With(out)Words
Process Documentation

With(out)Words: The ambivalence and power of words in the context of sexual and gender minorities.

We make sense of the world through language. We use words to communicate our experiences, and the words available to us shape our experiences in turn. But inequality reaches far into all corners of our lived reality, language being no exception. Living in a society where heterosexuality is still the dominant norm, and gender is expected to move within binary categories, deviation from these norms puts one at risk for discrimination. And while finding the right words can be freeing, it is more often a process weighed down with ambivalence.
Many of the words we use today to describe minority sexual and gender experiences have only recently become more used and less heavily stigmatized. But to this day they often come with unfavorable connotations, carrying the burden of negative stereotypes and preconceptions. This can make the path to finding and accepting a queer identity much harder. This installation explores the experiences of people who identify as queer, putting their voices at its heart. It focuses on their experiences with language and how it shaped their perception of themselves.