Galactic Gworl
featuring Asanni Armon
In early March 2020, Asanni and I met at a co-working space I was using in Brooklyn, just before the COVID-19 outbreak. The feature was originally intended for a new publication that has since paused operations due to the pandemic. However, with my interview already completed and a few shoot concepts in place, I wasn’t about to let the story slip away. So, I decided to move forward with self-publishing.
i.
I moved back to New York City in Summer 2018 where I would meet Asanni for the first time through our various lines of mutual friendships and spaces we often we'd often see one another. I was immediately drawn to Asanni’s philanthropic work with the launch of For the Gworls (aka "FTG") . For the Gworls is an organization that hosts “rent parties'' for the greater good and not just for those who have just fallen short on a few rent payments. FTG modernizes the "rent party" by focusing its efforts in helping kickstart the foundation of those who have been displaced due to their gender identity by providing housing assistance.
Right now, due to government regulations and public health concerns FTG is optimizing its current model in response to the times by continuing to raise money through electronic donations that prioritize Black trans folks. They've expanded their mission work to include paying for travel assistance to medical facilities and small co-pays.
The initial idea I had for this feature placed Asanni at the center of a conversation around “Capitalism for Good” (what an oxymoron, right?) – so I reframed it to be “Sustainable Capitalism" (still didn't love this one either)
But in my own words, "sustainable capitalism" is quite plainly the function one can evoke by utilizing their own cash on-hand in efforts to fuel a greater idea or individual for a common good. Yes, this is crowdfunding but I think it looks different when the capital is social influence before monetary.
Asanni’s capital is rooted in the LGBTQ space. Pair that with their knack for identifying and solving problems, and you get collective power capable of real change. The folks on Wall Street don’t think that way; for them, it’s all about using data to gamify consumers into buying overvalued products—exactly the kind of capitalism people can’t stand.
Asanni’s work, though, is about more than just money. Besides, let’s be real: capitalism isn’t a sexy word. I wanted to create something beautiful in how I depicted them. Long-time critics have debated whether capitalism needs reform or dismantling altogether, and the COVID-19 outbreak ripped the veil off some of our nation's deepest economic flaws. I initially imagined Asanni as this “Wall Street-esque” character, flush with money earned through philanthropic efforts, not shady backdoor deals. As a creative, it was important to me to spotlight how Asanni uses influence and community to bring someone else’s wildest dreams to life.
That’s when I scrapped the idea. I tossed out the fake money props and shifted my focus. Asanni’s For the Gworls transcends traditional ideas of capitalism, which rewards only those who "work hard." Their work reaches directly into the communities they aim to serve.
Now, we’re entering the galactic with Asanni Aramon…
ii.
Music drives most of my creative process, no matter the task. I’m a sucker for a beautiful ballad or clever wordplay—sometimes a single, perfectly delivered lyric can spark a flood of visual concepts. This time, it was “Consideration” by Rihanna.
As I moved away from the “sustainable capitalism” idea, that song lyric opened up something beyond my own orbit.
We couldn’t quite get the pale white horse for Asanni, but that didn’t stop them from sharing their own highs with those less fortunate. In mythology, white horses symbolize heroism, divine prophecy, and good fortune. My take on that imagery is more modern—Asanni’s heroism stretches into the galaxies.
Before COVID-19, I was lucky enough to attend one of FTG’s monthly rent parties, and I walked into a space alive with energy and opulent color.
The room was filled with vibrant schemes and beaming faces, celebrating their existence and freedom—all while raising money for those in need. I couldn’t help but notice the love radiating from the crowd, many gazing in awe at Asanni as they glided across the dance floor, handing out everything from hugs to vodka sodas. I left that night wanting to learn more about the person behind these grand gatherings. What drove them from Atlanta to Brooklyn to do what I can only describe as the work of a fairy godmother?
Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Asanni reflects on what they describe as a “very difficult” time growing up in the American South. Coming from my own experience growing up in North Carolina, I understand that young Black men are often molded into a certain image, one that can conflict with personal identity, making true self-discovery feel nearly impossible for many.
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“I feel like many families in the South, even if they’re not explicitly super religious, are still, in fact, super religious because it’s the f-ing Bible Belt. It’s not like I even went to church very often—my mother and father definitely didn’t read the f-ing Bible. But there were just certain protocols that you just didn’t transgress"
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iii.
Identity
In conversations with other Black men, we all can recall childhood experiences where ideas of masculinity were handed down through generations of patriarchy. I’m certainly guilty of viewing masculinity through that same lens—one that I’ve had to unlearn through my own journey of self-discovery and navigating life.
“...My granddad would be the one trying to correct me. ‘Oh, why are you sitting like that? Why are you talking like that? Why are you using your hands to talk?’ Stuff like that. ‘Men don’t fold their arms when they speak.’ F**k that. So, it was usually the men. Recently, it’s been more the women in my family, but yeah, it was always different people in my life trying to correct me in different ways—mainly about how I presented—just because people link gender queerness to sexual identity queerness."
Experience
Asanni is no stranger to conversations about identity. A graduate of Princeton’s public policy program, with minors in Gender, Sexuality, and African American Studies, Asanni’s understanding comes from both personal experience and formal education
"It's the most conservative Ivy League... so, before coming out, it was terrible. Three weeks into school—not that I knew nothing about white supremacy, but I was grossly uneducated about how it worked—I had no choice but to confront the ways I was complicit in it, and how my friends were complicit as well. I had to reconcile with the wild shit white people would say about Black people, all while still dealing with my own gender identity and sexuality, right? Then, that summer before sophomore year, Michael Brown was killed... and that politicized me. I started arguing back and forth with people on campus about the things they’d say about Black people. At that point, I knew I had to stand up and do something about it."
Standing Firm
I’ve always believed you can never assume how much awareness another person has at any given time. While information is readily available, we can’t assume someone knows what we know. We live in an “always-on” world with a constant exchange of ideas and trends, yet there’s still a noticeable gap in how society engages with trans individuals. I wanted to speak with Asanni not only to share their story but to pull back the curtain on a conversation many of us have avoided, likely due to ignorance around gender and sexuality.
I don't identify as a cisgender man. I just identify as a gender queer person, a gender nonconforming person. I don't fit easily into any body area. And I don't aspire to be. I don't want to aspire to be a woman. I don't aspire to be a man. I don’t aspire to be assigned, And that's just is what it is. So in that way, I guess people would classify that as a transition. I just looked up and I was like, this is no longer serving me. I don't feel comfortable in these clothes.
Final Word
The power to walk away from things that are no longer serving us requires a level of confidence most people only dream of harboring for themselves. Asanni has levitated out of the traditional orbit where things look, act, and behave a certain way not by nature but norms passed down through patriarchy lineages. By utilizing their intellect, influence and charn this has aided their ability to reach other people just like Asanni who wish to leave the orbit and in to the galactic where one is free to exist beyond any idea one has created for them.
Click Here to See Full Resolution Gallery
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Credits
CREATIVE DIRECTION
Rashaad Denzel, Photo & Copywriting
WARDROBE
Kate Walz, Querencia Studio & The Canvas by Q
ART DIRECTION
Ryan Staley, Prop Styling
GROOMING
Kamate, Make-Up
More on For the Gworls
A collective bringing back "rent parties" for black transpersons. Click here to learn more and donate.
