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Watch: Tegan and Sara celebrate queer, trans youth in ‘Faint of Heart’

Watch: Tegan and Sara celebrate queer, trans youth in ‘Faint of Heart’

Before they were international indie pop stars, lesbian twin sisters Tegan and Sara made the kind of tender songs that served as a coming of age soundtrack for baby queers on college campuses across America. While their newer music has had more mass market appeal, the duo recently released a music video colorfully celebrating queer and transgender youth.

“Faint of Heart,” released last week, is the latest single off of Love You To Death. The upbeat video features young queers of all stripes channeling their musical icons in a lip-syncing contest. According to Autostraddle, the cast includes agender writer and speaker Tyler Ford as Prince, I am Cait’s Ella Giselle as Madonna, intersex and trans dancer Dominic Ravina as Elvis, actor and writer Olabisi Kovabel (as Grace Jones), Cooper Treibel (as David Bowie) and trans activist and writer Eli Erlick and trans girl Ni Ching-Marino (as Tegan and Sara).

In the video, the youth are coached by prominent transgender activists and creatives, Jen Richards, Angelica Ross and Laura Zak. Richards, who created the transgender web series “Her Story” with Zak, alluded to the “Faint of Heart” video in the wake of the Orlando shooting.

That the video features so many trans and gender non-conforming folks is no accident. The video’s director Devon Kirkpatrick, also identifies as non-binary or Mahu (a Hawaiian identity similar to Two Spirit), told Autostraddle why:

As a non-binary director myself, it’s important to me to be a part of creating opportunities that highlight the talents of the LGBT and specifically trans and GNC community. To cast trans and GNC young people as icons that helped to push the gender binary was especially gratifying. We cast two queer identified trans girls as Tegan and Sara themselves. It felt especially important to create a space that reflects inclusiveness.

It’s hard not to feel the love watching “Faint of Heart,” with a chorus that speaks to the resilience of LGBTQ communities:

This love ain’t made for the faint of heart
When it’s love, it’s tough
This love ain’t made for the faint of heart
Real love is tough

Watch the video below.

 

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