TJ Cuthand

TJ Cuthand
Born1978 (age 45–46)
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
OccupationArtist
Years active1995–present
Parents
RelativesLori Blondeau (aunt)
Websitetjcuthand.com

TJ Cuthand, also credited as Theo Cuthand and Thirza Cuthand, is a filmmaker and performance artist, writer and curator of Plains Cree as well as Scottish and Irish descent.[1] He is credited with coining the term Indigiqueer, for modern Indigenous LGBTQ people.[2][3][4] In May 2022, he changed his name to TJ Cuthand and came out as a trans man.[5]

His work as a video artist began in high school, as he experimented with a DIY and "diarist" aesthetic that he has continued to develop in subsequent works. His experimental film and videos often feature a personal perspective, voice-over narration, and storytelling that explores his experiences of identity, race, sexuality, relationships, ageism and mental health.[6][7][8][9]

In 1995, when he was 16, he participated in a workshop at a queer film festival in Saskatoon,[10] which led to the production of his first short video, Lessons in Baby Dyke Theory, which was then screened at film festivals around the world. In bios at the time, Cuthand self-described as a "bipolar butch lesbian two spirited boy/girl thingamabob".[6]

  1. ^ Tatonetti, Lisa (2015). Packing Penises and Two-Spirit Traces: Thirza Cuthand's Performance of Female Masculinity. Washington, DC: Native American and Indigenous Studies Association. pp. 121–130.
  2. ^ "Okanagan College Library Indigenous Studies - Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer". Accessed 23 May 2022
  3. ^ "All My Relations Podcast - Indigiqueer". Accessed 23 May 2022
  4. ^ Cuthand, TJ (12 May 2017). "Indigequeer/Indigiqueer". TJ Cuthand - Filmmaker, Performance Artist, Writer. TJ Cuthand. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022. I think I used it because some LGBTQ Indigenous people don't feel as comfortable with the two-spirit title because it implies some dual gender stuff, which some people just don't feel describes their identity.
  5. ^ Cuthhand, TJ (2022-05-12). "Testosterone! | TJ Cuthand". thirzacuthand.com. Archived from the original on 2022-05-27. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  6. ^ a b Steven, Loft, Acquisition Proposal for Thirza Cuthand's Working Baby Dyke Theory: The Diasporic Impact of Cross Generational Barriers; Through hotel Looking Glass and Love & Numbers, accession #42309; #42308 and #42307, Curatorial File, National Gallery of Canada.
  7. ^ "Thirza Cuthand". Art Gallery of Ontario. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  8. ^ Gingras, Nicole. "Thirza Cuthand in Conversation with Nicole Gingras" (PDF). Le Fifa. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  9. ^ ""A Day in the Life" with Toronto Filmmaker Thirza Cuthand". Toronto Guardian. 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  10. ^ Williams, Jasmine. "Q&A With Aboriginal Independent Filmmaker, Thirza Cuthand". TalentEgg Career Incubator. Retrieved 2019-04-09.