1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,600 Speaker 1: Hey, lady, is doctor dim here. If you like this 2 00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: show and you want to make your own, let me 3 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:10,840 Speaker 1: tell you about the free platform Anchor. It's a creation 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: tool that allows you to record and edit your podcast 5 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:17,280 Speaker 1: right from your phone or computer. You can add songs 6 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: from Spotify and create any type of content that you 7 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: are looking for. Anchor will distribute it all for you 8 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 1: so it can be heard on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. 9 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: Download the free Anchor app or go to anchor dot 10 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: fm to get started on this week's episode in her Space. 11 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 2: I think one of the biggest things for the young 12 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 2: trans people in my space is to experience relationships that 13 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 2: they did not think were possible. Just for people who 14 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 2: care and who empathize and who will listen to them, 15 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 2: I think that's what it is. 16 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 3: It's really putting your feet. 17 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 2: On the ground, not just having those conversations with your family, 18 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:02,320 Speaker 2: but going into those communities, talking to those people, seeing 19 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 2: what's up, what's going on the same things that we're 20 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 2: saying that we would like folks to do with the 21 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 2: black community at large in general. 22 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 4: Today's episode is sure to provide you with motivation, inspiration, 23 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 4: or even a fresh perspective. If you have any aha 24 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 4: moments or if you feel comforted throughout the episode, Lady, 25 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:23,759 Speaker 4: please leave us a review and tell us what we're 26 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:25,960 Speaker 4: doing right so we can stay on track. Also, we 27 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 4: release episodes every Friday, so be sure to subscribe on 28 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 4: iTunes and visit her Space podcast dot com and enter 29 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 4: your email address to get updates about our live events 30 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 4: and all the new beginnings that we have for this year. 31 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to her Space, a podcast dedicated to uplifting women 32 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 1: like you. We're your hosts, Doctor Dominique Brussard, a college 33 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: professor and psychologist. 34 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 4: And Terry Lomax, a techie and motivational speaker. In a 35 00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:00,080 Speaker 4: world where black women are often misrepresented and misunderstood, but 36 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 4: please join us as we initiate authentic conversations on everything 37 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 4: from fibroids to fake friends and create a safe space 38 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 4: where black women can just be Hey, lady, it's Terry 39 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 4: here from the Hurstpace podcast and I have a question 40 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 4: for you. Do you want to start your own podcast? 41 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 4: Have you been thinking to yourself, you know what, I 42 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 4: want to start a podcast, but you just haven't taken 43 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 4: the leap. If that's you, I got you. I'm hosting 44 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:36,919 Speaker 4: a free podcasting masterclass where I'm going to teach you 45 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 4: how to create your own podcasts from start to finish. 46 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:42,520 Speaker 4: I'll teach you how to format your show and pitch 47 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 4: great guests. I'll teach you how to stand out in 48 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:48,080 Speaker 4: the crowd of nearly one million podcasts. But I'm also 49 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 4: going to teach you how to get your mind right. Okay, 50 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 4: We're going to talk about how to overcome and posture 51 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 4: syndrome and how to deal with fear on your podcasting journey. 52 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 4: So even if you're not tech savvy, it's okay. This 53 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:05,120 Speaker 4: masterclass is just for you. So visit Terrylomax dot com 54 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:06,920 Speaker 4: and click on the pink link in the middle of 55 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 4: your screen and register for my free podcasting masterclass. Again, 56 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 4: that's Terrylomax dot com, T E R R I Max 57 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:21,679 Speaker 4: dot com. I hope to see you there. 58 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:26,280 Speaker 5: All right, all right, lady, we have a very special 59 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 5: guest today in her space. We're super excited we have 60 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 5: Aaron Scott here today with us. Aaron Scott is an 61 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 5: LGBT youth specialist at one of the largest nonprofit housing 62 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 5: resource centers in the world. Aarin is also a program 63 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 5: supervisor and works with connecting young LGBT people ages eighteen 64 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 5: through twenty four to housing resources, employment, education, therapy, and 65 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 5: much more. Aaron has also been working with LGBT youth 66 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 5: ages three through twenty four for about five years and 67 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 5: has a deep passion for ginger studies, intersectionality, and supporting homeless, 68 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 5: at risk black persons of color. Aaron, Welcome to her space. 