Otis Aiello 2026

Abstract

Transness is intrinsically linked to noise. The act of transitioning between genders is something that is inherently messy, complex, and taboo; as is noise. Noise is a force beyond human comprehension, thus it is often defined by what it is not. Noise is not a pattern, it’s not pleasant, it’s not music, and it certainly doesn’t make a lot of sense. Noise is most often used to define an unwanted sound, something deemed as unpleasant by an outside actor. This is often how transness is represented in the media, shown through the lens of someone who is separate from a trans identity, this leads to the defining of transness to be thrust upon trans people based on stereotypes and preconceptions. This kind of representation often turns into propaganda showing trans people as gross, weird, or even violent. This politicking of an identity is exactly how noise is used when it comes to sound. Sounds are neutral but once they are defined as noise they lose their presumed neutrality and are painted as something unwanted and even dangerous. These outside definitions are exactly why building definitions and representation from within communities is so important.