“Archivo de la Memoria Trans: el proyecto colaborativo que reunió 10.000 fotos.” The Archivo de la Memoria Trans, translated as The Archive of Trans Memory, has collected over 10,000 photos of Trans Latinx folk. According to La Nacion, the project began as a Facebook group to share old photographs of trans people amongst one another, as a way to honour and commemorate queer and trans people before them. The group allowed people to reconnect with one another, reminisce on fond memories, and inspire one another. Today, the project – widely known as @archivotrans on Instagram – has over 56.000 followers. The project was founded by María Belen Correa with the “objective of the protection, construction, and vindication of Trans Memory” as illustrated in @ArchivoTrans’ biography.

This archival project showcases the life and dreams of trans Latinx folk from the past. With photographs of trans people living their daily lives or at a party, we see trans people for who they are: humans creating memories with one another. While this may seem mundane at first, the project is unique in that it highlights the lives of trans people, piecing together elements of trans history that are often fragmented. How was Correa able to protect, construct and vindicate trans history all the way back to the 50s?  Correa often posts slides of a particular individual with a brief biography of who they are or once were. The images and stories that this project showcases ultimately humanizes trans people in a world that often reduces the community to their physicality. This is what intrigued me most about this project, as I became privy to the history and stories of trans people that existed outside of their transness. In other words, their whole lives were not only about being trans. They were sisters, siblings, friends, and family members, too.

In the media, transness is often discussed in a cis-influenced perspective, one that reduces trans people to an idealized caricature. However, The Archivo De La Memoria Trans project offers a true narrative by not only celebrating trans existence but, bringing life back into trans identity with the use of photography, anecdotes, and camaraderie.