Over the past few years, the public’s understanding of the issues facing transgender people has grown exponentially. Celebrities such as Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox in Orange Is the New Black have helped raise public awareness; however, many people have never actually spoken to a transgender person.
To help dispel common myths and preconceptions, 23-year-old trans activist Charlie Craggs (right) set up Nail Transphobia (motto: “Fight transphobia, fabulously”), a pop-up salon that provides free manicures and lets the customer chat to Charlie about her experience of being a trans woman. “It gives them a chance to ask questions, because a lot of prejudice often comes from fear and misunderstanding,” says Craggs. “But it’s also about having a laugh – I’m not using, like, Germaine Greer posh words, I’m just trying to be everyone’s trans friend. It makes it a bit more real and a bit more human and they go away with more than just a manicure.” The one-on-one session is also a safe space for making mistakes: if someone is accidentally offensive, Craggs will gently correct them (“Oh, baby, we don’t say that word”). On top of this, Craggs is setting up free self-defence classes for trans women using the proceeds from the nail sets she sells online.
Craggs has seen first hand the impact that conversation and friendship can have: “I’m from a council estate and a lot of my friends will say to me, ‘Before knowing you I was transphobic and homophobic.’ So I think you can really change people’s hearts and minds.”
Some of her most rewarding sessions have been in collaboration with the charity Art Against Knives, where she has walked into rooms full of slouching teenagers glued to their phones and ended up winning them round, getting hugs and heartfelt confessions.
