Every tattoo on every person captures a unique, pinpointable moment, a decision to carry a creative choice with them for the rest of their lives. The story of a person's tattoos is the story of their culture, their meaningful symbols, their past... And on the other side of the needle is the artist sharing that moment with them; each tattoo they give forms part of a collection of people with whom they are forever bonded.

Join OutLoud as we speak to trans tattoo sensation Billy Slicks of Tits4Tats, the artist who ingeniously and beautifully combined bespoke tattoos and trans mutual aid, to discover what those early tattoos tell us about their story.

Billy Slicks of Tits4Tats:

"Tits4Tats is a passion project that started out of the pandemic, upon realising so many friends were fundraising for gender affirming surgeries and I didn’t have to the funds to support them, let alone think about raising money for my own.

I thought, what skills do I have, what can I do to make some funds? Despite lockdowns and Covid it’s really grown and had success. I couldn’t have imagined that I’d be where I am today, let alone meeting all the people I have, the funds we’ve made, I’ve even got my own surgery thanks to this work, and watched so many of my friends get theirs thanks to community fundraising.

I now run a small space called Tough Luck Club, a small studio focused on recreating the DIY tattoo experience where I started, and that so many queers love. I focus on trauma informed, consent led tattooing. Watching the uprise in community fundraising and support has been ethereal. I’m so proud to be a part of that."

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