69 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 2: Oh man, thank y'all for having me. Very happy to 70 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:13,120 Speaker 2: be here, very happy, very excited. 71 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:17,360 Speaker 1: Hey, you know, I am so excited to have you here. 72 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:20,279 Speaker 1: And so we are going to dive right in. We 73 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: are going to start with our quote of the day, 74 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:28,719 Speaker 1: and this quote comes to us from londoner Nick. It's 75 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 1: annoying because I feel like the conversations I'm having with 76 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: white people about the right to life for black people 77 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:42,359 Speaker 1: are the same conversations I'm having with black people about 78 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 1: the right to exist for trans people. 79 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:52,360 Speaker 3: Wow. I know, wow Wow. 80 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:55,200 Speaker 2: Let me say it with that, wow wow, perfect quote, 81 00:04:55,440 --> 00:05:00,159 Speaker 2: perfect quote, perfect comparison to all the personal walth that 82 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 2: did on just about the way that we have to 83 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:05,560 Speaker 2: have these conversations with our own people. That's actually making 84 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 2: me think of a poem from Audrey Lord. I can't 85 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 2: remember the poem work for word. But she just kind 86 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:12,880 Speaker 2: of talked about walking in a room full of people 87 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:15,280 Speaker 2: that are supposed to be her own and not knowing 88 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:18,160 Speaker 2: who to trust, talking about those people in the room 89 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 2: being black people, and being fearful and unsure and untrusting 90 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:29,720 Speaker 2: because she understands that those people are not necessarily her people. Wow, damn. 91 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:35,359 Speaker 1: Right, the people that look like you, so your skin 92 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:43,719 Speaker 1: folk aren't really your people. That's heavy. Yeah, But I 93 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,479 Speaker 1: feel like that is what I can't speak from a 94 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: place of personal experience, so I can only imagine that 95 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:56,599 Speaker 1: that is the space that a lot of black LGBT 96 00:05:56,839 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 1: folks feel. 97 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 2: Think that I'm gonna move even further, be a little 98 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:05,600 Speaker 2: more radical and not say a lot, but all. And 99 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:07,880 Speaker 2: I think the ones that are maybe not voicing it, 100 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 2: it's an internalized feeling, it's an understanding that they have 101 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:13,720 Speaker 2: about it that we choose to kind of take what 102 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:16,679 Speaker 2: we can get when it comes to being black. And again, 103 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 2: much like the quote that you read, it's about separating 104 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:24,559 Speaker 2: us out and deciding which of us deserves to be here, 105 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 2: which of us doesn't, Which is dead on for white supremacy, right, 106 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:31,600 Speaker 2: dead on for a lot of the things that we 107 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:35,560 Speaker 2: say as black people that were struggling with right, deserving to. 108 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:39,200 Speaker 3: Be here mattering right, And in these moments, you. 109 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:42,839 Speaker 2: Have black LGBT people who are scared, people who want 110 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 2: to protest, who want to get in the streets and 111 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:49,840 Speaker 2: think twice and rightfully so because we've seen now where 112 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 2: these things can go when it's a gathering of our people. 113 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 2: And again going back to you know, is it my people? Right? 114 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:02,039 Speaker 1: That is a lot to sit with, right, and to 115 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: know that that is someone's every day existence. And so 116 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:11,800 Speaker 1: as we dive into this conversation and because you know, 117 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 1: what we really want to kind of highlight is the 118 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 1: experience of black trans youth because I think that that 119 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: is a conversation that I mean, I've seen in the 120 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 1: headlines recently, right, But I know that that's not a 121 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:31,560 Speaker 1: conversation that we have often enough. 122 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 3: You know. 123 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:39,239 Speaker 1: I was reading some statistics on the number of trans 124 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: people who their deaths have been documented, and one of 125 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:49,160 Speaker 1: the most alarming statistics that I read was that ninety 126 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: percent of the killings of trans folks that are documented, 127 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 1: ninety percent of those are black trans folks. 