Interview with Eli Erlick, Director of Trans Student Educational Resources
Qwear, Alana Majors (link)
I’m pleased to share a photoshoot and interview I did with Eli Erlick, Director of Trans Student Educational Resources.
I really wanted to do a feature on Eli’s style because when I first met her a few years ago I recall her admiring other styles, but holding off because of others expectations of femininity for trans women. I think it’s amazing what she does for the community, but also wanted to shine the spotlight on her style too since I think it can be an inspiration to others as much as her work at TSER.
Trans Student Educational Resources is a national youth-led organization dedicated to transforming the educational environment for trans students, where Eli’s work emphasizes transgender youth activism, education, and media. She currently lives in the Los Angeles area. She is a former Westly Foundation and Peace First fellow and has been recognized internationally by Teen Vogue, Refinery29, Glamour Magazine, and numerous other publications for her organizing. Her work and writing have been featured in The New York Times, Time Magazine, and NPR among dozens of additional outlets.
Where did you grow up & where do you live now?
I grew up in Mendocino County in rural northern California. Being such a small, isolated town, I faced a lot of violence after opening up about being a queer trans girl when I was 8 years old. At age 18, I moved to the Los Angeles area for college and have been there since.
What work do you do in your community?
When I was 16, I co-founded Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER), the only national organization led by transgender youth. I’m currently the director of the organization and help in its day-to-day operations. Along with this, I’ve also worked with The Trevor Project and GLSEN in advisory roles.
In the fall I’m entering a Feminist Studies PhD program at the University of California, Santa Cruz so I can better work with both the academic and activist communities that I care about. It’s my personal goal to help others think critically about our movements so we can reach long-term solutions for our liberation.
How do you think your friends would define your style?
It’s difficult to define my aesthetic since it’s always changing in the day-to-day. I’m a trans dyke who dresses in everything from full suits to crop tops. My style and gender expression are fluid. More than anything, I dress to say that I’m unapologetically queer.
What’s your favorite item in your wardrobe?
I have a black blazer that, to me, represents the rejection of femininity that so many trans women are forced into. I know plenty of trans people assigned male at birth who feel extremely pressured to present along the lines of cisgender femininity even when we don’t want to. For years, I felt forced into wearing dresses and other outfits that I wasn’t comfortable with because I wanted to fit into cisnormative standards of beauty. They didn’t match how I felt and — with the support of my other queer friends — I can now dress how I want without fear of losing the support of my community.
I want to be an example that — as trans women — we don’t have to be gender conforming and can take on many different aesthetics. Making this statement is especially difficult with my work being so public, which puts me at risk for transmisogynist targeting and violence. However, I believe that it is essential we support one another in how we dress and choose to present ourselves.
What’s your biggest style challenge?
Navigating clothing designed for cisgender men as a trans woman is always a tricky accomplishment: it’s the fine balance between managing dysphoria and how I want to be perceived. I always find myself asking “does this make my shoulders too big?” or “will this make my chest seem too broad?” However, when my clothing matches how I want to be seen, it affirms my gender and makes a statement. It’s difficult but always worth it.
Along with this, I want to defy expectations of what “rural” and “trans” look like. People make assumptions of queer rural folks and trans women - how we talk, dress, and act. Being put in those boxes has always been painful and is sometimes violent. I hope that I can help change these perceptions through being open about who I am.
My friends and queer community members have always inspired my style. Coming from a small town, I wasn’t exposed to much queer fashion — which is largely based in cities — until I was in my later teens. Luckily, it was something that appealed to me and, through research and advice from my friends, I was able to learn about and perfect my style.
What projects are you working on?
Along with helping edit an upcoming academic anthology, writing several book chapters, and directing Trans Student Educational Resources, I’m also planning the next Trans Youth Leadership Summit , the only national fellowship program for young trans organizers.
You can learn more about Eli at www.elierlick.com
Follow Eli: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | LinkedIn
By Qwear Guest Writer, Alana Majors, a queer photographer/visual artist based in Los Angeles
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