There's a peculiar phenomenon that LGBTQIA+ people face in the 21st century: as we gain more social acceptance (a when, not an if – something most of us couldn't imagine when we were growing up) we find ourselves blazing seemingly new trails. This is the first time in modern history when same-sex couples can legally marry and raise children — and definitely the first time we've been able to do this across large swathes of the planet. While access to gender-affirming care is tenuously-available and endangered in many places, it is still the case that we are in a brand new moment in which people can medically transition safely and, in many cases, use health insurance to pay for it. (Access to this life-saving care, of course, needs to be expanded and protected.)
Jean-Michael Basquiat supposedly observed that "Art is how we decorate space. music is how we decorate time." If anyone knows how to process time, it's musicians. Trans musicians in particular can point to unique ways to relate to time. Folk artist Bells Larsen recorded his latest, and breathtaking album, Blurring Time, in two phases: before he began HRT, and again many months later once his voice deepened. The title track finds Larsen dueting with himself — his "high" voice carrying hints of uncertainty of what might happen, while his low voice is imbued with quiet reassurance.
