Munroe Bergdorf by Timo Kerber

Munroe Bergdorf, photographed by Timo Kerber, discusses the future of transgender representation in this interview by Otamere Guobadia, online now on Vogue.it. She’ll be the protagonist of a talk on these issues at the next edition of Photo Vogue Festival.It feels like the world is going through a great upheaval. BLM, #EndSARS, marches for Black Trans lives— everywhere you look it feels like people are standing up, demanding their rights, and resisting the status quo. How has it felt for you to witness this, and how are you directing your energies and activism at this time?We’re definitely going through a very formative time in history, centuries old systems of oppression are finally being acknowledged and confronted in a way that I never thought I would see in my lifetime. As someone who has been navigating the activism space for a while now, it’s a great relief to see conversations coming into the mainstream, that only a few years ago were deemed too controversial to touch. But along with that I’m acutely aware of the toll that this period of time is having on the minds and emotional wellbeing of young and marginalised folk. With so much turmoil in our timelines and in the news, I’m looking to make my activism more community focused to help ensure that as many of us get through this era with our minds intact as possible. It’s all well and good drawing attention to the issues, but next year we need to focus on our active response and solution building, community is everything and if we can’t rely on our governments, we need to learn to rely on each other.Beyond the beautiful clothes and collections and diversity on runways and in editorials, what more active role would you like to see the industry take in this global fight for a more equal status quo?I would definitely love to see more brands taking a stand on the issues that affect trans people’s daily lives. I think the attention that the ballroom girls have gotten is incredible and way overdue, but I would love to see more trans representation in fashion that displays that vast diversity of what it means to be trans. More trans masculine representation in fashion is a must, as well as more non binary visibility and opportunities for them to speak first hand about their lived experiences. I love models like Kai-Isaiah Jamal who is showing the entire spectrum of their identity, from the femme showcased in their Mugler campaign, to their more masculine side for Vivienne Westwood….

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Source: vogue.it