128 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 2: That would be my first time hearing that number, but 129 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 2: as someone who's pretty much at ground zero when it 130 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 2: comes to young black trans people, that fits right with 131 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:13,239 Speaker 2: what they're experiencing. 132 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 3: On a day to day basis. 133 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 2: Many of the young people that I work with experience, 134 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:23,760 Speaker 2: you know, constant stalking, people following them pretty much, always 135 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 2: being afraid, never being in a position of stability, because 136 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,920 Speaker 2: even when they're searching for housing, people who we get 137 00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 2: vouchers can't get into places because once people find out 138 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:39,520 Speaker 2: they're trands, they don't want them there. They feel like, well, 139 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 2: if this person lives here, it's going to bring a 140 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:45,000 Speaker 2: bad image to my place. A certain type of shady 141 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:48,160 Speaker 2: character is going to be here because this person is trance. 142 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:51,480 Speaker 2: A certain type of sexual activity is going to be 143 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:55,640 Speaker 2: here because this person's trans, and they create a this 144 00:08:55,800 --> 00:09:00,120 Speaker 2: deviance right even I would say maybe an archetype has 145 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 2: actually been pressed on people for years about trans people, 146 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 2: that their lives are always. 147 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:08,120 Speaker 3: In turmoil and that we should be weary of them. 148 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:13,120 Speaker 2: And so to hear something like ninety percent, I think 149 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 2: it fits very accurately because these are our forgotten children, 150 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 2: because most of them that I come in contact with 151 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 2: continue to struggle beyond the age that even the place 152 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 2: I work can help them. Where we find them housing 153 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 2: and something weird happens, and it's almost always connected to 154 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:39,840 Speaker 2: them being trans, which is so interesting because today, of course, 155 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 2: on a lighter note, we had the Supreme Court pass 156 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:48,640 Speaker 2: that it's illegal to discriminate against someone for this. But unfortunately, 157 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:52,480 Speaker 2: I think in practice, we're just very entrenched in what 158 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:56,040 Speaker 2: we think of trans people and that we actually very 159 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:59,200 Speaker 2: much believe that black trans people deserve to die, that 160 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:02,679 Speaker 2: they don't deserve our time, our energy. I think now 161 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:05,439 Speaker 2: in the movement, the word is that speaking up about 162 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:08,960 Speaker 2: black trans live is divisive, right, This is pulling us apart, 163 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:13,800 Speaker 2: which is interesting because I would say that black trans people, 164 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:18,240 Speaker 2: black trans youth are actually the barometer, right for black people, 165 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:20,760 Speaker 2: kind of like we always say, like they test out 166 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:22,440 Speaker 2: the worst things, and if you can look at this 167 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:25,880 Speaker 2: place with black people, they'll tell you the story because 168 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 2: they're always going to be at the bottom and treated 169 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,160 Speaker 2: the worst. Well, I could say this about black trans 170 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:33,600 Speaker 2: people within our community, right that if you really want 171 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:35,680 Speaker 2: to see the state of where we are and where 172 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 2: we are as a community and if we're coming together, 173 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:41,720 Speaker 2: look at the black trans youth. 174 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 3: And look what's happening. 175 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:46,000 Speaker 1: That makes perfect sense to me because One of the 176 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:50,600 Speaker 1: things that I was taught in terms of like community 177 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 1: mental health work is to ask the question to really 178 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: get a pulse on how the community is doing, is 179 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:01,600 Speaker 1: to ask the question, how are the children? 