certain images and it’s not always the obvious ones you’d expect.
Rhys: It happened to transpire that this was over a gender transition but I really have the same kind of feelings looking at this book as I do when I look at photos of a child growing up who becomes a young man, has a family and then grows old. Everybody has a gender and series of selves that change over time and so to me it really feels much more connected to that kind of experience than some sort of myopic trans social experiment, which it’s not. One thing we tried to do is not ‘transplain’ or lead with trans issues, but let them be a backdrop and part of the world.
How do you think both of your experiences transitioning differed and how do you think they were the same?
Zackary: When you’re being hormonally rewired not only is everything inside of you changing, everybody’s perception of you changes as well. It takes a while for the two things to align. Then you have the discomfort of worrying about being identified as trans in public, which at some point you realise, well who cares. I think trans women are sometimes more visible than trans guys, just because of the way that secondary sex characteristics are affected by testosterone. A boys’ facial hair is one of the main signifiers for guys but with trans women it’s a little harder. So there are big differences and we learnt a lot from each other’s experiences. Too often there’s a division between communities of trans guys and trans women and I feel our relationship was bridging that.
Rhys: It was useful for us both opening up our ideas about gender and queerness instead of seeing the transition as a two-dimensional A to B line. When we were able to look at gender from multiple perspectives and learn from each other’s experiences it became much more of a three-dimensional thing. It can’t be over simplified.
It’s not black and white, one or the other.
Rhys: It’s certainly not that, even post-transition I think a lot about how misogyny and patriarchy negatively affects both trans women and trans men. Trans men are sometimes the subjects of sexism, it can’t be put down to ‘guys are like this and girls are like that’. I think we’re in the very early stages of cracking gender open in a broader way. No one has a simple gender or a simple experience of gender, so these are much more complicated issues than just transgressing from one side to the other.
What do you think or hope relationships will be like in 30 years time?
Zackary: I think statistically they’re changing so much based on our habits, in the way that we exist autonomously and have quick hook ups. Maybe marriages will happen more often but will be short-lived. Maybe they’ll be virtual, beyond our bodies and we’ll be able to download somebody’s consciousness and have a relationship after their body is expired. I’m sure they’ll be totally different to what they are now. Maybe Relationship will represent something entirely different in 30 years. Gender is always the top layer discussed when we talk about our work, but there’s all these other things at play that are not talked about because gender is topical right now, it’s the thing that people can access and are interested in. Perhaps in five or ten years’ time it will be a totally different conversation.
Rhys: I hope that as trans kids are more supported and embraced by their families and communities than ever before, that they don’t all have the impulse to become extremely normal. That trans people and queer people can continue to be a little weird and out there. For instance as gay culture is becoming more accepted and homogeneous, I always am really excited when I see a gay guy dating a lesbian. I’m like, yes go do something different, don’t be in the box. I hope that the future of relationships is something that’s queerer than just doing the same old thing.
Representation for the trans community seems to be something that is becoming stronger, especially with shows like Transparent. What changes do you think still need to be made to break down remaining gender barriers?
Zackary: We need to see more diversity and authorship. The ratio of men to women in Hollywood is still so skewed, let alone trans, queer and people of colour. I think that as we move into this new era, we will have a celebration of difference that we were missing from our adolescence in the 90s. Having trans people creating content will make a huge difference too, we are still always being ‘interpreted’.
Rhys: People get really fixated on casting as being the only area that’s consequential in terms of progress for trans representation and I really think that’s a limited viewpoint. Real progress is getting all kinds of people working as writers, show runners, executives, directors. That’s the real change we need, an example like Transparent in which there’s so much work done behind the scenes and trans people being brought up the ranks in a really significant way.
What is true love to you?
Zackary: I think true love is self-love. It’s a lesson that I learnt from RuPaul, at the end of her show she’d say ‘If you can’t love yourself, how the hell you gonna love somebody else?’ I still think about that.
Rhys: I would agree with that and I would add acceptance; self-acceptance, and accepting other people for who they are.
Relationship is available now via prestel.com
Credits
Text Lula Ososki