Żaneta
A trans woman, age 50
The question about death
is so indelicate
Since obviously I died long ago
That was back in high school
Everything that came after
Is kind of bonus material
I made a bet with Pascal
Not about eternal life
(The bookmakers advised against it)
I bet
That when I help people
They will help me
We'll see how that works out
As of today
I have no better idea
Do I really have to write so much about gender?
It's only one of my many characteristics
I'd prefer not to have to
My basic feeling is that I constantly have to justify my existence. And that I have to somehow ask people for acceptance. Prove that they should accept me and that’s sick. Because no person should earn acceptance, because acceptance comes from the fact that I’m human. But such a complex lives in me. Which causes me to constantly have to do something to confirm that I’m an important part of society. I laugh at myself about it, but unfortunately such a thing exists. And in some way it drives my social activism. I try to lead people to accept me. And it happens. Even people who are hostile toward me, like officials (…) and they learned to call me Pani Żaneto [Ms. Żaneta—feminine formal address, acknowledging her gender identity]. One can consider it a certain success, that even my enemies accepted it. However, I have this feeling that I’m on the censored list. And I wanted to bring that in.
About the project in Poland
Art educator Monika Mizielińska facilitated creative workshops where participants explored queer aging through artistic expression. Using materials provided on-site, they created diverse artworks reflecting their visions, hopes, and concerns about the future.
Photos: Monika Mizielińska
