Maureen Birney

These photographs by Maureen Birney showcase a beautiful diversity of gender identities and gender expression.

Would you like to learn more about diversity in gender and sexuality? The Genderbread Person is a simple model that illustrates the various aspects of gender: gender identity (how you feel about yourself), gender expression (how you present yourself), biological sex (physical characteristics), and attraction (who you fall in love with or are sexually attracted to).

Photo, hand print dibond alu, 51 x 61 cm, 2000

This photo series consists of 20 portraits of transgender people, cross-dressers and drag queens. The subjects were photographed in their own homes.

There is a great deal of secrecy in the world of cross-dressers and transgender people. Many cross-dressers only wear their female outfits at home with the curtains drawn. Trans women often keep their background a secret. Nobody needs to know that they were born male. And why should they? Transgender people retain their male sex, whilst having female breasts. They choose to live a dual life. They are individuals, each with their own story.