Features / trans rights
Meet the cast of TRANS/FORM
Trans rights have recently featured prominently in the news cycle.
In April 2025 the Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
This was viewed by many as a decision that could be harmful for trans rights.
is needed now More than ever
In the media, trans people are often either portrayed as victims or villains. Little room is left for nuance or humanisation.
TRANS/FORM is a drag theatre and experimental show that explores trans experiences and trans stories.
The cast of TRANS/FORM is fully trans, and reflects diverse perspectives on the contemporary trans experience in Bristol’s LGBTQ+ community.
Bristol24/7 met the cast of the show ahead of their performance as part of the Bristol Pride programme.
During Bristol Pride, TRANS/FORM will run on July 6 and July 9 at Strange Brew. Tickets are available now.
Roux aka Gender Criminal
Roux is a trans director, producer and resident artist at TRANS/FORM
Roux, also known as Gender Criminal, created TRANS/FORM as an opportunity to explore trans experiences and stories through the lens of the human body. He said that trans people often have complicated relationships with their physical bodies due to pressures of public perception and gender dysphoria.
“As a trans artist, director and producer, I created this show as a response to feeling trans people have to make themselves palatable. I wanted to create a space for us to be joyful, but also angry, and for that to be celebrated,” said Roux.
Roux explained that TRANS/FORM’s initial run was what led him to create the House of Boussé, a storytelling collective which run regular events platforming trans and non-binary performers.
The shows are all volunteer-led. Roux hopes that now the group are part of the Bristol Pride programme, and receive funding from the Bristol Pride community fund, that he can get some resources to help grow TRANS/FORM’s further.
Roux said that there is an authenticity in grassroots work which is often hard to find in traditionally funded work. “Getting an authentic scope of an artist’s voice in a radically creative space is so important. These grassroots scenes are dying. These are whole ecosystems and worlds that are disappearing, along with the cultures and stories they platform,” said Roux.
By watching TRANS/FORM shows, Roux wants audiences to see that trans people are complex and diverse like everyone else. “In our previous years of performing TRANS/FORM, people came to me at the end of the show. They said they weren’t trans, but so many of the things we described they were able to relate to. That’s the whole point, that we are human beings just like everyone else,” said Roux.
Roux explained that he wants audiences to see that a beautiful and peaceful future is possible.
“Trans people have been screaming for a long time that the world we live in is not good enough. The system doesn’t work for trans people, and it doesn’t work for other people. We’ve grown up in 12 years of austerity and instability. We’re seeing the rise of the far right and manias against trans people. I want to encourage everyone to dream big and push forward for liberation together,” said Roux.
He continued: “We fight as a community every day to be heard and recognised. Trans people are only one per cent of the population, we need allies. Working exclusively with or prioritising trans artists has radicalised and emboldened me to dream bigger. I want to work towards the world we all deserve. My strength in that has only been made possible by people in a network of support. A network who all believe in everyone’s right to peace, and everyone’s right to love.”
Xanthe
Performing creates space for Xanthe to be himself
Xanthe is a resident artist who has been a part of TRANS/FORM for many years. Xanthe also hosts the regular What a Drag open mic night at Cafe Kino. What A Drag is a monthly event platforming trans and non-binary drag performers in a cabaret with a lineup featuring local and visiting performers.
“Having spaces like TRANS/FORM is a preservative way of activism. So much activism can be at your own expense in terms of energy. Hosting events where we can have a nice time and explore our own bodies is one of the highest forms of activism. We are just being ourselves, experiencing ourselves and embodying our genders entirely,” said Xanthe.
Xanthe explained the reason he started drag was to reclaim ownership over his body.
He said: “The first time I was in drag was the first time I wore lingerie. It was the first time I was outside in such few clothes. For the first time in the 19 years of my life preceding that moment, I’d never looked at a photo of my body.”
Supporting grassroots spaces is vital for the queer community to be visible and understood.
Xanthe raised concern about areas like Stokes Croft being gentrified and key music and arts venues closing. He said: “It’s definitely an act of resistance to create and curate grassroots events and spaces for people. Queer dance is resistance, queer art is resistance, queer love is resistance.”
