What does “autogynegamy” mean and where does it come from?

It’s an expression I made up by combining the Greek words αὐτό (“auto”), which means the self or oneself, γυνή (“gyn”), which refers to women, and γάμος (“gamie”), meaning marriage or union. It could have been “autogynégamie” in French, but I wanted a name that could be used everywhere without translating it. It’s also a reference to a controversial psychological typology established by the Canadian-American researcher Ray Blanchard in the 1980s. After conducting research with transgender women, he divided his subjects into two groups. On the one hand, there are “homosexual transsexuals,” whose transition from the male to female gender was caused by homosexuality. On the other hand, there are “non-homosexual transsexuals,” who were “autogynephiles,” meaning they are sexually aroused by the idea of themselves as a woman. Blanchard presented this attraction as a paraphilia—in other words, an atypical or even abnormal sexual practice.

To this day, his theory is still discussed in the trans community, and his terminology is increasingly being adopted by mainstream media. That’s a problem, because many trans people, especially activists and campaigners, are vehemently opposed to it. For them, this kind of categorization pathologizes a large segment of the trans population. So the name of my show refers to this typology as well. Since I’m marrying myself, it’s a case of “autogynegamy,” not “autogynephilia”!

What does this “self-marriage” mean to you?

Ever since I was a child, I’ve dreamed of a fairy-tale wedding—so I’m giving myself one in this show. It’s a spectacular affair: there will be a church, a dress with a train, guests, the whole nine yards! I could have found someone to marry for the performance, but the more I thought about it, the more I said to myself that, in the end, a self-union would be more meaningful. Like many people, I’m trying to free myself of the notion that my happiness depends on being part of a couple. That’s a social construct that needs to be reinvented. These days, given the prominent role of capitalism and the constant stream of new technologies in our lifestyles, there’s no question that we are being pushed more and more toward individualism, which isolates us and makes it even harder than before to find a partner. At the same time, society associates celibacy with failure. Like many women, I’ve chosen to see things differently and devote that love to myself instead. In that sense, my engagement represents an act of empowerment.

Self-marriage is not yet legally recognized. In conjunction with the show, I’ve therefore undertaken some legal proceedings to see just how far this performative act can be pushed. My collaborator Enora Rivière has described it as a “legisthetic” initiative, which I think is exactly right. But to be honest, more than anything, it’s an act of personal healing and reconciliation. To declare my undying love to myself, I have to be able to forgive myself, like myself, and have the courage to look back at my past.

You’re a self-taught artist who has chosen an open-ended, multidisciplinary path. How does AUTOGYNEGAMY reflect your creative mindset?

I’m a real jack-of-all-trades. I don’t specialize in anything, but I’m interested in lots of things. This show reflects my very wide range of interests. I love music and singing, of course, which I’ve done for a long time, but AUTOGYNEGAMY foregrounds many other artistic languages. I have a natural affinity for maximalism and exuberance, and I wanted to create a larger-than-life performance with a spectacular aesthetic approach. From the start of the process, I had an extremely clear idea of what I wanted to do, and I like to get involved in all aspects of the production, because in my view, each of them is part of the creative work. That said, I surrounded myself with a valuable team of collaborators who each have their own specific area of expertise. AUTOGYNEGAMY represents, in a sense, the culmination of a professional, artistic, and personal journey. I had no choice but to !

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