November is the month of Transgender Awareness Week, a celebration leading up to Transgender Day of Remembrance. Every year on November 20th, we remember and honour the lives of trans and gender-diverse people reported murdered.In the past 12 months, 350 trans and gender-diverse people were reported killed globally. Of the reported killings worldwide, sex workers make up the majority of victims. And this is only a portion of all the violence that transgender folks experience due to systemic transphobia.

We spoke with Maximus Skaff on the POV podcast about his experience growing up as a transgender person in Middle America. He shared with us an excerpt of his autobiography, a book project on which he is currently working. We discussed the lack of information and access to health care and other resources for transgender people, and he told us about his films and how to imagine and create utopias that inspire and empower.

Maximus is a Brooklyn-Based Transgender writer, director, shooter, and editor whose visual talents have been featured in Paper Magazine, New York Magazine, Nylon Magazine, Huffington Post, NPR, among others. His abnormal, wacky short films have been screened all over the world at festivals such as the Cannes International Film Festival and SIFF. In 2015, he founded his full-service production company, 422Luxe, with his business partner and fellow creative, April Maxey. 422Luxe’s work ranges from narrativeshort films, to branded content, to music videos that have won awards both in the US and internationally. 422Luxe takes pride in offering diverse female and LGBTQ+ perspectives through their work.

Follow their work on: MAXSKAFF.COM / VIMEO / PINK LABLE TV  / XCONFESSIONS / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER This POV podcast episode contains music from the artist Tami T. Find out more about her and her work HERE.

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