I first met Lexi at the beginning of her medical gender affirmation journey in December 2020. At 58 years old, she had identified and lived as a woman for decades behind closed doors.
She was born and raised in Ecuador where the LGBTQ community faces intense discrimination which often ends in violence.
After her family immigrated to the USA, she began to explore her gender identity and like many Trans women she spent her early years rejected and isolated from family and friends. This led to a deep depression and several suicide attempts. She supported herself and funded her transition through sex work and cleaning nightclub toilets. Apart from her former partner Laura, she still spends much of her time alone. Now at age 60, she has started to venture out, exploring what this next chapter means for her as an out Trans woman as she tries to find her place in the world.
About Timothi Jane Graham
Timothi Jane Graham is a photographer and visual storyteller. She studied at the International Center of Photography and Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California. She is drawn to stories that focus on survival, transformation, and personal identity.
Timothi’s work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Docu, F-Stop and Sugar Magazines and recognized by The Paris Prix de la Photographie, International Photography Awards and The Budapest International and Tokyo International Foto Awards. Some of her notable works include “The Inheritance of Memory,” a series documenting Holocaust survivors, and “Lexi,” a feature story exploring a woman’s gender transition over a three-year period. She is currently working on “Inversions,” a book project exploring a broader landscape within the Trans community, and an untitled project examining the effects of climate change on indigenous communities in the United States. [Official Website]