"I look at this picture now and think, look at that tiny lady-faced person.
I agreed to take on the project because it seemed like a good way to document my transition. I thought what we were doing was amazing.”
-Harrison
This is from our first photography session in June of 2011. He was 21 years old.
In Between & Outside: Harrison
Photographer: sara swaty
Exhibit Title: In Between & Outside: Harrison
Location: United States
Since 2011, I've photographed Harrison's transition from female to male.
Reuters story: https://widerimage.reuters.com/story/harrison-a-transgender-mans-journey
When we first met at a St. Louis high school in 2006, Harrison was still Hayley. Years later, I learned he was transitioning from female to male. Our first shoot was just days after his “T–party,” a celebration marking his first testosterone shot and the beginning of hormone replacement therapy.
Since 2011, I’ve photographed Harrison’s transformational journey, documenting how physical changes impact and reaffirm personal identity. Accompanying him on his journey is a gift. As time went on, the process became a visual conversation—a unique collaboration between the two of us.
The locations of our sessions changed each week. Different friends would fight over who would administer his testosterone shots next, whether in a bar bathroom, alley, or a front porch.
Testosterone works very quickly, with physical changes apparent after only one month. With each session, I noticed his arms growing bigger, his face slimming, and hair slowly sprouting in new places.
For Harrison Massie, transitioning from female to male was never about trading one gender for another.
“I’m not embarrassed to say that I was ever a woman,” said Harrison, who lives in St. Louis, Missouri. “Ultimately it’s a part of who I am and how I was raised, and I love having the perspective of both genders.”
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