This is a fascinating new video by virtual world videographer Luca, on an endlessly important topic: How trans people use virtual worlds and avatar customization to explore alternate identities. (In this case Second Life, though as Luca notes, it's a phenomenon common to many other virtual worlds.) Luca interviews several trans SLers, who discuss their avatar form and how it relates to who they are in real life.
"[I]t's my experiences with the trans communities and my trans friends that inspired me to make the video," tells me. "The subjects are all my trans friends who I befriended throughout my years on SL."
Notably, others that Luca approached refused to do the interview or even appear "on camera" -- even though their real life identity is protected by their anonymous avatar identity:
"[It] was quite difficult for some of them; some outright refused and one of them ended up not being interviewed even though they initially said they would," as Luca put it. "But some of them were enthusiastic or indifferent about being recorded (Nodoka and Coraline)."
Some of what they told them was unexpected, even to Luca:
"The thing that I learned the most from [the interviews] is that virtual embodiment for trans people doesn't always end up in them wanting to transition more, which was surprising to me, because I've always thought it would reinforce their desire to.
"It was a video where I learned more than I thought I would making it, and I hope people who are considering transitioning would see it and consider the practice of virtual embodiment to see if it can help them decide."
For further reading, here's some New World Notes posts on the topic:
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