My name is Touka Voodoo, a tattoo artist working exclusively with holistic and bespoke pattern-based tattooing. I am a part of the global generation, of mixed heritage, of more than one hometown. Being "different" has always been familiar to me, but being transgender makes life even more complex. The right to have a body different from the next man. The right to exist in that body, without the fear of phobia, rejection, oppression, and aggression is worth striving for. We must pave the way for the next generation. My parents and grandparents worked with Theater and film so I was born into a world where playing out your fantasy was an option. Today, I am a gay man. I was a lesbian woman when I decided to transition 13 years ago. This resulted in my female partner of 8 years ending our relationship as she did not feel comfortable with the idea of having a male partner. I was heartbroken and feared the new difficulties I would have to face, living as a man of colour, living as a man with a pussy, living in a new body unknown to even myself. Just the day before we had this interview I met up with a guy from Grindr, as usual, he did not read the text on my profile so he had to find out for himself that I had a pussy, so it was a surprise when he put his hand down in my pants, looking for my cock. With a shocked expression, he looked at my pussy and said, What is it? I said, What do you think it is? He said I can see that its a pussy with a cock in it, but how did you do that?!! I was baffled by his illogical interpretation of my clitoris. He then sat down and there I was, again, having to explain myself. Having to explain my existence. This is one of the reasons for the nude photos of myself which I share on Twitter. I am not waiting for mainstream media to include my body, because they won't. I am taking the steps to make myself visible, using my body as an ongoing installation to revisit the "Norm". By sharing images of my body, I am hoping to open minds to alternative human options and experiences. My greatest joy is my work which is based on helping people transform. I use tattooing as a method of body enhancement. I believe that deep inside of every person, there is a super being, a true self, a sort of magic! I like to meet you, find it, and make it visible. To become your fantasy during this lifetime is an incredibly liberating and exciting experience. To see how an aesthetic transformation of the body can readjust, reprogram, and empower the human being is incredibly joyful.