180 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 3: Wow? 181 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,520 Speaker 1: Like, you truly get a sense of the pulse of 182 00:11:08,559 --> 00:11:14,120 Speaker 1: the community when you understand how are the children functioning now? 183 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:15,960 Speaker 1: And before we dive in, can you just give us 184 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:18,760 Speaker 1: a quick definition of what it means to be transgender 185 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:21,800 Speaker 1: in case we have listeners that aren't aware that might 186 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:24,960 Speaker 1: need some further explanations there. What's the proper language that 187 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 1: people should know about when interacting with I know we're 188 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 1: talking about the trans community specifically today, but even the 189 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:34,360 Speaker 1: LGBTQ community as well, Like what is the language to use? 190 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:36,360 Speaker 1: And then maybe we'll move onto your story and some 191 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:38,120 Speaker 1: of the things that you notice with the youth that 192 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:38,719 Speaker 1: you work with. 193 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:43,840 Speaker 2: The definition of someone who is transgender is someone who 194 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:49,840 Speaker 2: is transitioning their gender. And that sounds very simple, but 195 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:53,600 Speaker 2: it actually can be very complex. I would say that 196 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:58,000 Speaker 2: transgenderism can mean so many things. It is not tied 197 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 2: explicitly to whether someone wants surgery or not. This is 198 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:08,080 Speaker 2: someone who disagrees with the gender that they were assigned 199 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:11,760 Speaker 2: at birth, and it's chosen to be themselves in another way, 200 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:16,439 Speaker 2: and transgender is a way that we have labeled in society. 201 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:21,240 Speaker 2: Transgender is not a sexual orientation, which is who you 202 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:27,160 Speaker 2: prefer sexually. It is an expression of oneself beyond what 203 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 2: society has said about them or told them that they 204 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,160 Speaker 2: had to be. And I would actually challenge folks when 205 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 2: I'm talking about transgenderism to ask themselves what were they 206 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:41,840 Speaker 2: told to be and what things did they not agree 207 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 2: with and how did they get pushed back on that 208 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 2: and if they have challenged those things any furthers they've 209 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:50,840 Speaker 2: come into themselves on their journey. 210 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:54,960 Speaker 5: Those are deep thought provoking questions. Thank you for that, Aaron. 211 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,840 Speaker 3: I think one of the easiest ways to explain this is. 212 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:03,240 Speaker 2: To stop projecting what you think you see on people, 213 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:06,760 Speaker 2: because you don't know people until they tell you who 214 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:09,520 Speaker 2: they are. And I think that's an easy point to 215 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:12,160 Speaker 2: start because I think we all can kind of empathize 216 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:16,560 Speaker 2: with that idea. And the truth is it's about asking 217 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:19,320 Speaker 2: people who they are. And I think when we're talking 218 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:24,160 Speaker 2: about language and LGBT people, I would say that to 219 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:27,560 Speaker 2: just ask and be open to what people say and 220 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:31,280 Speaker 2: start to go beyond what our eyes have cued us 221 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:34,760 Speaker 2: to believe about someone. And this is very important because 222 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 2: I think in a lot of ways this can tie 223 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:40,680 Speaker 2: to some other things, because when we meet people and 224 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:43,440 Speaker 2: we start projecting our ideas of them before they've told 225 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:45,160 Speaker 2: us who they are, it's the way that we are 226 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:48,200 Speaker 2: trying to control them because we're putting them in our box. 227 00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:51,839 Speaker 3: And I think that we could just start there. 228 00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:55,920 Speaker 2: When I started doing this work, I had been to school, 229 00:13:56,040 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 2: I'd read many things. 230 00:13:57,559 --> 00:13:59,960 Speaker 3: I'm a deep, deep reader, deep study or deep researcher. 231 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 2: But when I came in contact with young people, nothing 232 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:06,240 Speaker 2: that I had read in a textbook prepared me to 233 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:07,559 Speaker 2: just pretty much empty. 234 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 3: Out my brain. 235 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 2: When someone tells me who they are, that I can 236 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:14,080 Speaker 2: see someone and to me, they can look feminine, they 237 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:17,520 Speaker 2: can appear to be a woman, and they'll look me 238 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:23,240 Speaker 2: in the face and say, I'm a boy, And how 239 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:28,040 Speaker 2: I'm presenting to you should not dictate me telling you 240 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:31,080 Speaker 2: right now that I'm a boy, and that's it. Whatever 241 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:35,120 Speaker 2: you thought boys look like, let that go, because obviously 242 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:38,400 Speaker 2: I'm telling you who I am. And so if we 243 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:40,840 Speaker 2: can just be open to that. When it comes to 244 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:43,640 Speaker 2: language trans folks, and I know that you know, one 245 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:47,320 Speaker 2: of the big things folks talks about pronouns, right, respecting 246 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:49,560 Speaker 2: people's pronouns. And I think I hear a lot of 247 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:52,800 Speaker 2: Cis hetero black people saying they struggle with all this 248 00:14:53,040 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 2: quote unquote new language, and I think that that's not true, 249 00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 2: because folks are creating language every day, learning new words, 250 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:03,440 Speaker 2: doing new things all the time, and it's never an issue. 