Gender Stories
A five-year portrait of life and love in the Mississippi Delta
Gravity is Stronger Here — Award-winning photographer Phyllis B. Dooney embedded herself in Southern living to capture all the beautiful contradictions of an archetypal American family.
Written by: Cian Traynor
Ugandan trans woman Cleo Kambugu Kentaro is fighting for her right to love
Moving beyond the binary — As a trans woman, Cleopatra Kambugu Kentaro was set to face more challenges in her life than many. But being born in Uganda, where homophobic laws see trans people targeted, her struggle at times looked insurmountable. In the run up to the passing of Uganda’s 2014 Anti-Homosexuality Bill, she found herself “exposed” in a popular tabloid. Forced to flee her hometown for safety, Cleo made her way across the Kenyan border to Nairobi, where she works today supporting East African LGBT movements. She is now the subject of the documentary The Pearl of Africa.
Written by: Michael Segalov
Arabia Felix is using YouTube to transcend the boundaries of Kuwait
Gender stories — Arabia Felix first donned make-up aged ten in his bedroom, playing alone as children often do. Today, aged twenty-three, hundreds of thousands take joy in his artistry, through videos on YouTube and tutorials on drag enjoyed by adoring fans around the globe. An online community may revere him, but at home in Kuwait, this life remains a closely guarded secret. Kuwaiti legislation punishes "imitating the appearance of a member of the opposite sex" with imprisonment or fines. His art, drag alter ego, and sexuality are all outlawed, and yet Arabia remains defiant. His make-up may embody traditional Arabian beauty, but it’s also his armour - and he’s preparing to fight.
Written by: Arabia Felix / Michael Segalov
Gender Stories: Adam Orbach is fighting for LGBTQ acceptance in Israel
"Assault and sexual violence are all too common." — Adam Orbach is just twenty years old, but he’s been defying gender boundaries for as long as he can remember. Born into a religious Jewish family in a West Bank settlement, and raised as a girl, Adam always knew he was a boy, despite the body he was born with. Now he lives in Ashdod, part of a growing trans community in Israel, but his childhood, and his struggle, inform every aspect of the life he leads. In the first part of our series exploring gender issues around the world, Adam shares his story exclusively with Huck.
Written by: Adam Orbach / Michael Segalov
Gender Stories: Jacob Tobia knows that Mx is more powerful than Mr or Miss
“Nothing about me is weird; society makes me weird.” — Jacob Tobia has a stiletto collection rivaling Ivanka Trump and facial hair most men would envy. But this 24-year old Southerner turned Brooklynite is neither masculine nor feminine. Jacob is genderqueer – or gender neutral – identifying as a person who sees beyond having only two gender options. As an advocate, working for Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice by day and moonlighting as a writer and TV personality after-hours, Jacob pushes for non-conforming gender acceptance every waking moment. Whether it’s penning a piece for Huffington Post asking why “dressing professionally” can’t mean a clean-shaven man wearing pearls, or publicly criticising transgendered media-darling Caitlyn Jenner, Jacob is out to make equal rights for genderqueer people a reality no matter how uncomfortable it makes others.
Written by: Jacob Tobia / Megan Broussard