Photographed at Transkaters at BAYSIXTY6 Skate Park, London.
About Griffin
Griffin is a trans, queer animal care student. He is also disabled and autistic with a joint condition that makes their joints overly loose and gives them widespread chronic pain and a whole host of other debilitating symptoms. Whilst life can be extremely hard at times, little pockets of joy in Griffin’s work and love for animals have been his saviour. The animal industry isn’t built for disabled or trans people and trying to navigate that has been hard but the animals make it all worth it. Griffin also has a dog called Charlie and a pet snake called Trixy.
JOY
Things that give me joy are my pets, the animals I work with and the incredible communities that are out there for trans people. The unconditional love within these communities brings me so much joy and fills my heart every time I attend an event.
Trans joy is the happiness I get from being in the most accepting and supportive community that exists. No matter what, the trans community will accept you and love you even when you can’t love yourself. Trans joy is medically or socially transitioning and suddenly feeling like yourself for the first time in your life. Trans joy is putting out questions on trans servers and seeing hundreds of people flock to help you simply because they can. Trans joy is the most powerful and beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed and I love it.
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.