LA GOULE

La Goule’s drawings are first and foremost the fruit of an emancipation. A liberation. The urge to be yourself, to claim your sexuality and your gender identity loud and clear. After her transition, the designer was able to speak about herself more freely in her creations, shattering the “norms” of the body.

A strong and intimate testimony that we are particularly proud to transcribe in these pages, at a time when the far right and certain conservative media are making the “trans question” a real obsession!

| By Polka B. | Translated by Nino Futur

Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

My name is Jade, I am an illustrator and tattoo artist. I am 22 years old, from Rennes, now I live in Grenoble. My drawings speaks for my experiences.

Why “The Ghoul”?

I was looking for a stylish artist name. I looked up the list of words which were insulting lesbians. There are two meanings because I also really like mythology. In Persian and Arabic legends, the ghoul is a creature that eats corpses in cemeteries while screaming. It spoke to me.

It seems that your relationship with graphic design become more politicized over time. Can you tell us about it? And also talk about your personal developement?

During my adolescence, I began to emancipate myself from the family environment in which I was immersed. I explored rather symbolic things to express my feelings. I drew locked characters fighting against monsters.

When I started my transition materially to truly become myself, I was able to talk about myself more easily. Not to people in general, more to the community. I wanted to tell people who look like me what I was going through. That’s where I started to get involved in activism. My drawing followed the movement quite naturally. Now I do a lot of visuals for events, that are broadcasted.

I think a lot about the spaces in which my drawings will be seen. For me it is very important to produce images for LGBT struggles, and for the DIY movement in general.

How have your drawings evolved over the course of your gender transition? Did you identify “steps”?

It has definitely evolved. Especially in the way I represent bodies. For me it is very important. Drawing characters is central to me. It’s been going through me since the beginning of my transition: the issue of deformity, the fact of not fitting into gender norms… it’s seen more in my flash tattoos. My drawings are less realistic in this context, so it’s quite logical.

As a trans woman, how are you experiencing the current violent transphobia driven by the dominant media, conservative editorialists and far right in general? Do you feel that this has concrete effects on people’s perceptions?

Completely uninhibited transphobia, I have experienced it since I was little. I noticed it very early on in my family environment. But I felt a turning point during the legalized LGBT marriage period. I immediately saw that we were perceived as people who were not human. That we weren’t even worthy of respect. It’s something very deep in our society.

” In countries like the United States or England, reactionary propaganda has led to hyper-discriminatory laws legislated, especially against transsexuals. This ended up affecting women’s rights more broadly in general. Their right to dispose of their body (anti-abortion laws for example).

There is a certain inevitability regarding the evolution of the situation in France. We are following the same path… Ultra-Catholic, fundamentalist lobbies, and the terf movement (anti-trans feminists) are bringing their ideas though mainstream discourse. Even within government, there are great affinities with these groups. »

Text written by la Goule

To complete, I would also say that the situation we are currently experiencing echoes the moral panic already experienced in the 1980s with homosexuality. It was the same speech. They were accused of everything. Corrupting children… that sort of thing. These ideas are not spread aimlessly. Power needs its scapegoats to maintain patriarchy.

Your illustrated text “GIRL, childhood and transitude” is particularly touching. He is also very political. Is it your objective, through your creativity, to directly link your intimacy to your activism ?

It’s true that I don’t do it just for myself. It makes me very vulnerable to expose my childhood like this, but at the same time, it’s very liberating. This frees me from the constraints that made my childhood as a little girl impossible.

I do it to speak to others, that’s clear. By doing this, I free myself from the shame I have felt my whole life.

We feel though you, this need to make public your feelings, so that others can recognize themselves and feel less alone. Do you confirm this?

My transition was marked by books, films, stories, images… These speeches were produced by trans people who talk about their experiences.

I think of the book Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg. It allowed me to put into words what I was experiencing. As sexuality is very much built around heterosexuality, I didn’t see myself transitioning at all. It scared me.

But when I understood that sexuality could be lesbian, it gave me confidence. I had the strength to start taking medical treatment.

So I need these cultural references to fight against the norms decreed by the media, what we see in the streets, in the films… Living as cisgender, and heterosexual, is almost a injunction.

It’s so present everywhere that I really enjoy breaking away from this model, in my readings and in many other things. It really helped me move forward. So I feel the need to produce something that others can relate to it.

What are your goals ?

I really want to place community solidarity at the center of what I do. I want to get involved in this to question norms and gender. In my own way, I want to participate in this struggle for emancipation.

This also involves events, gatherings, moments of conviviality and solidarity. It’s much more than just creating visuals. It’s an opportunity to participate in something and interact with people in real life.

Would you like to add anything?

I wanted to talk about free pricing, which I continue to practice in tattoo. For me it is seriously important. This becomes a supportive practice within the community, which is part of an approach to care. I don’t want to professionalize myself in this. My activity in illustration is something else… The two practices are clearly separated. I don’t function the same at all.

I would also like to shout out all the people around me, who are there every day and give me the strength to continue. My trans brothers and sisters, my friends and lesbian lovers.

Can you give us the songs (every kind of music allowed ) that are accompagning you at the moment?

Oi Boys – « Déjà Reine » 

Ratur – « Pissenlit »

Taulard – « Les hauts plateaux » 

Blessure – « Pour la mémoire »