The matter of “the past” is complicated for transgender people who are erased frequently from histories and who often find in their pasts a number of experiences they might prefer to forget, from antipathy to zealots, assault to xenophobia.
Tam is a trans, nonbinary 23-year-old and has been transitioning in Buenos Aires for the past two years during the lockdown. Tam is from Bolivia and hasn’t been back since transitioning.
“I think it would have added so much stress to my life having to go through these massive changes around lifelong family members and friends. Living away from home gave me the space to embrace those changes as they came, figure out how I wanted to present, and not worry about who I saw from high school at the local grocery store when I was trying out something new," Tam said.
Returning to your hometown can be disorientating, especially when you return as a different person.
This project documents Tam’s return to Bolivia in March 2022. Bolivia is an extremely traditional society. On this journey, Tam will have to challenge stereotypes, friends, families, and even themself. One of the slightly farcical elements of LGBTQ life is that you never stop coming out.