251 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:04,840 Speaker 3: And so just to. 252 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:07,360 Speaker 2: Remember that a lot of the language we have now 253 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:11,720 Speaker 2: when it comes to they them she her going beyond 254 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:15,880 Speaker 2: that to buy trans fanboys and all the intersectionalities of 255 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:19,040 Speaker 2: all these things that can happen. You are very capable 256 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:22,240 Speaker 2: of being able to put those things together. You're just 257 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:25,400 Speaker 2: kind of stuck in this place where the boxes that 258 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:27,280 Speaker 2: you've put people in and that they've told. 259 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:29,440 Speaker 3: You to put people in are stuck there. 260 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:31,840 Speaker 2: And so I think that's just more of a general 261 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 2: way that we can open up about language and maybe 262 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:39,280 Speaker 2: understanding what we're talking about when we say these are 263 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 2: my pronouns, this is my identity, this is who AM 264 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:45,320 Speaker 2: attracted to, this is who I like to date, and 265 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 2: so on and so forth. 266 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 3: Just let folks tell. 267 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:51,080 Speaker 5: You, Dom and I have been doing research about trans 268 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:54,400 Speaker 5: people and trans youth. What are some of the common 269 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:57,840 Speaker 5: things that you notice about the trans youth that you 270 00:15:57,960 --> 00:15:59,080 Speaker 5: work with specifically. 271 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 2: I think a common theme is a lot of the 272 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:10,520 Speaker 2: similarities between specifically like trans women and say like cisgendered 273 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 2: women are their struggles with cisgendered men and the way 274 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:18,360 Speaker 2: that this affects their lives, right, which I think for 275 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:21,400 Speaker 2: trans women it's actually it's very dangerous. 276 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 3: In a different way. 277 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 2: But I think again it's it's very relatable to what 278 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:30,920 Speaker 2: a cisgendered women experience, right of being attracted to cisgendered men, 279 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:33,680 Speaker 2: wanting a certain type of men in their life, but 280 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 2: also a lot of the misogyny and things like that. 281 00:16:36,680 --> 00:16:42,840 Speaker 2: And I think there's definitely a correlation between transphobia, internalized transphobia, 282 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:47,760 Speaker 2: and also misogynal are right. I think the young black 283 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:51,720 Speaker 2: trans women are constantly talking about this, are constantly in 284 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:56,600 Speaker 2: conversation about this, are constantly taking risks. A big thing 285 00:16:56,640 --> 00:17:00,120 Speaker 2: in the trans community is a conversation about past I 286 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,720 Speaker 2: think if you're getting clocked or not right, and you know, 287 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:07,080 Speaker 2: we don't walk with girls who get clocked right. But 288 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:10,960 Speaker 2: then also there's a little bit of internalized transphobia happening there. 289 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:15,160 Speaker 2: There's a little bit of gender identity oppression happening there, right, 290 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:19,080 Speaker 2: because not everyone who's trans wants to achieve this ideal 291 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:21,159 Speaker 2: of a woman or ideal of a man. 292 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:22,240 Speaker 3: That everybody has in their head. 293 00:17:22,280 --> 00:17:26,159 Speaker 2: There's no you know, completion goal thing that people be 294 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:29,800 Speaker 2: saying about being a man or a woman, which comes 295 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:32,720 Speaker 2: back to the binary again, which is dangerous. But I 296 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:37,359 Speaker 2: think the transitor are constantly talking about relationships, constantly talking 297 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:42,760 Speaker 2: about being outsiders and trying to just be a part 298 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:46,359 Speaker 2: of the community and also struggling to create their own 299 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:47,480 Speaker 2: as they're doing that. 300 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:50,560 Speaker 1: I want to go back to a word that you 301 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:54,119 Speaker 1: used because I want to make sure so I have 302 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 1: an understanding I think of what it means, but I 303 00:17:57,560 --> 00:17:59,920 Speaker 1: want to make sure that our listeners have an understanding too. 304 00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:02,840 Speaker 1: The word clocked. What does that mean exactly? 305 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:07,879 Speaker 2: So that would mean if you are trans, and let's 306 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:12,200 Speaker 2: say you desire to be a feminine trans woman, being 307 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 2: clocked with me you want to pass as a cisgendered woman, 308 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:20,480 Speaker 2: and men find out that you were born a man, 309 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:22,280 Speaker 2: This would be being clocked, right. 