Performance artist and musician Mykki Blanco set out on an exploration of queer culture in Johannesburg, South Africa. In the short film Out of This World, directed by Matt Lambert, Blanco meets with other creatives and activists who give insights into what it means to be black, gay, fem, trans, and free from the binary construct. Using their varied platforms, they give a voice to issues surrounding the politics of sexuality, gender, identity and humanity. Check it out below, featuring gay couple Nkulsey Masemola and Bradley Kgotlelo, musician Umlilo, Genevieve Louw (consultant at The Gay and Lesbian Archives), fashion designer Rich Mnisi, transgender activist and model Luke Van Der Burg, vlogger and transgender activist Glow, artist Laura Skollie and music collective Faka (Desire Marea and Fela Gucci). (screen grabs via the film)

Mykki Blanco:

“I feel like there’s just an energy there when you really understand someone’s oppression or when you maybe have gone through a similar situation in your own life. I don’t care about the custom, the color, the creed, the religion; there are blanket similarities in being a queer person all over the fucking globe. I too know about being called a “faggot”, and in Zulu its STABANA. I don’t know if it gives me a master key, but if anything it allows me to approach a situation with way more caution or care. At one point I was trans identified, and that too might affect how I might address a question about sex and dating that someone who wasn’t queer might find taboo to talk about.” (via i-d.vice)