The photographer’s limited prints, available through the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art until June 26, will benefit three trans-supporting organizations.
Nan Goldin is once again turning her lens into direct action. Beginning at 10 a.m. ET today, the photographer is releasing two prints from her archive—priced at $250 each—through the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art. Proceeds will support the museum itself, The Sylvia Rivera Law Project, and The Trans Income Project, with sales open until 5 p.m. on June 26.
The selected images underscore Goldin’s decades-long devotion to honoring her community. Jimmy Paulette at Wigstock(1991) captures hair stylist Jimmy Paul in full drag at New York’s storied festival. “It is nice to be a part of Nan’s work and to be with my friends—very nice memories,” Paul recalled several years ago when discussing another portrait from the same series. Goldin’s second choice, Thora with teddy bear (2020), portrays writer Thora Siemsen, a close friend of the photographer—and of this magazine. “She became, through those pictures, more in touch with herself and found her beauty even more,” Goldin says. “And that’s what I like to do for my people and show them how beautiful they are.”
Goldin’s prints often surface in charitable drives, but the urgency of this release feels particularly acute. “Hundreds of anti-trans bills are threatening trans people’s safety, stability, and health,” she states. “Transphobia has long plagued legislation and culture, and this print sale centers the needs of trans people, raising funds for organizations directly working with, responding to, and supporting them.”
At a moment when art institutions weigh their responsibilities beyond exhibition walls, Goldin offers a clear model: use the work, funnel the funds, and keep the price within reach. For longtime admirers—and anyone newly discovering her archive—the sale is a chance to hold a fragment of queer history and bolster trans advocacy in one gesture.
