Trans Icon Justin Bond Embraces New Chapter in Paris

Justin Vivian Bond, the acclaimed trans cabaret singer and a 2024 recipient of an $800,000 MacArthur Fellowship, relocated to Paris in April 2024. Initially finding communication challenging, Bond embraced her new life abroad, later receiving an Honorary Doctorate of the Arts from Bard College in the spring of 2025.

Bond recently returned to New York for a two-month engagement, including sold-out shows and a month-long residency at Joe's Pub. This residency features her new show, "Madame Stanley, or How I Was Dead-Named at the Clap Clinic," inspired by a recent experience in Paris.

Her artistic endeavors extend to film; Bond stars as a 70-year-old trans woman experiencing dementia in "Neverman." This film, set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 2026, explores themes of involuntary detransition.

Bond's move to Paris was motivated in part by concerns over shifting political climates regarding transgender rights in the United States. She has been public about her identity, aiming to articulate her experience for future generations and reflecting on the importance of identity in her work.

Internationally recognized, Bond required proof of her renown to secure a French residence card. Her artistic career has been marked by numerous awards and collaborations, including with composer Anthony Roth Costanzo and designer Jonathan Anderson.