WEBVTT - Businessweek Extra - Precious Brady-Davis

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<v Speaker 1>This is Bloomberg Business Week from Bloomberg Radio. Hi, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>Jason Kelley and I'm Carol Masser. Welcome to the Bloomberg

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<v Speaker 1>Business Week Extra. It's our weekly podcast. This is where

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<v Speaker 1>we give you one of our full interviews from the week,

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<v Speaker 1>and this is a good one. In the magazine's recent

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<v Speaker 1>equality issue, nine individuals were interviewed trans workers who talked

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<v Speaker 1>about their personal experiences and Jason. That included Precious Brady Davis.

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<v Speaker 1>She shared her personal experience about coming out as a

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<v Speaker 1>transgender individual. Pracias joined us from Chicago. Here's what she

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<v Speaker 1>had to say. My name is Precious Brady Davis, and

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<v Speaker 1>I am a proud African African American. I'm gonna say

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<v Speaker 1>that again. Thank you so much, care for having me.

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning, Pracius Brady Davis. I am a proud black

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<v Speaker 1>trans woman. I originally grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and

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<v Speaker 1>I come from a very conservative family. My grandmother was

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<v Speaker 1>very religious, and at a young age I showed very

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<v Speaker 1>feminine tendencies and I was very acutely aware at a

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<v Speaker 1>young age that I was in fact a little girl,

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<v Speaker 1>and so as I became an adolescent, I became gender

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<v Speaker 1>queer and started experimenting with my gender and my sexuality.

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<v Speaker 1>And as I became an adult, the feeling and the

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<v Speaker 1>desire was still there. Uh and I and I and

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<v Speaker 1>I transitioned when after I graduated college, Well, hold on

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<v Speaker 1>for a secon because I want to take a step back,

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<v Speaker 1>go back to growing Sorry no, no, no, no, don't

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<v Speaker 1>be sorry, but go back to you know, talking about

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<v Speaker 1>growing up in Almaha, you said, you know, your grandmother

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<v Speaker 1>was very religious. You know what was family life. Was

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<v Speaker 1>it hard that you felt like you couldn't really reveal

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<v Speaker 1>who you were? Yeah, it was hard for me growing

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<v Speaker 1>up being gender queer, especially growing up in Nebraska, growing

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<v Speaker 1>up in a rural environment, you know, where I wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>really exposed to diversity. I was scolded and this I

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<v Speaker 1>planned for displaying feminine tendencies and wanting to exist in

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<v Speaker 1>an identity that was not normative. How did you know

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<v Speaker 1>that you were gay? Because you know, I was reading

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<v Speaker 1>somewhere that people were asking you if you were gay

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<v Speaker 1>in fourth grade. You're young, You're still young. Um by

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<v Speaker 1>that time, did you know? Okay, yeah, this is who

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<v Speaker 1>I am. I didn't know, like I'm actually I'm writing

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<v Speaker 1>a book, right now I'm writing a memoir of my life.

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<v Speaker 1>The memoir is titled I Have Always been Me. And

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<v Speaker 1>so when I was in fourth grade, when people were

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<v Speaker 1>asking me, are you gay, I didn't know people assigned

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<v Speaker 1>an identity to me way before I ever had a

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<v Speaker 1>chance to to figure out how I identified. On the inside,

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<v Speaker 1>I was just being me, And I think that's that's

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<v Speaker 1>a fact for thousands of queer kids in the world.

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<v Speaker 1>They're just being who who they authentically are. And I

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<v Speaker 1>liked playing with girls toys, I liked playing with barbies,

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<v Speaker 1>I liked playing dress up, and I didn't want to

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<v Speaker 1>be a little boy. But there was no education, um

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<v Speaker 1>at that time, surrounding gender identity or identifying as transgender

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<v Speaker 1>or being gender nonconforming, and so I just showed up

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<v Speaker 1>in in the world without definition. Yeah, that must have

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<v Speaker 1>been really hard for you. Yeah, it was definitely a struggle.

