(A Transgender) Lipstick Conspiracy

Οι Lipstick Conspiracy είναι ροκ γκρουπ του Σαν Φρανσίσκο, στο οποίο όλα τα μέλη του είναι διαφυλικές γυναίκες. Δημιουργήθηκε το 2003 και ήταν ένα από τα γκρουπ της ανεξάρτητης σκηνής που καλωσορίστηκε θερμά από τους κριτικούς.

Σύμφωνα με την εφημερίδα The Portland Mercury -δεν ξέρω κατά πόσο είναι τελικά αληθές αυτό- είναι το πρώτο γκρουπ που όλα τα μέλη του είναι τρανς, ενώ η San Francisco Bay Guardian, τις ανακήρυξε το καλύτερο γυναικείο γκρουπ του 2004.

Αντιγράφω αποσπάσματα από συνέντευξή τους στο glbtq.com
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- Lipstick Conspiracy has been politically active in San Francisco. How do your politics affect your music?
Shawna: Oh, my politics don't extend much further than "fair trade" coffee. I sing about what's close to my heart: love, being happy while dealing with being trans, relationships, careers etc.
Tori: Being TG means you bump up against a lot of personal/political issues, so that is bound to appear in our songs. But it is not the only aspect of who we are, so we also write classic love and loss songs, spacy rockers, whatever. The other way our politics affects us is that we all believe we should always be available for queer benefits.
Marilyn: More than half our gigs I suspect have been invitations for fundraisers or other politically influenced gigs. These gigs have clearly given us a stronghold in the Bay Area and elsewhere.
Sarafina: We've learned that our very existence is political to many. Merely being queer is acceptable in most elements of the mainstream, but being trans is an affront to the notion of binary gender, and thus is very threatening to some. Some of this is addressed in our music, though we try to take pains to insure that it isn't too heavy-handed. Our overall message (if there actually is one) tends to be more inspirational. So, getting our message out about the notion of trans existence(s) is a tall order, but it's an order that we're willing to take on.

- Besides the T-girl phenomenon, what are the most important trends you see in queer music?
Shawna (foreground): I had a great answer for the important trends in trans music, but you didn't ask me that. The biggest trend I've noticed in queer music is just the overall acceptance, which I'm gauging by the music that's being put out and played locally. The acceptance is obviously growing. The most important trend in trans music is the recent surge in serious musicians/artists. People that care about the quality of their music always get high marks with me. It's so great to see more and more real talent. Not just the stereotypical, lip-synching dragsters with great makeup and bad dance moves. People like Shawna Virago, Julia Serrano, Michelle Garcia, Katastrophe, Trans Central Station, that girl that plays classical guitar, (help me with this one Sara! Is it Nedjula Baguio OR Maiana Minahal?) She's amazing! All these people bring quality and class to something that was once considered a farce and something to laugh at.
Tori: The most important trend I see is that queer musicians are now more out in the press and on stage. I can remember reading excruciating interviews where a queer rock star would be ducking and weaving to avoid coming out, whereas now people are much more likely to say "yes -- so what."
Marilyn: I'm being honest again by saying I don't really specifically follow the queer music scene that well. I'm too busy working on our stuff. Fortunately, Sarafina and others in the band like Tori keep up on this.
Sarafina (foreground): Artists coming out and providing role models for youth is easily the most important trend in queer music. Seeing artists come out has been tremendous and very inspiring for me, and hopefully our band is in a position to reciprocate. Growing up, there simply wasn't a single trans role model. To think that I might be an inspiration for someone is staggering and overwhelming.

- Lipstick Conspiracy has only existed for a couple of years, but you've already received a lot of press attention and are touring well beyond your home base. What are the biggest obstacles you've had to contend with?
Shawna: Bad sound "engineers." Just kidding. Actually, finding a trans drummer that shared our vision and wanted what we wanted has been the greatest challenge. Lipstick is a strong bond of friends. Finding the last member was NOT easy. And also knowing that if any one of us were to leave, it would seriously hurt the band.
Tori: Interestingly, we have so far encountered very few obstacles related to our being TG -- and in some cases people have specifically gone out of their way to support us. So the main obstacles have been the classic band issues of getting gigs, getting better, building a following etc. But we haven't been to any "red states" yet!
Marilyn: In my mind, the biggest obstacle has been less than optimal sound systems or sound people when we play at various gigs. Our sound is complex and subtle and when we don't have a good mix at the gig, we sound like a very average band. But when we do, we are dynamite! Also, I have been disappointed to some degree on the support we have received within the transgender community. I think this is partly due to the fact that much of our community is closeted making it difficult for many to see our shows. I do have the feeling however, that community does appreciate what we are doing.
Sarafina: I think that prejudice has been an obstacle (though perhaps not the biggest per se). Not everyone takes us seriously from the outset. It's common for many to write us off as a novelty act, or some sort of train-wreck. We usually blow this notion out of the water within seconds of our performance, but not everyone is in a position to physically hear us. I think we might have been denied opportunities to perform largely because we are trans. Conversely, we have also been given some wonderful opportunities simply because we are trans, too.
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From: syndirella08