For LexPride 2019 I was presented with the opportunity to do a performance on behalf of 21C Museum Hotels Lexington, KY. I wanted to make something that would serve as an antithesis of a contemporary corporate gay pride celebration. I created “Top of the World” in response to the mass killings of trans people, specifically trans women of color in America. I was inspired by the lyrics to the Dixie Chicks’ 2004 song “Top of the World”: “There’s a whole lot of singin’ that’s never gonna be heard, dissapearin’ every day without so much as a word…” I wanted to create a piece which memorialized those lost to transphobic violence.

I began the performance by removing my street clothes and donning a black dress with the words “I CARE” painted on the back. I then put on a black wig and applied red lipstick. I performed a “silent lip-sync” of “Top of the World” while moving throughout the crowd. After I finished the lip-sync I removed my wig and invited the audience to join hands with me. We formed a line and walked into the street. I informed the audience that we were going to stage an impromptu parade / “love march.” I taught them the following chant: “I see you, I hear you, I remember you, I love you, I care, I care, I care!” We broke into groups of two or three and formed a line. I led the parade through the crowded pride event and around the streets of downtown, chanting the entire time and making eye contact with spectators. We circled the block and returned to our starting point upon which the performance ended.