Talking about the power of drag and performing further, Xanthe said performance is a powerful vessel to regain control. Platforms like TRANS/FORM allow for performers to control the narrative around their sexualities. “As a trans person, you face people who inherently want to sexualize our whole gender. If someone is sexualizing me on the stage the way I want them to, I’ve done a good job. It’s a way of feeling confident without feeling vulnerable,” said Xanthe.
Platforming trans performers helps others understand their experiences and rich histories, said Xanthe.
He said: “When you book a trans person, you’re booking someone who spends their day in resistance. It’s exhausting to live as a trans person. It’s disabling, expensive, and dangerous.”
“Booking trans artists means they have security and safety, financially and physically. Whenever I’m booked, I can explore my body in a way which makes me feel strong, handsome, and connected with how I identify. I will have a place to take the mask off, to be comfortable, to exist and be celebrated.”
Problems persist for trans people in Bristol.
Xanthe said he has recently been stalked and harassed by a group of boys in his neighbourhood. He was afraid to leave the house and felt silenced. But when Xanthe is booked to perform he feels seen and elevated.
“Performing is the place where I feel the most love. It’s peace, it’s pride. It removes years of pain and every time I’ve been followed and harassed. It helps me keep going. Booking trans performers is a joyous way to make a difference, and recognise how to correctly hone your allyship,” said Xanthe.
Habibi
Habibi is often inspired by seeing performers who break societal norms
Habibi is a resident artist who often appears at House of Boussé’s cabaret events and has formed part of the TRANS/FORM lineup in previous years.
This includes a particularly silly performance on Valentine’s Day: Habibi performed to Pillowtalk by Zayn Malik, romancing a pillow before eventually tearing it up, leaving feathers all over the Strange Brew stage.
Habibi said that by seeing performers who looked different, and presented in a way that broke the norm, he started to feel like he could show up as himself.
“In TRANS/FORM we talk more about identity. We show people that no matter your age, you can be everything, anything and nothing at all. You can present in any way you want, and there are no limits and boundaries,” said Habibi.
Habibi said that spaces like TRANS/FORM enrich the queer community and through osmosis then enriches the wider world around it. “I want to convey trans joy. We can be funny, sexy, silly, outrageous. It’s just about existing and taking up space, trans joy is a high form of resistance. It shows we will continue living as ourselves despite an oppressive world around us,” said Habibi.
Misfortune
Misfortune says shows like TRANS/FORM need to exist for trans people to tell their stories on their terms
Misfortune, a resident artist at TRANS/FORM, said trans people have become more of a target in recent times.
“When we’re targeted, we’re forced to hide in the shadows. I think that’s the most important time to be seen because people are trying to push us away. We need to stand our ground as a community. That’s why this platform is so important,” she said.
Misfortune usually tells a fun story either about herself, or something silly she’s made up in her performances. She is always performing for herself.
She said:“I like to create and be crafty, and have fun on stage. I want people to enjoy themselves and feel inspired to create something.”
Em
Em is a new team member for this run of TRANS/FORM
Em is a new member of the TRANS/FORM lineup, and is excited to be part of a show telling trans stories from trans perspectives. They said that the process of rehearsing for a trans show has given them the opportunity to explore their gender in a conscious way.
“Being able to do that as I begin to socially transition has provided me with an incredible support network. These are people who understand exactly what I’m experiencing,” said Em.
The performance space has also provided Em the opportunity to explore how their pole dancing practice intersects with their trans identity.
Em wants audiences to acknowledge the impact of the audience’s gaze on a performer’s sense of self and identity. In other words, “the fact that the body I currently have automatically dictates certain assumptions about my gender, and that this impacts how I see myself and how comfortable I feel on stage”.
Leena Zhané
Leena is the composer and audio manager for TRANS/FORM. The production crew for the performance are all gender and non-conforming and Leena has been audio manager for the past two years.
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“I’m looking forward to seeing everything coming to life. I’ve been able to work closely with performers to translate their ideas into reality. It’s an exciting and fulfilling process. Together we explore ways to add layers and dimension to the stories we’re trying to communicate,” said Leena.
During Bristol Pride, TRANS/FORM will perform on July 6 and July 9 at Strange Brew. Tickets are available now
Follow the House of Boussé on Instagram here
All photos: xanthequeen
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