Trans Monologues and Talent Showcase 2025: Honoring TDOR Through Community and Creativity

Audience members sit in rows. The wall behind them is reflective windows at night. Zoe Loschke, a white attendee with a long braid and wearing a grey newsboy cap, sits on the floor talking with seated attendees. Everyone is smiling. — Attendee Zoe Loshke laughs with audience members.

On a chilly December evening, more than 110 attendees gathered at Madison’s Central Library for the Gender and Sexuality Campus Centers (GSCC) annual Trans Monologues and Talent Showcase, honoring International Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). For over 15 years, this event has stood apart as the only GSCC program intentionally designed to bring together campus and community—a vital opportunity in a world where cross-generational connections can be hard to build. For many, this night is a favorite tradition.

Camren Livermore, a white performer with blue hair, glasses, and sunflower earrings, stands at a microphone smiling at the crowd. He is in front of a backdrop of blue, pink, and silver metallic fringe backdrop. Several rows of audience members are blurry in the foreground of the picture, including one wearing a trans flag on the back of their jacket. — Camren Livermore reads his poetry for the audience.

“This is a very meaningful event to people,” said Katherine Charek Briggs, who has led planning for many years. “It’s often their favorite event we host, and folks look forward to it all year.”

While TDOR traditionally centers on vigils remembering trans lives lost to violence, this event uplifts and celebrates trans voices while they are alive. It is a space for joy, creativity, and resilience, Charek Briggs explains, where anyone, regardless of experience, can share their story.

T. S. Banks, a fat, Black, trans performer with long locs, sits in his power chair and reads off a sheet of paper at a microphone wrapped in purple flowers. He is wearing a black KN94 mask and tinted glasses. He is in front of a backdrop of metallic pink and silver fringe. Rows of audience members are visible on the left side. — T. S. Banks reads his poetry at the microphone.

This year’s showcase featured 12 performers, including poets, musicians, and a monologist—some stepping on stage for the first time. Performances ranged from humorous and lighthearted to deeply moving and defiant.

To stay connected with GSCC for other opportunities to celebrate and build community, visit lgbt.wisc.edu, follow @uwgscc, or subscribe to the newsletter at go.wisc.edu/GSCCnews.