ABOUT THE ARTIST
Mariana Luna-Martinez is a 16-year-old student who attends Saint Vincent Academy. Growing up in the urban city of Newark, she has always been inspired to make a difference in the community. Mariana is passionate about advocating for social justice issues such as gender equality and the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. She’s been able to find her voice through writing and photography as a way to express herself.
“The Life of Andrew”
Andrew Lora, formerly known as A’Tanaya Lora is in the process of transitioning from she to he. Attending an all girls catholic school, Andrew is currently balancing the masculinity within him and the femininity that others view him as. The majority of his closest friends and family refer to him as Andrew, while his peers and the faculty of the school refer to him as A’Tanaya. In the school’s community, everyone is referred to as sisters, however Andrew prefers to be known as brother. In the classroom, many view him as a female since it is the initial gender he was enrolled as at the start of his high school career. Others view him as a male due to his physical features. Deep inside, Andrew knows that his true identity is male.
Through the tears of sadness caused by misgendering to the smiles of acknowledging his true identity, Andrew has faith that there is a rainbow at the end of the road. He has faith in that one day everyone will view him as the man he is transitioning into.
In this project, I photographed this transition.