Feb07
The Bond Experience
Author // Rachel Cook
http://gaynewsnetwork.com.au/feature/feature/10488-the-bond-experience.htmlAt the forefront of breaking down gender walls is Justin Vivian Bond. With a career that has now spanned decades, a band of loyal followers across the world, two albums and a new show, the Justin Vivian Bond experience shows no signs of slowing down.
*Editor's note: 'v' is the gender-free pronoun the interviewee uses
[...]
Bond's exploration of tragedy and sadness is often handled with humour but is never flippant or without thought. Likewise Bond's examination of identity is an ongoing and mindful journey. The blurb for MX America includes this quote, "My friend Billy's father once said you could tell the depth of a person's tragedy by the amount of distance between how they see themselves and how they're seen by others. As an American and as a transperson I find this hypothesis to be really interesting". In asking Bond to expand on this v said:
"As a transperson I've dealt with the fact that my gender identity, unlike the gender identity of most cisgendered people, is constantly being questioned. People have a tendency to assume I'm male based on my physiognomy, so I'm forced to assert my gender identity, preferred pronouns etcetera, if I'm to be seen as I really am. The majority of people don't have to do that. To be honest it can be exhausting but I feel that the way in which I deal with it really does define the quality of my life and my relationships.
