The Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) debuted its new photography gallery “Authentic Selves” on April 6, which documents the stories of transgender and nonbinary individuals. The exhibit was created by the Family Diversity Project — a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating prejudice and discrimination by telling people’s stories through photography.

Located in the hallway leading up to the Student Life Office in Masters Hall, the exhibit features the portraits of trans and nonbinary individuals and their families, along with a caption containing a brief story of their experiences. Students and faculty will be able to continue viewing the photos until the end of April.

Dean for Inclusive Excellence, Esperanza Borrero, explained that the goal of the project is to help foster empathy and inclusivity.

 “We’ve seen over the last three years from 2021-2022 almost 240 pieces of legislation against trans and nonbinary lives happening in the country. And now in 2026, there’s more than 750,” Borrero said.

She mentioned the importance of humanizing people who are targeted by these legislations, something that is frequently overlooked in legal discourse. 

Borrero said, “[the exhibit] offers another narrative that is more personal, and more about the people behind some of the stories that the legislation is against. And so I thought this would be a good time for people to look into and learn about trans and nonbinary lives.”

The location of the display means that it is frequently viewed, since the Student Life Office is often visited by students on their way to meet with faculty or take some of the candy available in the office.

Junior Emme Disick said, “I think it’s really nice that they’re sharing these people’s lives and showing their families, and I think it’s inspiring.”

Its accessibility means that students encounter the stories of these individuals in person, making them hard to ignore.

“[“Authentic Selves”] is sharing the stories of people, and we need the perspectives of stories that we don’t normally see,” Junior Sasha Williams said.