What is FORT and why are we building it?

Trans people are not inherently broken, or contentious. We all live in a society that actively violates our bodies and our homes by giving us rules to live by based on the shapes and attributes of our bodies. Trans people are living proof that nobody has to follow those rules if they don't fit. We demonstrate every day that they weren't written for us, and they don't serve us. That they only hinder our joy and restrict agency over our lives.

Who wants to be totally accepted by a society, simply based on how well we follow the rules that were made up by the most powerful among us?

No shade at all if those expectations do work for you. But challenging their power and actively supporting those who don't fit into them gives everyone room to establish consent over their identities. It says this is who I am because I chose it. Not because I have to be this way.

Trans people have always existed. We question what we're given, and remake it for ourselves. We break and rebuild, we step outside expectations and explore. Often playfully, sometimes dangerously. We are naturally creative. We are beautifully authentic.

There are many reasons that we face such a backlash. We are perceived as a threat to the way things are. And we demonstrate empowering and compassionate alternatives. Many are inspired by us, but even then… When our bodies are placed on billboards, our feet and wheels invited to stages and runways… Often our stories are written by others, voices erased, needs ignored. Our hard-earned joy is commodified by brands who claim to celebrate us (because we're "trendy" aka profitable), but refuse to stand up to our enemies or treat us with respect in the production process. We are used as political pawns and denied our humanity by constantly being questioned and debated.

And we're honestly bored of it. So we're making space for ourselves.

A FORT is a protected space of rest and nourishment. We cannot grow, heal and create in the middle of battle. We need room. We need safety. We need each other.

FORT is a multi-practise, non-profit, sober queer creative space in the heart of London containing a consent-led & trauma informed tattoo/massage studio, an art/print shop, a print workshop and a production house. We will tell our own stories and we will celebrate our own lives. On our own terms. By us, for us.

But we live in a world where property is very inaccessible, especially for those who've been writing their own rules. We need funds to secure our space, but we don't want investors who control and profit from what we do. We don't want long and uncertain processes and hoops to jump through and boxes to tick whilst seeking funding and grants. We want something that's truly ours. So we're finding our own ways to get it.

We needed to raise £20,000 to open our space. Deposits, rent upfront, renovations, etc. And, importantly, we needed a project that demonstrates why it's so vital. Our community needs to be inspired, rejuvenated, loved, celebrated, glorified even. By us, for us.