El Paso launches 'Authentic Selves' art exhibit celebrating trans, nonbinary individuals

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The EL Paso chapter of queer-liberation organization, Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays -- aka PFLAG -- is launching a new art exhibit Thursday that will travel around the state, bringing visibility to trans and nonbinary communities.

Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families will open at the El Paso Museum of History on Thursday, featuring a slate of speakers, a ribbon cutting, and a Q&A with various authors.

According to PFLAG El Paso, "The Authentic Selves exhibit explores the many aspects of gender identity and variance by sharing important stories, uplifting trans, nonbinary and gender-fluid folks with beautiful photography and first-person accounts."

The works celebrate a range of views, opinions and lived experiences that are unique and empowering to trans and nonbinary people.

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By advocating for inclusive spaces at all levels of society and affirming the power of diversity, Authentic Selves aims to "evoke connection and empathy to make the world a safer place for transgender and gender-nonconforming people," according to the organizers.

Our 2SLGBTQIA community has endured so much at the hands of biased state leaders in Texas," PFLAG El Paso said in a statement. "In 2023, Texas has seen 76 anti-2SLGBTQIA bills filed. We must work together to tear down damaging stereotypes and to introduce communities throughout Texas to the beauty and love that exists in transgender and gender-nonconforming communities.

The inaugural exhibit -- a collaboration between PFLAG El Paso and the El Paso Museum of History -- will be on display until Jan. 6, 2024, at which point it will travel around the state and continue "[contributing] to the process of dismantling the destructive power of prejudice and intolerance."

The opening ceremony of Authentic Selves kicks off at 5 p.m. on Dec. 7 in the El Paso Museum of History's Juan & Linda Uribe Community Gallery Pop-up Exhibition room.

The event will feature readings by participating authors via Zoom, followed by a Q&A segment and a ribbon cutting.

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