ShaGaysia Diamond

“I was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. Growing up in Little Rock, well, I was very different from the other kids. I was a very effeminate child. And I was very artistic as well. I was very musically inclined; I sang in church and later I started singing onstage, in plays and on Broadway … I always wanted to be the next Whitney. That was my dream. And my dreams have come true.”

As part of the legacy of On Christopher Street, this portrait was purchased for the museum's permanent collection by the Hyde Foundation in 2020. It is the first portrait of someone who self-identifies as transgender to enter the museum's collection. Due to this lack of representation, the museum is actively working to acquire more works that reflect the trans community. In 2021, the museum acquired five historic photographs which displayed near the entrance of the exhibition.