Nan Goldin on her print sale for trans rights: ‘We need to fight this’

As the global climate of violence, fear and persecution continues to increase exponentially, Nan Goldin is one artist whose voice always rises indomitably in opposition. Having campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness of America’s opioid epidemic, Goldin has also continued to speak out about the genocide in Gaza. She recently offered a selection of her images as part of a print sale to raise money to fund animal welfare on the ground in Palestine. Now, the eminent artist is offering another chance to own one of her works. This time, all proceeds go to The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, The Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP), and The Trans Income Project (TIP) – three organisations chosen by Goldin for their commitment to trans lives and expression. 

The two artworks available in the sale – signed by Goldin – offer different perspectives into trans lives. Shot in 1991, “Jimmy Paulette at Wigstock” is a portrait about inhabiting public space. Speaking to Dazed over email, Goldin recalls Jimmy’s beauty and the “glamour and light” of that occasion.

The second portrait featured in the sale is somewhat more intimate and reflective. It depicts Goldin’s friend Thora Siemsen, with whom Goldin shared the isolation of lockdown. During this period of cohabitation, Goldin was inspired to reach for her camera and create Memory Lost, a tender series of photographs which largely document this strange liminal time as well as celebrate and encourage Siemsen’s emerging “female self”.

Below, we talk with Nan Goldin about these two very special portraits, the most serious threats to our human rights, and how we can continue to resist tyranny.

Please could you tell us about the significance of these two images and the stories behind their creation? 

Nan Goldin: The picture of Jimmy Paulette at Wigstock was taken on a euphoric day. That was when life was fun. I always thought the preparation for a party was more fun than the party and it was one of those. Jimmy didn’t do drag often, but he when he did, he was the most beautiful. It’s meaningful for me to show two different spaces: one performative and public and the other intimate and internal. It was a time where there was more acceptance for trans people, but still Wigstock was thrown out of Tompkins Square Park before it eventually landed in Union Square that year. That day was filled with so much glamour and light. In those days, I photographed my friends constantly. 

In 2020, I picked up the camera specifically to photograph Thora. The pictures became part of getting to know each other, and in showing Thora how beautiful I saw her, I believe it helped her emerge as her female self in the world. Those pictures are like a love poem. The Jimmy Paulette pictures are more like a firecracker. 

How has your relationship with portraiture changed over the years?

Nan Goldin: I rarely photograph people anymore. I am much more interested in other species. Sometimes I take a job if there is a personal reason, if they are a friend or someone I want to know. In the last few weeks, I was hired to photograph Mohamed el-Kurd and Edouard Louis. I’ve known and loved Edouard but the shooting took us to a different level. With Mohamed el-Kurd, more of a lovely invitation, an introduction. I’m a hired gun but very specialised.

I rarely photograph people anymore. I am much more interested in other species – Nan Goldin

What do you identify as the biggest threats to our human rights? 

Nan Goldin: I feel like we are living in a vacuum of horror. There is so much evil being exploited and denied. There are puppet masters like Netanyahu, but they are not acting alone. The land grab of the Middle East is particularly appalling and no one is stopping it. I suffer for all of Gaza; the children, the women, the men, the animals and the land. One of the greatest evils of our time is the complicity of Western media, which has helped to perpetuate this horror unbound. Meanwhile, over 200 Palestinian journalists have been assassinated. I don’t understand what it will take to move the world. Don’t they look? There’s a live-streamed genocide and no one is stopping it. 

The other greatest danger is to the rights of trans people in America. At the moment, there are 800 bills against trans rights and trans health and trans existence all over America. There’s a tip line to call the FBI to denounce doctors who give gender-affirming care to trans youth. This fear and loathing of trans people is the worst outcome of heteronormative socialisation in America – in other words, bottom line, it’s straight men’s fears of being gay. It’s as if there was never a cultural revolution. It’s worse than the 1950s now. They are working to make being trans illegal. We need to fight this on every level.  

There’s a live-streamed genocide and no one is stopping it – Nan Goldin

And how can we best continue to resist and fight back against these tyrannies? If you could urge people to do something right now, what would it be?

Nan Goldin: The greatest threat is self-censorship. We need to keep our eyes wide open and stay vigilant in spite of the fact that we are bombarded with continuous threats and misinformation. I think the worst of it is that people are afraid to speak up, that there is so much to lose. We have to keep talking. I never dreamed I would experience so much pushback for one’s ideas. I know personal economic security is important, but as compassionate beings, what can you stand to live with? There has to be more than signing letters and posting but those things are important, too. I’d urge people to be more than clicktivists and go out on the streets, to put bodies on the line, and unite with others. This past weekend proved that there is still power in numbers. Standing between Ice and your neighbours – that’s real courage.  

Prints are available to buy here until June 26, 2025.