Photographed at Alcampo Lounge, Brighton,
About Sam
Sam is a 36 year old trans person living in Brighton. They work as a care navigator for The Clare Project in collaboration with the new Sussex Gender Service pilot. It’s their job to make sure that everyone who goes through the service is looked after and well. They are also an acupuncture therapist working with local community acupuncture charity Pathways To Health. Sam strongly believes that we heal in community, surrounded by each other, lifting each other up and healing collectively. With Pathways to Health, they run a clinic dedicated just for TNBI folx and have found that auricular acupuncture is a great tool for improving wellbeing in people who are experiencing issues caused by minority stress, such as anxiety, depression, sleep issues and panic attacks. Sam is proud to work within the community and feel privileged to be a part of such a vibrant and joyful community.
JOY IS…
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.