alcohol marker, color pencil, ink; 20×16″
“What would you do if your body didn’t feel like your own? That’s how many transgender people feel throughout their lives. Their body is wrong, not their own, meant for someone else that is not them. My piece features a butterfly that has sat on a broken mirror, its reflection barely visible and blurry. The butterfly’s wings are the typical pink, blue, and white found on the transgender flag. Like transgender people, the butterfly is stuck staring in the mirror wondering “Is this who I am?”. The mirror represents the shattered sense of self transgender people have without proper affirming care. Care that is being slowly taken from them as the political climate worsens. Without gender affirming care, transgender people are left with feelings of gender dysphoria and depression which can be very harmful down the road. Gender affirming care such as testosterone, estrogen, or surgeries, are part of healthcare that shouldn’t be stripped from those who need it. Affirming care should be available to everyone.”
ARTIST BIO: Liu BAESSLER is a grade 11 strudent at Butler Tech School of Art studying art under art teacher Mary Catherine Ruby