Encoding Digital Art in Nonbinary Code

# **Queering Digital: Art in Resistance to Anti-Trans Legislation**

## **A Cultural Response to Precarious Times**
In an era marked by increased restrictions on transgender rights in the United States, artists and curators are using digital and multimedia works to resist and reclaim visibility. *Queering Digital: Artists in Response to Anti-Trans Legislation*, an exhibition at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, California, is a powerful testament to resilience. Curated by Steve Galindo and Jamison Edgar, the exhibition brings together 13 transgender, nonbinary, and genderqueer artists who are tackling the barrage of legal and social challenges posed by the far-right’s assault on trans rights.

## **Political Backdrop: A Challenging Moment for the Trans Community**
Since taking office, the Trump administration has aggressively targeted transgender individuals through policies that restrict their rights. A recent executive order bans minors from receiving gender-affirming healthcare, and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has even moved to prevent Sarah Elizabeth McBride, the country’s first trans congresswoman, from using the restroom that aligns with her gender identity.

Rather than retreating, artists and activists are responding with bold, unapologetic creative expressions that challenge these systemic attacks. The works in *Queering Digital* acknowledge these threats while also celebrating trans identity, history, and cultural influence.

## **Mediums of Resistance: Digital and Multimedia Reflections**
The exhibition spans various media—including custom-built software, paintings, photography, sculpture, installations, and even a video game—demonstrating the ways technology and pop culture intersect with trans narratives. Many works explore the impact of social media on identity formation and the distortion of trans experiences in digital spaces.

Thanos Valentine’s installations, *Where’s Everybody Going? Bingo?* and *Bedrotting* (both 2024), recreate the atmosphere of a teenager’s bedroom, featuring a vintage television screen displaying *Resident Evil* and a plush Powerpuff Girls blanket. Both franchises have long embedded genderqueer and gender-nonconforming characters—such as Morpheus D. Duvall (*Resident Evil*) and HIM (*The Powerpuff Girls*)—illustrating that trans visibility in media is nothing new.

## **Pushing Boundaries: Sex, Religion, and Politics**
Some pieces in the exhibition deliberately challenge conservative values with provocative themes. Amina Cruz’s *SPIT* (2024) resembles a dimly lit backroom with red lighting, featuring pornographic clips distorted by moiré effects. A stool in the space offers latex gloves and lubricant, hinting at a politically charged commentary on bodily autonomy.

Next to Cruz’s work is Ruby Zarsky’s *Madonna* (2024), depicting the Virgin Mary with an erect penis and ejaculate dripping from her shoulders. Zarsky’s work is both personal and political—it can be read as direct retaliation against religious conservatives who weaponize faith to justify anti-trans legislation. Alternatively, it expresses the fluidity of gender and identity beyond conventional binaries.

## **Art as Healing: Hope and Rebirth**
Despite the anger fueling many of the pieces, glimpses of hope and transformation shine through. Marsian De Lellis’s *(In)/Animate Objects [Burial + Rebirth]* (2025) uses handmade dolls that gradually erode into soil, plants, and fungi. De Lellis even released live ladybugs into the installation, symbolizing regeneration and resilience. In a time of escalating hostility, the work suggests that hardship may ultimately lead to a more vibrant rebirth.

## **A Bold Assertion of Existence**
The artists in *Queering Digital* reject invisibility. Rather than seeking comfort, they lean into discomfort, challenging the systems that threaten their rights. In an era of political and cultural regression, their creative defiance is a necessary force, demanding space and recognition.

**Queering Digital: Artists in Response to Anti-Trans Legislation** is on view at the Pacific Design Center (8687 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, California) through March 30, 2024. The exhibition is curated by Steve Galindo and Jamison Edgar.