310 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:25,800 Speaker 3: People discovering or feeling like that's. 311 00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:28,879 Speaker 2: Not a woman, right, This would be being clocked in 312 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:32,119 Speaker 2: the trans community. A lot of times it's the people 313 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:35,119 Speaker 2: who are in the in between spaces of their transition 314 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:38,880 Speaker 2: who get clocked more, who maybe don't have the resources 315 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:41,479 Speaker 2: to pass as they want to. 316 00:18:41,840 --> 00:18:43,879 Speaker 3: And that's what being clocked is, and it's actually very 317 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:45,320 Speaker 3: dangerous if you want the truth. 318 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:48,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, I could imagine it sounds very dangerous because I 319 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:53,000 Speaker 1: go back to what you were saying about transphobia and massagynore, 320 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:58,120 Speaker 1: and I could imagine that if a trans woman is 321 00:18:59,119 --> 00:19:06,280 Speaker 1: encountering assists hetero sexual man and they find out based 322 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:13,080 Speaker 1: on like transphobia, massagahor, I could imagine the anger or frustration, surprise, 323 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:16,639 Speaker 1: whatever feelings may come up for that cis heteral man, 324 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:22,679 Speaker 1: and that aggressive reaction what I anticipate, would be an 325 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:27,040 Speaker 1: aggressive reaction towards that trans woman. 326 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:29,960 Speaker 3: Absolutely, it's extremely dangerous. 327 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:35,240 Speaker 2: Actually, you have trans people that go in between passing 328 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:39,959 Speaker 2: and trying not to be clocked, and then also some 329 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:44,280 Speaker 2: not caring, some wanting to be because surprisingly. 330 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 3: There are people who are attracted. 331 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:48,720 Speaker 2: To things that maybe none of us think about because 332 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:49,800 Speaker 2: we're not attracted to it. 333 00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:52,560 Speaker 3: But it's a life and death game. 334 00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:58,360 Speaker 2: But also I would like to remind folks that this 335 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:01,359 Speaker 2: is a lot about affirming as people when they're doing 336 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:04,320 Speaker 2: this right, This is about affirming them and who they're 337 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:07,880 Speaker 2: saying they are a lot of affirming things about being 338 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:10,840 Speaker 2: a woman comes through and with a certain type of 339 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:13,919 Speaker 2: man as we understand it in our society, And so 340 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:16,640 Speaker 2: that is what they are trying to do. They're actually 341 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:21,440 Speaker 2: attempting to slide into some of the boxes that everyone's 342 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:25,520 Speaker 2: made right, and it's very dangerous, it's rough. 343 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:26,280 Speaker 3: It's hard. 344 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:30,919 Speaker 1: And so when I think about because the article that 345 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:34,080 Speaker 1: I read where I got that statistic from, points out 346 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:41,560 Speaker 1: that a lot of the experiences of trans folks, particularly 347 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:47,800 Speaker 1: how many trans folks are assaulted, abused, and killed, goes undocumented. 348 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:52,680 Speaker 1: I was wondering if you have any idea of any 349 00:20:53,400 --> 00:21:00,480 Speaker 1: research studies that might be available where they are really true, 350 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:06,240 Speaker 1: like a qualitative study that is truly exploring the lives 351 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:13,000 Speaker 1: of trans folk and really trying to understand everything from 352 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:19,760 Speaker 1: housing and education to mental health and finances, like really 353 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:22,680 Speaker 1: trying to understand the full experience. 354 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:26,000 Speaker 3: I mean, I've read some compilations of. 355 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,400 Speaker 2: Some things, and I think the things that I've read 356 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:32,240 Speaker 2: are more about experiences than there are like these these 357 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:34,320 Speaker 2: types of numbers, you know. 358 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 3: C Riley Snorton's book Trans On Both Sides talks. 359 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:41,120 Speaker 2: About a lot of the history and how we got 360 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:44,040 Speaker 2: here and a little bit of some of the state 361 00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:47,600 Speaker 2: we're in now. But this type of research is so rare. 362 00:21:48,359 --> 00:21:50,920 Speaker 2: I mean, I've work at a place that is obviously 363 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:54,040 Speaker 2: keeping data, and there's no way for me and my 364 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:57,919 Speaker 2: day to day to click and see, you know, like 365 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:04,160 Speaker 2: just where the trends women are as far as employment 366 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:08,480 Speaker 2: and housing and things like that. And so maybe that's 367 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 2: something that folks need to really get on. I think 368 00:22:11,359 --> 00:22:13,360 Speaker 2: there needs to be more research around that. 369 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,000 Speaker 3: I think sometimes it's hard to do research on this 370 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:20,720 Speaker 3: population because high level of distrust in general with the 371 00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:22,639 Speaker 3: way that people explore. 