by Eva Dameron
Daily Lobo
Gender is an abstract notion.
A group of transgender people has created a show exploring its meaning.
The Tranny Roadshow will stop in Albuquerque tonight as part of its national tour.
From all over the country, 35 self-identified transgendered poets, rappers, filmmakers, storytellers, break-dancers, rock bands, comedians, actors, folk singers, photographers and zinesters came together to add their bits to the variety show.
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Photography and sculpture will be on display, though performance pieces are the main focus of the show.
The actors are rationed out among shows.
"The cast could change every night," said Kelly Costello, co-founder of the show.
Jacoby Ballaid, a transgendered person who lives in Santa Fe and tours with the group, will be performing spoken word.
"I'm going to be reading from a compilation of poetry I have," he said. "Some of it has to do with gender stuff, some queer stuff, other stuff - universal topics that everyone writes about."
Costello said they did not expect as much feedback as they got from willing participants.
At first they took any act that was pitched to them. However, the volume of responses was so abundant, they eventually had room to choose certain acts.
"It got much bigger than we expected, which means there's a need for this in the community," Costello said.
Costello will also perform spoken word from the zines he and a friend publish. He said many of the stories are humorous.
"I have one piece that focuses on gender," Costello said. "I have other pieces that focus on stories of my life."
He said the tour's aim is to present transgender people as whole people and not just as having one stereotyped identity.
One misconception associated with transgender people is that they have undergone surgical sex changes or take hormones.
The term transgender describes those who feel out of place in their specified roles as men or women.
"Everyone has a different perspective on their own genders," Ballaid said. "It changes all of the time and even if someone gives you five different accounts on their gender, they're all totally valid."
Costello said the tour van broke down last week, so there will be fewer performers than usual.
"The thing that keeps us going is how much everyone is enjoying what we're doing," he said.
To make up for the sudden turn of events, the group will present three or four short films on gender issues. One is a cartoon made by a woman in Boston. There is another film called "Detached."
"It documents a man doing sex work as a woman," he said. "He talks about having to detach himself from his gender."
After the show, there will be time for a question-and-answer session and conversation.
"I have a piece about body hair that a lot of people talk to me about afterward," Costello said.
