{"id":182110,"date":"2026-04-01T13:22:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T13:22:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/182110\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T13:22:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T13:22:22","slug":"indelible-voices-how-the-nyc-trans-community-is-fighting-erasure-from-a-lower-east-side-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/182110\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Indelible\u2019 voices: How the NYC trans community is fighting erasure from a Lower East Side stage"},"content":{"rendered":"

After this week\u2019s commemoration of International Transgender Day of Visibility<\/a>, it\u2019s a perfect time to consider Paul E. Alexander\u2019s \u201cIndelible\u201d \u2014 a forum for trans people to tell the world (or at least those gathered at the Gene Frankel Theatre<\/a> on the Lower East Side<\/a>) who they are.<\/p>\n

The format is simple: As each performer takes their place behind the mic and tells their story, sometimes with accompanying images projected behind them.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Alexander, who has had success as part of an international disco combo \u201cThe Ones\u201d and had a nice run of his original musical \u201cTrinkets,\u201d was inspired to create the show by two of his trans friends as he listened to their chatter during a drive upstate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe conversations they had were just so fascinating,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd when the Trump administration started trying to get rid of trans people, I just had the inspiration that if people only knew them, they wouldn\u2019t be afraid of them. \u2026 I just wanted to have a place where people could hear trans people talk and understand that they\u2019re not so crazy. And even if they are crazy, they\u2019re not harming anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIndelible\u201d has been presented three times so far, including last week, and Alexander plans to continue showcasing different speakers every few months.\n<\/p>\n

The most recent production, on March 25, included Rev. Kyle Applegate, Norell Gardner, Zephyr (aka Mr. Eagle), Kristen Lovell, Michele Brilliant and Sandy Michelle. Videos were contributed by Connie Fleming, Dominique Silver, and Vanessa Ashley Paris. There are always a lot of personalities to deal with, but Alexander manages to deal with all of the \u201cnail-biting, getting all the ducks lined up, putting out the little fires that come.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, he says, \u201cNormally everyone\u2019s very loving and sweet, especially during the show. Not really had any divas.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\"\"Zephyr, aka Mr. Eagle 2025,Photo by Bob Krasner \"\"Norell Gardner telling her storyPhoto by Bob Krasner \"\"\u201cIndelible\u201d creator Paul E. AlexanderPhoto by Bob Krasner \"\"Paul E. Alexander (far right) thanking the performersPhoto by Bob Krasner<\/p>\n

Alexander has found his performers mostly by word of mouth, and some audience members, like Michelle, asked to be in it after seeing the second show. She wasn\u2019t particularly nervous as she had \u201cbeen on TV talks with a live audience of strangers, so this was no different.\u201d<\/p>\n

And if she were to give any advice to someone else who would be in that spotlight, it would be to \u201chave an interesting story to keep the audience on their feet.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

It is what you can expect from someone who introduces herself as \u201cAnyway, for those of you who don\u2019t know me, I\u2019m the infamous, scandalous, legendary and notorious Sandy Michelle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gardner noted in her reading that \u201clooking back on my daydreams, I distinctly remember that I was always a little girl. I was never a little boy, not once was I a boy in my daydreams. I\u2019d imagine myself showing up for school, events, for holidays with the family. Pretty. Admired. Loved. Instead, I showed up as a sad, repressed, scared, little boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gardner says that she \u201cenjoyed telling my story very much. I\u2019m writing an upcoming show \u2018Transgendersorous Wrecks\u2019 followed by a book and it was good to see people\u2019s reaction to my work. It\u2019s a very freeing and exhilarating experience, and the Gene Frankel Theatre was a perfect venue for this event.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes confidence to get on stage and share intimate details about yourself,\u201d admits Lovell. \u201c I think that sharing stories is one of the earliest forms of entertainment. It\u2019s important to share experiences\u2026 it was a full house, and I\u2019m glad that people were willing to experience it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Rev. Kyle ApplegatePhoto by Bob Krasner \"\"Sandy MichellePhoto by Bob Krasner \"\"Michele Brilliant reminiscing about long ago mammariesPhoto by Bob Krasner \"\"Kristen Lovell.Photo by Bob Krasner<\/p>\n

Artistic Director Gail Thacker notes the importance of a show like this.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cBringing our LGBTQ+ community together as a whole and creating a space for cis people to come into closer familiarity with our community feels essential in a political climate where our government is busy dividing us,\u201d Thacker says. \u201cDividing us is one of the oldest tricks in the book: divide and conquer. I was not going to have that at 24 Bond Street, where our history stands for the opposite.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And, she adds, \u201cThis is what I find collaborative projects bring: a community. Giving voice to all.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Brilliant, who recounted their journey from changing their haircuts to changing their body, says that \u201ctelling my story makes me feel even better about myself. I love myself more because there are others out there that can relate to what I have gone through, and if I can make someone laugh and feel better about who they are, then I have done what I was born to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although they admitted to feeling nervous before going on, they just \u201ctake a breath and speak my truth. We are all beautiful, and that\u2019s what the room is filled with.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Audience member Amanda Rubin definitely saw the beauty in the room.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI found it fascinating, especially the trans men,\u201d she said. \u201cI thought it very sad that so many kids were not allowed to explore who they were.\u00a0 It seems totally ridiculous to me that being a man or a woman or gender fluid is really such a big deal that kids are thwarted when they feel the draw so strongly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rev. Kyle Applegate, a seminary-trained interfaith minister, is the only reader who has been a constant in all the shows.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very comfortable in telling my story,\u201d he notes,\u00a0 \u201cas I have done a lot of public speaking, including keynote speaker at polyamory conferences, the Albert Einstein School of Medicine, The Human Library and several unitarian churches. The more talks I do helps me to feel more confident about it, and people\u2019s reactions show me that what I\u2019m doing makes a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Applegate, who also happens to be a nun with The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, ends each show with a blessing.\n<\/p>\n

It went, in part, like this: \u201cToday, we witnessed human stories and hopefully learned new insights into a community that walks among us. Today we stand before you naked in our humanity, but empowered with the sacred gift of insight, which is our superpower. Trans people are just people. We are not a threat to society, we\u2019re not a mistake. We are valuable, we are essential and we are not going anywhere. My brothers and sisters, let the resilience that you\u2019ve witnessed today evoke courage to face your own fears and sorrows in the coming weeks. And may the love we feel in this room stay in our hearts and spread beyond this space, out into our communities. Amen, women, everybody. Thank you.\u00a0 I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Future shows will be announced on Alexander\u2019s Instagram, @opaltuesday.<\/a><\/p>\n