Alok Vaid-Menon is an American nonbinary performer and writer who uses the mononym ALOK.
Background
ALOK was born July 1, 1991, grew up in College Station, Texas, then earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Stanford University in 2013.
Art and activism
ALOK’s creative output focuses on gender, ethnicity, and loneliness. ALOK uses live performance, fashion design, and writing to express views.
Selected publications
- Femme in Public (2017)
- “Entertainment Value” in Unwatchable (2019)
- Beyond The Gender Binary (2020)
- Your Wound/My Garden. (2021)
References
Dicochea, Perlita R. (May 26, 2022). ALOK (CSRE ’13) on Making a Life. Stanford https://ccsre.stanford.edu/news/alok-csre-13-making-life
Reports, Alok Vaid-Menon via Creative Time (October 13, 2015). Greater transgender visibility hasn’t helped nonbinary people – like me | Alok Vaid-Menon. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/13/greater-transgender-visibility-hasnt-helped-nonbinary-people-like-me
Sharma, Jeena (March 1, 2019). ALOK: ‘Beauty Is About Looking Like Yourself.’ PAPER https://www.papermag.com/alok-beauty-2629993229.html?rebelltitem=25#rebelltitem25?rebelltitem=25
Jagota, Vrinda (December 24, 2017). Alok Vaid-Menon on Building a Transfeminine Future. VICE https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/8xvqev/alok-vaid-menon-on-building-a-transfeminine-future
Wortham, Jenna (November 16, 2018). On Instagram, Seeing Between the (Gender) Lines. The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/16/magazine/tech-design-instagram-gender.html
Carmel, Julia (December 4, 2021). Alok Vaid-Menon Finds Beauty Beyond Gender. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/04/style/alok-vaid-menon-artist-nonbinary-poet-activist.html
Hawbaker, KT (June 21, 2018). Performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon on why identity categories don’t work — but stories do. Chicago Tribune https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-ent-alok-vaid-menon-femme-in-public-pride-20180621-story.html
Resources
ALOK (alokvmenon.com)
Instagram (instagram.com)
Facebook (facebook.com)
YouTube (youtube.com)
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)