Clarissa T. Sligh

Clarissa is finishing an artist book and photography project called Jake In Transition that began in Denton, Texas, 10 years ago when her Change Partner, Jacob McBee, asked her to document his physical transformation from female to male. The book includes interviews with Jake's family and friends, reflections, journal entries, medical documents, and makes links between gender and race constructions in the USA. Issues of race and gender are at the foreground of the book, created by two Southerners, a white man and a black woman. Jake's goal was to share with others his process of becoming an ordinary guy, moving beyond the oppressive medical standards that determines who can and cannot transition and the academic and theoretical ideas of gender blending and performing gender. The book will stand as a testament to this experience, providing hope, insight and information for others considering transitioning from female to male.