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<v Speaker 1>I was definitely bullied. I was definitely harassed. It was

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<v Speaker 1>hard to be so strong in my personality. Uh, in

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<v Speaker 1>who I was without having any kind of figure to

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<v Speaker 1>identify it with. I was just being me. Uh. It

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't until recent years that we've started to have this

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<v Speaker 1>massive sidal conversation around gender and transgender identity, and so

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<v Speaker 1>it was a struggle until I finally understood when I

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<v Speaker 1>was in college, when I took an LGBT literature course,

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<v Speaker 1>that we have a great history, a great history of

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<v Speaker 1>trans and gender not conforming people who have been erased

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<v Speaker 1>from the narratives of history. And I felt like I

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<v Speaker 1>was discovering a great history, uh that I was a

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<v Speaker 1>part of. Did you have a lot of friends? And

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<v Speaker 1>I'm curious because I think, right, we're always constantly from

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<v Speaker 1>from being from a little kid to you know, an adult,

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<v Speaker 1>you're always you know, aligning yourself with people that you

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<v Speaker 1>relate to. What was it like as a kid? I

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<v Speaker 1>think as a kid it was extremely isolating that because

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't have a lot of people who understood what

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<v Speaker 1>was actually going on. I think there was a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of discipline happening in my world, just because I was

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<v Speaker 1>involved in church and the Pentecostal church at that and

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<v Speaker 1>there were leaders in that church who wanted to see

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<v Speaker 1>one form of gender identity displayed. You know, I remember

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<v Speaker 1>a youth pastor telling me that I needed to switch

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<v Speaker 1>I'll watch Chitty their hand because it was feminine. The

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<v Speaker 1>pastor told me, you know, that I needed to walk straight,

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<v Speaker 1>uh and upright. There was a lot of policing of

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<v Speaker 1>my behavior as as a young person, and even the

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<v Speaker 1>way that I approached teachers. I remember, as at a

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<v Speaker 1>young age, I was putting my knees in my t

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<v Speaker 1>shirt because I was cold, and one of my teachers said, oh,

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<v Speaker 1>you're making bosoms at me. And so all of my

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<v Speaker 1>my gender action they were policed as a young person.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it was really isolating. So let's talk about

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<v Speaker 1>when you were able to kind of open up and

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<v Speaker 1>you transitioned after college while you were working. Tell us

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<v Speaker 1>about that time period of your life. Yeah, so after college,

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<v Speaker 1>I did the whole party, have a good time. But

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<v Speaker 1>then I came back to my first love. I was

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<v Speaker 1>performing as a show girl, and there was an onslaught

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<v Speaker 1>in Chicago's Boys Town neighborhood of it was called take

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<v Speaker 1>Back Waste Town, and it was a movement to eradicate

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<v Speaker 1>gay by and trance youth of color out of the

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<v Speaker 1>neighborhood because they felt that they weren't consumers of that

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<v Speaker 1>neighborhood and they didn't want to see homeless young people

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<v Speaker 1>around that it was a scourge to the entertainment district.

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<v Speaker 1>And so I decided to myself that I can make

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<v Speaker 1>a difference like in the world. And I left being

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<v Speaker 1>a show girl and I said, I have a degree

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<v Speaker 1>in the arts, I can do something else. And my

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<v Speaker 1>my first love was social justice. When I was in

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<v Speaker 1>high school, I attended this program called any Town that

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<v Speaker 1>educated me on bias, bigotry, and prejudice in the world.

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<v Speaker 1>And so I decided that I could have a better

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<v Speaker 1>impact in my community if I serve as a community

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<v Speaker 1>leader and I work with those young people uh and

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<v Speaker 1>serve as a mode of inspiration, and that I can

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<v Speaker 1>impart into their lives. And just as I thought that

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<v Speaker 1>I was going to impart into their lives, they imparted

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<v Speaker 1>into my life. Once I started working at the Center

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<v Speaker 1>on Hallstead, at that LGBT community center, I saw these

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<v Speaker 1>young high school students who are walking around proud, visible,

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<v Speaker 1>and trans in their high schools. And I said, if

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<v Speaker 1>this sixteen year old over here can walk in her

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<v Speaker 1>high school and can be trans and proud, so can I.

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<v Speaker 1>It's great. We'll tell us because I think part of

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<v Speaker 1>us understanding one another, whoever we may be, is understanding

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<v Speaker 1>the process of what you had to do to transition.

