Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The American Boys project is a bold and intuitive representation of the USA's trans-masculine community by photographer, Soraya Zaman. New movements in queer and trans identity politics have worked to expand contemporary notions of binary gender roles, carving out spaces for more fluid and transitory identities. The photographs shine a light on what it means to be trans in the US today through a series of sincere and intimate portraits of trans men at distinct stages of their transition. Zaman has powerfully captured the models grace and humanity, travelling to each subjects' hometowns to photograph them in the places most personal. The result is a raw and honest body of work providing viewers a snapshot into each person's life, character and journey across the trans-masculine spectrum. Zaman sought out subjects through Instagram and Facebook, as it is through such online platforms that the trans community have created spaces for support and communal learning. Zaman believes social media is a significant reason for why the time of this gender evolution is now, and hopes that through knowledge, exposure and shared common experience that greater understanding and acceptance can manifest. Given our current political climate, it seems more important than ever to tell these stories of courage, resilience and truth and to celebrate the diversity of gender expression as it is happening.
Synopsis
American Boys is a book of portraits capturing the trans-masculine community across the United States. The young Americans featured in these pages are united through their proud embrace of gender identity. Both tender and exciting these portraits are evidence of the rapidly expanding conceptions of gender sweeping the country.