Hey TransLash family, it's Amari Jones. Welcome to the TransLash podcast, a show where we tell trans stories to save trans lives. Well, it's been a difficult past couple of months, maybe a difficult year.

But one of the things that continues to get us through is music, music, music,

especially music that is made by trans people with all the ways in which trans people blend genres

and create new frontiers by seeing music

and music possibilities differently.

That's why I wanted to talk to one of the standout artists in our community, Shia Diamond,

whose barrier-breaking music and music styles continues to create entirely new sound imaginations for us all

and expose us to the power that we have when we tap into trans creativity.

There are trans individuals coming to shake the airwaves, to not only come through and do what I've done, but to excel

in the music industry. If given the opportunity, if given the fair shot, they'll be able to

change music in a way we've never seen before. But first, since this is a music episode and music creates trans joy, let's start

with trans joy.

Many hearing folks assume that music isn't for the deaf and hard of hearing, but that's a huge misconception.

Members of these communities have always enjoyed music, and many are musicians in their own right.

Today I'm excited to highlight the accessibility-focused and boundary-pushing work of

Alter Boy.

Alter Boy is an Australian queer electro-pop group created by three deaf and hard-of-hearing

artists.

Their lyrics explore themes of disability, community, transness, and religion, while their unique

live performances incorporate elements of drag and Australian Sign Language interpretation.

Here's Alter Boys lead singer Molly Priest to tell us more.

I enjoy writing about shame.

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