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<v Speaker 1>Can you talk to us a little bit about that. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I think everyone's transition is different and so um. In

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<v Speaker 1>terms of like my process, it was simply a journey

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<v Speaker 1>to authenticity. Uh. And first I started um fully dressing

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<v Speaker 1>and identifying as a woman. That was the first step

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<v Speaker 1>I had trouble identified that I could be a woman

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<v Speaker 1>in the flesh and body that I that I lived in.

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<v Speaker 1>I remember coming to work the says in the beginning stages,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, when I was working at Center on Halstead

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<v Speaker 1>and I said to one of my co workers, I

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<v Speaker 1>wish I could be sitting here as precious, and he

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<v Speaker 1>said to me, you can. And so it's about people

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<v Speaker 1>affirming the name that you go by, affirming the gender

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<v Speaker 1>that you identify as. It's about celebrating, it's about creating

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<v Speaker 1>a safe space. Um. And I'm curious how everyone treated

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<v Speaker 1>you coworkers, boss, as you transitioned. Family. Yeah, yeah, so

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<v Speaker 1>I think my family, starting with my family, I think

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<v Speaker 1>that it was a journey for them and I never

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<v Speaker 1>ever once doubted that they loved me. Uh, and they

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<v Speaker 1>supported me through the transition. They may not have understood,

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<v Speaker 1>but I had a blessing that a lot of people

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<v Speaker 1>don't that I was never you know, rejected or ousted

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<v Speaker 1>up for my transgender identity. Conflicted, yes, but I was

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<v Speaker 1>at least accepted, And so I think there's a leg

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<v Speaker 1>up there In terms of my colleagues. I think that

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<v Speaker 1>my colleagues were like very supportive in in my transition.

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<v Speaker 1>The administration, it was crazy. It was working in an

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<v Speaker 1>LGBT center and I wanted to change my name simply

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<v Speaker 1>in the email system, and they wouldn't change my name

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<v Speaker 1>in the email systems because they said that I hadn't

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<v Speaker 1>legally changed my name, and at that time, I didn't

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<v Speaker 1>have the financial resources to go about a full legal

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<v Speaker 1>name change. And you would think that an LGBT community

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<v Speaker 1>center would be the most affirming. So it shows that sometimes,

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<v Speaker 1>even like within our community, we still have work to

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<v Speaker 1>do and we have a long way to go. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>And that's what I wanted to ask you, Precious, because

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<v Speaker 1>I know in the magazine we actually talked to nine

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<v Speaker 1>individuals trans workers. They each talked about their personal experiences,

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<v Speaker 1>including you, and they talked about support or not getting

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<v Speaker 1>support and what could be better, whether it's healthcare, the

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<v Speaker 1>actual medical process of transitioning, government involvement, education, what could

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<v Speaker 1>be better there from your from your own experience. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I think we need affirming healthcare. I think trans people

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<v Speaker 1>deserve to have the right to have a service provider

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<v Speaker 1>who understands their unique needs without triggering them, without disrespecting them.

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<v Speaker 1>I think that we need basic rights in terms of

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<v Speaker 1>equality with our government. Trans people deserve to serve in

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<v Speaker 1>the military. Trans people deserved to exist in our society

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<v Speaker 1>and pursue whatever desire or dream that they have. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>there's this onslaught from the Trump administration, you know, against

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<v Speaker 1>transgender people, and I think that it's about recognizing our

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<v Speaker 1>humanity and not villainizing us and to humanizing us. And

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<v Speaker 1>I think that it's about showing us and our humanity

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<v Speaker 1>that we are mother's, father's, brothers, sisters, you know, colleagues, uh,

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<v Speaker 1>and a multitude of things, that we are not just

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<v Speaker 1>like one thing. And I think it starts with just

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<v Speaker 1>recognizing our humanity. Yeah, And I think it's good that

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<v Speaker 1>we talk about these stories so that we all have

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<v Speaker 1>a better understanding of one another, because we all have differences,

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<v Speaker 1>but we need to embrace it. And congratulations on being

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<v Speaker 1>you and coming by and telling your story, precious, Thank you.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you so much for having me, and you've been

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<v Speaker 1>listening to Bloomberg Business Week Extra, be sure to turn

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<v Speaker 1>into Bloomberg Business Week Radio Live Monday through Friday at

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<v Speaker 1>two pm Wall Street Time. I'm Jason Kelly and I'm

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<v Speaker 1>Carol Masser, and this is Bloomberg