An Open Book

Spencer Fordin, Pasa Tiempo, November 17, 2023

It’s all right there, on video: everything you could possibly hope to know about Jess T. Dugan.

 

There’s hope, fear, vulnerability, and ambition. There’s a yearning to be understood. And there’s an extended timeline of disappointment and, perhaps, an irreparable break from family.

Six years ago, Dugan, who identifies as queer and nonbinary, blazed a new chapter in their art with Letter to My Father, an unflinchingly honest video account of estrangement and a lifelong struggle to communicate with a parent. And now, Dugan is opening up about the alternately arduous and joyous process of becoming a parent for the first time with a companion piece titled Letter to My Daughter.