Transgender men take centre stage in this Trans Day of Visibility campaign

In celebration of Trans Day of Visibility, transgender men take centre stage in a Calvin Klein inspired campaign Transmasc clothing brand Both& have released their latest photo series campaign in celebration of Trans Visibility Day today.

The photoshoot is inspired by the iconic 1990s Calvin Klein adverts featuring the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Kate Moss, Sasha Mitchell and Marcus Schenkenberg. However, instead of championing cis men, Both& have put a select number of transgender men in a state of undress front and centre to lead the campaign.

The series will run as advertising posters across New York, London and Paris and is designed to break taboos around what defines modern masculinity, sex appeal and empowerment.

“We are living in a historical moment that is suddenly making transness hyper-visible in constant media and policy discussions,” says Finn Shepard, a trans man and Founder of Both&. “but with the vast majority of that visibility focusing on struggle, on infringement of basic rights, on pain.”

He continues: “Our goal in this campaign and at large as a brand is to bring visibility to the other side of the spectrum: to make trans joy and radiance and empowerment visible.”

Grace Francis is trans-non-binary, Global Chief Creative and Design Officer at WongDoody, and the only trans person in the C-Suite at a creative agency and says: It’s so easy to think trans day of visibility is only about understanding trans causes. For many of us, it is a day to be seen by the world exactly as we want. That’s what this campaign captures—these models love how they look, they’ve fought hard to be these men, and they deserve to turn heads.”

“Making visible to the world how I see, feel and perceive myself is a generous gift that we as trans people offer.” Says Daniel Sea, a trans man,  Artist and actor who was Creative Director of the project.

“Being visible as trans has made me a target of violence since I was a child. But this visibility has also drawn me into the community with other trans and queer folks and has brought me closer to my family and friends. To have a day in honour of all things trans is vital for continuing our path of liberation. Trans liberation benefits everyone.”

Scroll below to view shots of the campaign captured by London photographer Lyydia Garnett.