‘This is a prop from the last movie made by a comedic film group I started at university. Our group was almost entirely trans, and the few who weren’t (bar one) were at least one other letter of the LGBTQ acronym. Our works included, amongst others, A Cismas Carol, Mama Queer!, and a reimagining of the nativity story (featuring a pregnant Marcus and his wife Josephine, along with an inn keeper who is disgusted to discover that her husband has a penis). Most comedy featuring trans characters seems to use us as cheap punchlines, so the films were a way of being funny on our terms, lifting low spirits, and highlighting the ridiculousness of transphobia. We never made the films public, but we had private premieres where we’d dress up, get drunk and celebrate our creations.’

OBJECT NUMBER MOT000148

This object currently lives in The Bishopsgate Institute.

Photo by Katie Davies, Fashion Space Gallery, London College of Fashion