“The DTA shows trans history and culture as it was, the small but vibrant pockets of brave people who defied social norms. Often these narratives have been intentionally hidden from mainstream society or ignored by the public at large, but access to this archive opens a door to seeing how communities and individuals reacted to the world around them.”
K.J. Rawson, Associate Professor of English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, was recently featured in two articles on the Criterion Collection’s website for his work directing the Digital Transgender Archive (DTA). The first article, entitled, “From the Margins: What the Archives Show Us About Trans Cinema and Audiences” by Caden Mark Gardner, highlights the ways in which the DTA has centralized trans histories from archives around the world, allowing researchers and amateurs to discover trans stories that have been “discarded, forgotten erased, or in some ways actively suppressed” in trans cinema and other visual media. The second article, entitled, “Bridging the Gaps in Trans History: A Conversation with K.J. Rawson” by Caden Mark Gardner is an interview with Rawson on the process of developing the DTA, surprises he’s discovered while searching through trans archives, and what his future goals are for the project.
