SOUTHAMPTON will be enjoying a first for the city with a series of events which celebrate and champion the artistic creativity of the local transgender community.

ArtSo Trans is a week-long event, being held at The Art House in the city centre, from March 26, leading up to International Trans Day of Visibility on March 31.

Ahead of that, The Art House will be holding an ArtSo Trans exhibition, featuring artwork of transgender, non-binary and nonconforming artists, from March 5.

READ: Devin's transition story

The series of events were the brainchild of Devin Valentine, who sought funding through the Nuffield Southampton Theatres' 'self starter' fund.

"The idea is simply to show the local community that trans people have always been here, contributing to the city, long before the tabloid media decided it was time to use transgender people as a generic scapegoat and anger magnet," he says.

"Not that our worth should be tied up by our community contributions, but by showcasing art by trans people, art that is not all specifically based on the trans experience, people will see their common ground as well as the important angle trans people have from unique personal experiences.

Devin

"I'm not sure if anything like this has been done anywhere else," adds Devin, who is a director at The Art House, a non-for-profit cafe, art gallery and community venue.

"I wanted to create a platform and then share the money and the support out amongst the wider transgender community.

"I'm hoping that the events will show the rich tapestry of transgender creativity in the city. I want to show people that being transgender is not a new thing, and that it isn't a burden to have transgender people in Southampton.

"Like any minority community, including transgender people in the wider community can result in new and different positive outcomes, especially in terms of creativity."

Devin adds that the events will also be important for members of the transgender community.

"I hope that it will help people to feel included and show that there are safe spaces in the city that will support them, like The Art House and Nuffield Southampton Theatres.

"I want to help get the message out that there are reasons to be positive right now if you are a transgender person, and to provide visible role models."

Devin says that it can be difficult to find transgender role models, because many people may no longer identify or choose to be publicly identified as being transgender once they have transitioned.

"This can mean that people who are at the beginning of their transition don't have many positive role-models, to say 'that's what my life could look like'.

"I hope ArtSo Trans will provide a snapshot of different people at different stages of transitioning, and also show that there's no one way to be trans," says Devin.

Devin has previously shared the story of his transition with the Daily Echo.

"I'm lucky to have had a comparatively easy time being transgender," he says.

"One of the ways I can give something back and use my experiences is to help out the wider community."

A musician himself, Devin is the bass player in all-transgender band, Hunting Hearts, he says that the music scene can be quite macho and feel like a difficult environment to break into.

He adds that a difficulty for transgender artists and performers can be feeling too exposed.

Devin plays bass in Hunting Hearts

"Being transgender can inspire a lot of creativity, but people might be worried about sharing that, for fear of being exposed. Having your work criticised is one thing, but harassment is another," he says, adding that this is why platforms like ArtSo Trans are important.

"For some people, coming out as transgender can lead to being separated from your family or meaning you feel you need to move away from your home area, as people are often ostracised," he says.

"It can be hard to start from scratch when you're somewhere new and you don't have a network. We are providing a way of showing people that they can fit in, and that Southampton offers a big, welcoming community."

Devin adds that while the events are showcasing transgender people, they are aimed at all of the community, and one of the events, an open-mic night, is open to non-transgender performers.

"We're not excluding anyone outside of the transgender community," he says. "They feature work by transgender people just for this week – every other week of the year, it's not like that, and everyone is welcome to these events.

"I hope the audience will find a lot of commonality in the art, music etc, and find something to identify with regardless of whether or not they are transgender," he says.

"Being transgender is part of your identity, not all of it."

* The ArtSo Trans events will include an inclusivity workshop with local gender identity issues charity Chrysalis, live music, and workshops. For more information, search for ArtSo Trans on Facebook.