Photographed at Alcampo Lounge, Brighton,
About Ben
Ben is 44 and from Brighton where he studied ‘Theatre & Visual’ at university. Since then he has worked in several different areas of the arts and has performed in a diverse range of plays and musicals, including ‘American Buffalo’, ‘A View From The Bridge’, ‘The Deep Blue Sea’, ‘Parlour Song’, ‘The Full Monty’, and ‘Hedwig & The Angry Inch’. The role he is most proud of is that of ‘Joey’ in the dark and gritty Chicago-set two-hander, ‘A Steady Rain’ by Keith Huff. For this he and his co-actor won ‘Best Actor’ at the Arts Council Drama Awards.
JOY IS…
being able to just be myself every day. I sometimes forget everything I’ve been through and everything I’ve overcome to get to this point, and then I remember and really feel extremely proud. I have now lived officially as my true authentic self; ie. as ‘Ben’, for longer than I when I wasn’t able to be myself, which is pretty amazing! It’s been 23 years now, so I reckon I should definitely have a big celebratory party when it gets to 25!
To me Trans Joy means being able to celebrate and share the experience of being Trans with others in the Trans Community. Each of our individual journeys are of course very different but we all fight the same fight; to be able to live as our authentic selves, and to not only be accepted, but to be understood, respected, and valued as such.
In a world that often struggles to fully embrace diversity and inclusion, ‘Beyond the Binary – The Spectrum Of Trans Joy’ is a project dedicated to fostering social cohesion and visibility for the trans and intersex community. This fresh initiative from the award-winning queer photographer Chris Jepson seeks to empower and celebrate the trans+ community by showcasing authentic joy through a captivating series of individual and group portraits.