With Love, Elio:

An Artist’s Path to Happiness

In the spring of 2022, a friend of mine introduced me to Elio, a transgender artist who is self-funding his gender transition by selling t-shirts printed with his art. Through his artistic endeavors, Elio pushes back against social and cultural resistance to his gender transition, refusing to compromise his identity in the face of extreme opposition. As an Italian, I have witnessed the varying sorts of discrimination that members of the LGBTQ+ community, like Elio, face in Italy and how this discrimination has ingrained itself in Italian culture. To amplify the voices of those affected by LGBTQ+ discrimination, I set out to create a piece of media that draws attention to how LGBTQ+ Italians have to work to be seen and respected. “With Love, Elio: An Artist’s Path to Happiness” may focus on the story of a single artist, Elio, but I aim for it to speak to a larger audience. By showcasing Elio’s journey, I wish to call viewers to action, motivating LGBTQ+ individuals to continue with their efforts to be seen while inspiring others to embrace and accept those efforts. Overall, I hope that I can provide a look into the LGBTQ+ community that motivates viewers to support and protect it.

—Beatrice Ieronimo

Bea explained that as transgender Italians seek medical care to affirm their gender identities, financial, political, and cultural barriers make this care inaccessible to the general public, often requiring trans-Italians to go to lengths to receive life-saving treatment. To raise awareness of the struggle for and importance of gender-affirming care in Italy, this project detailed the story of Elio Aga Rossi, an Italian artist who self-funded his gender transition by selling t-shirts printed with his artwork. Through a series of interviews compiled into a documentary film, this project delved into Aga Rossi’s path to self-discovery, focusing on how he came to terms with his transgender identity and how he used art to actualize this identity in the face of extreme oppression. The story that emerged is one of trans resilience, showcasing art as a form of resistance to the limits that Italian bureaucracy and society place on trans people. Though set in Italy, Aga Rossi’s struggle to attain gender-affirming care is a struggle shared by trans people all around the world. This project aimed to motivate viewers to embrace and support worldwide transgender efforts to receive necessary medical care.