Quick Facts
Biography
Amos Mac (born 1981) is an American photographer and a publisher from Augusta, Georgia, United States. He grew up in Philadelphia, PA. As a trans man, he co-founded and became editor in chief of Original Plumbing, a magazine that focuses on the culture of female-to-male trans men and sexuality. Mac chose Original Plumbing's title as a playful take on the obsession the media has with the genitalia of trans people.
Mac lives and works in Los Angeles as a photographer, writer and publisher. His images have appeared in The New York Times, Vogue Italia, BUTT Magazine, and OUT.
To express and explore his culture of being a trans man in the United States, he and his friend Rocco Kayiatos started the magazine Original Plumbing in 2009 while they were both living in San Francisco.
In 2011, he went on a national tour with feminist art group Sister Spit where he showcased photographs, read his writing and spoke candidly about trans representation in the media.
In 2015 Amos Mac photographed a campaign for H&M's sister brand, & Other Stories, which became the first fashion campaign created by an all-transgender cast and crew. The campaign featured models Hari Nef and Valentijn De Hingh.
In June 2016, it was announced that Mac would be featured in "The Trans List" an HBO documentary film produced by Janet Mock along with director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. Mock also interviews the cast, which features ten prominent transgender figures besides Mac: Laverne Cox, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, Buck Angel, Kylar Broadus, Caroline Cossey, Shane Ortega, Alok Vaid-Menon, Nicole Maines, Bamby Salcedo and Caitlyn Jenner.
In "The Trans List", Mac describes his life before transitioning genders. "I really don't know why I was waiting for so long," Mac says. "It seemed like it was no longer an option for my sanity or for my health. I had to stop spending so much time trying to cover up my emotions and my problems, and I had to deal with myself."
Amos Mac sat for photographer Mark Seliger for his 2016 book and story series "On Christopher Street: Transgender Stories."