Trans/South: Ten Stories of Identity shares experiences of trans people living and belonging in The South. This project from Coastal Carolina University interviewed over 20 people from the Carolinas, including trans individuals, friends and family, scholars, and policy-makers. These interviews were developed into a book and digital installation that explores the complexities surrounding gender identity in the The South.

Trans/South is a collaboration between Coastal Carolina University’s Arts and Humanities Global Experience Program (AHGEP) and the Athenaeum Press. Comprised of six undergraduate and two graduate members, we conducted over 30 interviews to learn about the Southern trans community in the Carolinas. These interviews were used to create a book and a digital piece that explore the challenges and daily experiences that come with being trans in The South.

This project began as an extension of workshops sponsored by AHGEP discussing the complexities of gender and non-normative identities. We wanted to challenge the assumption that Southern cultural identity and trans identity conflict. To accurately reflect the lives of those interviewed, the stories featured in the project are taken directly from the interviews. Quotes from the interviews not used in the stories are featured in the book on quote pages and in the digital piece Embodied Spaces to show the collective experience of being trans in the South.

None of the members that worked on this project are trans. We studied, researched, learned, and unlearned things about trans issues to provide a more meaningful representation of the people we interviewed. It is our great hope that this project serves to shed light on an overlooked part of our community that is both Southern and trans.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to those we interviewed, including Tyja McNeil, Bennet Schroeder, Lee, Dawn, Derrick Bracey, Veronica Walters, Ina Seethaler, Trey Greene, Atiya Stokes-Brown, Franklin Ellis, Mark Burlinson, Cas Songer, Cara Geho, Gregory Stevens, Sean Pierce, Nicole Service, Captain Safford, Meredith Persin and those who wish to remain anonymous.

Student Contributors

• Brittany Atkinson, Graduate Assistant
• Britta Alford, Research and Writer
• Ian Brooking, Editor
• Shonté Clement, Digital Designer, Researcher and Writer
• Olivia Dimatteo, Researcher and Writer
• Abby Inman, Graphic Designer
• Tori McCray, Researcher and Writer
• Valerie McLaurin, Graduate Lead Writer and Editor
• Joshua Parsons, Researcher and Writer
• James Pulley, Graphic Design

Athenaeum Press Faculty/Staff Team

• Tripthi Pillai, Faculty Lead
• Trisha O'Conor, Director Emeritus
• Alli Crandell, Director
• Scott Mann, Art and Production Manager
• Cali Duncan, Program Assistant
• Jackson Martin, Student Graphic Designer