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Travis Alabanza

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Travis Alabanza is an English performance artist, poet and writer.

Travis Alabanza
Born1996 or 1997 (age 26–27)[1]
Bristol, South West England
United Kingdom
Known forBURGERZ
Notable workBURGERZ, Before I Walk Outside [You Love Me]
Websitetravisalabanza.co.uk

Career

Alabanza first became published for poetry in Black and Gay in the UK Anthology in 2015. Later that year Alabanza went on tour for their theatre show Stories of a Queer Brown Muddy Kid, performing at clubs, bookstores, and performance venues across the United Kingdom and abroad. They have been featured as a guest lecturer and panelist at over forty universities in the United Kingdom during LGBTQ and Black History month to discuss issues related to race, sexual orientation, and gender. Their work has been featured in Duckie, Bar Wotever, And What! Festival, Hamburg International Feminist Festival, Late at Tate, the V&A, and Transmission Gallery.[2][3] They are currently the youngest person to be awarded a residency at The Tate in 2017/2018.[1]

In 2016, Alabanza starred in the five star roundhouse production of Putting Words in Your Mouth by Scottee and became one of the 2016–2017 Artists in Residence at the Tate Britain. In 2017, they began working on a solo exhibition, The Other'd Artist for Transmission Gallery in Glasgow.[2] Alabanza released their first chapbook titled Before I Step Outside. (You Love Me); a compilation of visual art, poetry, diary entries, and essays.[4][5] They also performed the leading role in the stage adaptation of Derek Jarman's punk film Jubilee.[6]

Alabanza has critiqued mainstream feminism for having been rooted in transphobia and mainstream feminists for often neglecting trans and gender non-conforming people in their discussions of progress.[7]

In 2018, Alabanza started a new show called Burgerz.[8] This show focuses on audience participation regarding an incident in 2016 where a person threw a burger at them while walking across a bridge in London.[9][1] The show ran its UK Tour from October 19 to November 17 in 2018.[10]

Personal life

Alabanza was born in Bristol and grew up on a council estate.[11] They started making their art when they were 16 years old, helping them work through and process what adversities they were facing as a black, queer person.[12] Alabanza began with their poems just as drafts on their phone, thinking they'd never show them to anyone else. After getting the burger thrown at them, they got fed up with keeping their feelings to themselves and presented their poems to their friend who was going through the same issues, which made Alabanza decide to make their works public.[13] Alabanza identifies as black, trans feminine, gender non-conforming, and uses the pronouns "they/them".[14][15] Alabanza speaks out for trans rights and the importance of safe spaces and communities for gender non-conforming and transgender people.[16]

In November 2017, Alabanza was denied access to a female dressing room while shopping at Topshop in Manchester, the fashion retailer owned by Sir Philip Green. Alabanza was told to use the men's dressing.[17] They left the store and filed a complaint through social media.[18] Alabanza accused Topshop of going against their policy to allow trans individuals to use the dressing rooms associated with their preferred gender.[19][20] The Times published an opinion piece blaming Topshop's policy on Alabanza's tweet and claiming the policy would lead to child abuse. Subsequently, Alabanza received online death threats over Topshop's policy. [6]

Works

List of Works
Work Title Publisher Date Published Type of Work
The Sea OUTspoken April 2017 Poem
Queer and Now The Tate June 2017 Performance
Before I Step Outside. (You Love Me) July 2017 Chapbook of poetry, essays, photos
Who is Allowed to be a Victim? TEDxBrum October 2017 Performance/TED Talk
TRANZ TALKZ Hackney Showroom October 2018 Dinner & Performance
BURGERZ Art Council England October 2018 Interactive Performance
MY STUBBLE HAS NO GENDER (collaboration with Denny Kaulbach) Print
THE HEEL OF MARSHA. Gay Times October 2018 Poem

References

  1. ^ a b c Beresford, Meka (2018-11-06). "Battling transphobia with burgers". Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  2. ^ a b "About - TRAVIS ALABANZA". travisalabanza.co.uk.
  3. ^ "Travis Alabanza". TEDxBrum.
  4. ^ "Travis Alabanza's Debut Chapbook Reflects on Trans Femme Life in London". 20 July 2017.
  5. ^ Alabanza, Travis. "'Before I Step Outside [You Love Me]' - chapbook". Travis Alabanza.
  6. ^ a b Dazed (11 November 2017). "Artist smeared by media after Topshop transphobia".
  7. ^ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DjvZ6TIXgAECw3u.jpg:large
  8. ^ Beresford, Meka (2018-11-06). "Battling transphobia with burgers". BBC News.
  9. ^ Paskett, Zoe (17 October 2018). "Travis Alabanza interview: 'So many of us are figuring out gender. Trans people are just more honest about it'". Evening Standard, Go London. Retrieved 2 March 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  10. ^ "BURGERZ". TRAVIS ALABANZA. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  11. ^ "Interivew: Travis Alabanza". 14 June 2016.
  12. ^ . Gay Times. 1 October 2017 https://global.factiva.com/ga/default.aspx. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Text "title:Black, queer, and VISIBLE" ignored (help)
  13. ^ "Brighton Festival 2018: Travis Alabanza on why "trans people are the lucky ones"". The Argus. 28 April 2018.
  14. ^ "Topshop Refused To Let A Trans Person Into An All-Gender Changing Room".
  15. ^ "Interview: Travis Alabanza on their chapbook, Before I Step Outside (You Love Me)". 2 August 2017.
  16. ^ Jones, Dylan (4 October 2017). "Travis Alabanza: The critically-acclaimed artist and performer talks harassment, visibility and perceptions of gender".
  17. ^ Elizabeth, Devon. "Topshop's Gender-Neutral Changing Rooms Are a Step in the Right Direction".
  18. ^ Harley, Nicola (8 November 2017). "Topshop announces gender-neutral changing rooms after trans customer was refused access to female cubicles". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  19. ^ "Topshop says customers can use any fitting room they like — but a trans person claims employees refused to let them".
  20. ^ "Topshop and Topman make all changing rooms gender-neutral". 2017-11-09.
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