My Trans is Human campaign will save lives – it’s as simple as that

Growing up trans meant daily torment for Jake Graf – here, for Trans Awareness Week, he explains how he hopes to change that with a new exhibition at one of Britain’s most eye-catching event spaces

‘Trans is Human, which started as a photography exhibition created by myself and my wife Hannah, was designed to help rehumanise a group of people that has been widely vilified and misrepresented, in a way that was relatable and accessible’ (Trans Is Human)

I don't think that there was a single day at school when I wasn't mocked or bullied for being different. A “girl” who only wanted to play with the boys and had never been seen in a dress.

I didn't understand what all the fuss was about, only that it seemed perfectly acceptable to torment me.

Growing up trans under the shadow of the infamous Section 28 in the Nineties was difficult and painful and very nearly killed me, but coming of age at a time when trans people were all but invisible felt infinitely easier than enduring today’s landscape.

‘Trans is Human, which started as a photography exhibition created by myself and my wife Hannah, was designed to help rehumanise a group of people that has been widely vilified and misrepresented, in a way that was relatable and accessible’ (Trans Is Human)

Imagine walking to school today, weighed down by adolescence and its social dynamics, faced with the inescapable and tawdry front pages on the newsstand, mocking and vilifying people just like you. The hate would seep into you via your phone, the TV, from the whispers at the school gates, wear you down and crush you before you even have a chance to become fully formed.

These young people are desperate for an end to the media's obsession with trans people, for some hope that one day the furore might have died down and that they will be left to lead “normal”, productive, and, dare I say it, happy lives.

It feels as though significant portions of the media, the government and even the nation’s equalities watchdog, The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), have forgotten that we are human, and perhaps that's why we are treated with such contempt. The result is that the public is left with a distorted caricature of transgender people, especially when so few have knowingly met one of us. And that's why our “Trans is Human” project is so important.

Trans is Human, which started as a photography exhibition created by myself and my wife Hannah, was designed to help rehumanise a group of people that has been widely vilified and misrepresented, in a way that was relatable and accessible. What was initially to be a set of portraits quickly became an extended project with photos, a film and a series of interviews.

Given the political climate, we are absolutely thrilled that the team at Outernet, which runs the four-storey light-and-sound show that greets you as you exit Tottenham Court Road tube station, didn't hesitate to offer support for the project over Trans Awareness Week.

We knew we needed big names and even bigger talent to elevate it beyond other film and photo projects we'd done before.

Three time Grammy nominee Yungblud said he was "buzzing" to support Trans is Human, generously allowing us to use his hit single "Hello Heaven, Hello" to soundtrack the exhibition. In his words, this project is "all about celebrating truth, identity and the beauty of being yourself, unapologetically”. World renowned fashion photographer Mariano Vivanco, who shot the black and white portraits of each of the participants, came to us through a friend and immediately understood my vision for what we were trying to achieve.

Our casting call received 250 applications from trans and non-binary people across the UK. After days of deliberation, we selected 13, all of whom had stories as relatable as they were extraordinary.

The contributors' stories are the heart of this campaign, stories that go far beyond their trans identity. Sarah, who lost her sight at 42 and now runs marathons to raise money for other adults with visual impairments. Leo, a speaker and life coach with cerebral palsy who empowers other adults with disabilities, refusing to let his condition hold him back. And George, a non-binary doctor who works 60 hour weeks, determined to make a real difference in the world. These stories show the true, multi-dimensional nature of our community. They are stories of resilience, hope and extraordinary humanity.

A recent YouGov poll found that 84 per cent of trans people in Britain feel unsafe in public spaces. This culture of fear is exhausting and it's the environment my children are growing up in. For Hannah and I, the public's perception of trans people has real world effects.

The furore back in April around interim EHRC guidance was clickbait for most but for us, it means our day to day family life is under threat. As a trans man and a trans woman, we are raising our two young daughters in a country that feels increasingly hostile. When you tell my wife that she might be unable to take our girls to the women’s toilet when out for lunch or at soft play, we have no choice but to fight back – not with anger, but with humanity. We don’t want special rights and we're not taking anything away from anyone else, we just want to feel safe walking through the world.

This is the possible future trans people are currently facing, the loss of our most basic of human rights and an effective exclusion from public life. We have long since been perceived as an amorphous entity, our hopes, dreams and humanity stripped away. Never has it been more vital to remind people that we are doctors and teachers and parents and friends, from all walks of life, all races and all backgrounds. We are differently-abled. We are ordinary and inspirational and just as flawed and perfect as anybody else. We are, above all, human, and although it seems ludicrous, we really need to remind people of that.

Trans Is Human runs until 23 November at Outernet London and is free to visit