Grayson Dunn 2026

Abstract

The title of my thesis, “Speaking As Trans,” I attribute to Susan Stryker who came and spoke to our school two semesters ago. She used that phrase in her talk, indicating talking as a voice of authority as trans in academic and political contexts. I was so moved by her talk that I wanted to honor her this way. My project is about the intersections of identity, gender expression, self-determination, portraiture, and domesticity. My defense discussed transphobic violence, my manifestations of trans joy, my conceptual and aesthetic choices, and how my feelings towards gender have changed with time. I also meditated on the struggles that I had with my own artistic process during this project, and the importance of trans representation—now more than ever.