Lucas Silveira, frontman of the alternative rock band The Cliks, performed in Stotler Lounge on Tuesday.
Following his performance, Silveira answered questions from the audience. The event was a part of MU’s Transgender Awareness, designed to spread awareness of transgender issues.
Silveira performed popular singles from his solo work and the work he did with his band.
Silveira came out as a transgender man in 2006 after coming out as a lesbian at the beginning of his career, when his band was beginning to generate buzz in industry circles.
Silveira said being transgender in the music industry is tricky and has its rough spots.
“Because there are not a lot of people like me in the industry, it is hard for people to separate the fact that I’m a musician who happens to be transsexual,” he said. “I try to be an artist but it can be distracting and gets in the way of people focusing on my music.”
Silveira performed some of his own music, such as the song “Four Letter Words” and also covered popular songs from artists such as Kanye West and Justin Timberlake, including “Runaway” and “What Goes Around Comes Around.”
MU graduate John Ruppert said the performance was great and was made more enjoyable by the informative question and answer session that followed.
“I would say I am more educated than the normal person as far as trans issues go, but I did not know that there was a high suicide rate among transsexuals in the United States,” he said.
During the question and answer session, Silveira talked about how to cope with family members’ dismissal of transgender children, how to sing while in the transition phase and how to sympathize with a woman when she’s going through the same process he went through.
Triangle Coalition President Emily Colvin said she felt Silveira’s music and his statements inspired and entertained and were a good representation of the transgender community.
“His music is in a subtle tone but speaks of life in general and shows him a good light and as a positive example of a successful transsexual male,” she said. “This event was great because Lucas is a performer that represents an unrepresented community whenever he is performing and is showing that they can be highly educated as well.”
Silveira said he felt his experience in Columbia allowed him to educate others who might not know about the transgender community.
“Columbia is a smaller town which means it is less urban and is can be exposed more to being educated and more acceptances can happen if they are aware of our community,” he said.
