Present & Accounted For

Where are they? The people that never seem to make the cut, that shine so brilliantly in my world. 

This is an ongoing project, intentionally a counterweight. To document, to draw attention to these gaps in the media we consume ravenously, missing the depth depicted in our day to day. Because there is simply no use in complaining about a lack of diversity when we have the power to do something, to make that space, to include, to capture - present and accounted for.

Julie Ferguson | They / Them 

Julie (they/them), is an Edmontonian, a performance artist, and an arts enabler.

They work in every facet of Edmonton's art scene that they can get their hands on. They administrate, they produce, they event manage, they design, they create. You can often find them on stage at weird cabarets performing weird movement pieces about robots, aliens, politics, and queerness. You can catch their experimental installation ANTIQUATION at the Chinooks Series (Feb. 11 | 13 | 14 2018) and their new film The Milk Bar will be premiering mid 2018. 

THEIR WORDS

As a Trans Non-Binary human, I constantly have to decide whether or not I should correct people on my pronouns. It is difficult work to stretch the brain to comprehend, remember, and get used to the idea that a person would be referred to as they/them; so many people don’t know where to begin. I like to say that practice makes perfect (even though perfect doesn’t exist). Try saying it in your head a bunch of times before and after you see the person. “Julie is awesome; they can do anything.” Gently restate it: “She is awesome. Oops! They are awesome.” Be kind on yourself, but make sure that you practice saying it in your head and out loud. Creating the muscle memory can be the most important part. 

Should people introduce pronouns for others? What's the best way to ask for a pronoun clarification?

Yes! If you know someone’s pronouns, you should introduce them using their pronouns! The best way to ask for pronoun clarification is to say, “my pronouns are blank, what are yours?”

How can you otherwise shift language to be more inclusive?

People can shift to using more inclusive language by looking at their standard terms for groups of humans. If you use a lot of “ladies” or “fellas” try switching to “pals” or “folks”.

To learn more about Julie's artistic work (and you really should) just click here.