Mariette Pathy Allen

From 1978 through the '80s, Mariette Pathy Allen photographed and interviewed male-to-female crossdressers in relationships to spouses and children, in everyday life. This work culminated in the publication of "Transformations: Crossdressers and Those Who Love Them", and an exhibition at the Simon Lowinsky Gallery in 1990.

In the '90s, she expanded her work to focus on female-to-male and male-to-female people who live in the gender in which they identify. Her photographs are included in Leslie Feinberg's "Transgender Warriors" and Riki Wilchin’s "Read My Lips". Her Book, "The Gender Frontier", published by Kehrer, Heidelberg, Germany, won the 2004 Lambda Literary Award in the Transgender/Genderqueer category. It is a collection of photographs, interviews, and essays covering political activism over the past decade, and the range of people that identify as transgender in mainland USA.

Along with exhibitions and books, she makes slide presentations on gender issues and consults for documentary films that include transgender themes. In 1998 she worked with Kate Davis and David Heilbroner on a film for A&E television: "The Transgender Revolution". It was the first documentary to emphasize political issues along with personal stories and was nominated for a GLAAD media award.

"Southern Comfort", Kate Davis' film, for which she worked as consultant and still photographer, won the 2001 Sundance Film Festival Grand Prize in documentary film. It documents the last year in the life of Robert Eads, a female-to-male transsexual who was dying of ovarian cancer. "The Gender Frontier" includes images taken over many years of the people featured in "Southern Comfort".

After an absence of several years, Esprit is excited to have Mariette back as a presenter and as the keynote speaker at the Saturday luncheon. Many of you have seen her photographs, films, and books. Don't miss this chance to see and speak to her in person.

Mariette presents:

Photographing Yourself and Others

Mariette provides you with photography tips and techniques from her professional training and experience over years of photographing countless transgender individuals.

Relationships in the T Community

Mariette's shares stories of the relationships, both unique and ordinary, that transgender people form with the loved ones in their lives.