“There’s a big difference between having religion and having faith,” says Dani Gibbison. “It would be nice to have that accountability in something – to say thank you for giving me this, and someone to blame when shit goes down. But I also think you should take self-accountability and that comes through faith. I believe that I do everything I can do to be a good person.” Gibbison is a nightclub manager and a trans woman answering one question: “What is your religious understanding?”

Worship Trans is a new documentary web series exploring the lives of six members of the trans community, as well as their relationship – or lack thereof – with religion. Our CLTR’s project brings together Gibbison alongside Munore Bergdorf, Elisa Mastrangeli, Mzz Kimberley, Leng Montgomery and Fox Fisher. It's a frank look at trans men and women's past and present relationships with religion, their treatment under its pretences and spirituality through their own transitions.

The web series aligns two dubious bedfellows: a community growing in visibility and fighting for equality, and a centuries-old concept that has been at times warped to beat others down. As society develops, lines written in a dense, anachronistic book have less and less to do with the perception of faith and how it applies to marginalised groups like the trans community.

Elisa Mastrangeli, a make-up artist from Italy, says that she “doesn’t subscribe to a religious belief”. Coming from a Catholic stronghold, Mastrangeli has faced the “off-putting” and “obstructive” side of organised religion. She prefers to subscribe to her own personal moral values. 

There’s also a zine running alongside the series, translating the stories of the community through photography and illustrations by artists. The zine includes the work of Sophie Mayanne, a photographer we recently profiled who’s work brought to life the plight of young ex-pats forced out of the UK back to places they no longer call home.

Worship Trans explores their lived experiences, opening up the nuances of sending out good vibes, the global power structure of organised religion, and the soul searching that brings peace and conflict to trans people.

Worship Trans are running a kickstarter to fund their zine, head here to donate