372 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:27,200 Speaker 2: Trans lives understandable, right, they think that, you know, people 373 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:31,320 Speaker 2: don't want to be outed, right, They think about these things, 374 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,200 Speaker 2: how it's going to affect their family. We have trans 375 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:37,600 Speaker 2: folks that have not talked to their family, you know, 376 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:41,320 Speaker 2: that have just become another person and left that behind. 377 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:43,680 Speaker 3: So I think this is a group that it would. 378 00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:46,520 Speaker 2: Be very hard to capture a sample for a lot 379 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:48,840 Speaker 2: of these numbers that we're really talking about. A meaningful 380 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,520 Speaker 2: sample to actually put some real research together. I think 381 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:55,400 Speaker 2: just trying to gather folks for something like that would 382 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:56,560 Speaker 2: be really tough. 383 00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:59,560 Speaker 5: And arin based on your experience and your work and 384 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:02,639 Speaker 5: your research. Why do you believe it's so hard for 385 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:06,960 Speaker 5: some people to have empathy for black trans people. I 386 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:09,320 Speaker 5: mean we see in the news. I mean lately I 387 00:23:09,359 --> 00:23:11,240 Speaker 5: was telling Dom how I saw that there were a 388 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:13,760 Speaker 5: couple of black trans women killed in Philly, and then 389 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:16,040 Speaker 5: there were just other things happening, and you don't see 390 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:17,520 Speaker 5: a lot of outrage. You don't see a lot of 391 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:20,080 Speaker 5: people talking about it. Why do you think it's so 392 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:22,160 Speaker 5: hard for people to have empathy for them? 393 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 2: I think that people would really have to really take 394 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:27,919 Speaker 2: a hard look at themselves get over a lot of 395 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:30,719 Speaker 2: the harmful ideas that they were taught coming up. 396 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 3: I think black people in particular have. 397 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:37,440 Speaker 2: Very strong ties to what they believe as far as 398 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:41,200 Speaker 2: their ancestry and where they come from and how things 399 00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:44,040 Speaker 2: are set up. We have a very strong tie to 400 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:47,920 Speaker 2: white supremacy. Whether we want to talk about that reality 401 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:50,840 Speaker 2: or not, whether we want to talk about the ways 402 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:53,680 Speaker 2: that we've confronted some of the very harmful and wrong 403 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:56,760 Speaker 2: ideas about ourselves through white supremacy. 404 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:57,040 Speaker 1: Right. 405 00:23:57,080 --> 00:23:59,359 Speaker 2: I think this goes right into what we're talking about 406 00:23:59,359 --> 00:24:01,800 Speaker 2: with trans people, where you would have to take a 407 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:04,960 Speaker 2: step back and realize that so much of what you 408 00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:08,919 Speaker 2: think you know about yourself might actually not be true, 409 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:11,960 Speaker 2: that you might actually have more options than you are 410 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:16,040 Speaker 2: willing to explore, and that the presence of this trans person, 411 00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:19,200 Speaker 2: when it's very bold, they are being themselves. 412 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:21,000 Speaker 3: They're telling the world. 413 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:23,040 Speaker 2: That you can tell me all you want who you 414 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:25,360 Speaker 2: think I am, but I'm telling you who I am. 415 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,720 Speaker 2: And I think that there are many of us that 416 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:31,960 Speaker 2: are afraid of that. And that's why it's transphobia, right, 417 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:33,359 Speaker 2: That's why it's homophobia. 418 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:33,680 Speaker 1: Right. 419 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:37,960 Speaker 2: It scares people. It definitely scares Black people who share 420 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:42,600 Speaker 2: very transphobic, homophobic ideas. And it's tied up in our religions, 421 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 2: it's tied up in our families. 422 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:47,160 Speaker 3: It's so deep with us, and. 423 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:50,960 Speaker 2: We don't want to reckon with that Grandma and them 424 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:54,840 Speaker 2: was real wrong about this, that this isn't right. And 425 00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:56,600 Speaker 2: we also don't want to be the ones to have 426 00:24:56,640 --> 00:25:01,399 Speaker 2: those conversations. And it's about that self work that people 427 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:02,440 Speaker 2: just aren't willing to do. 428 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:04,639 Speaker 3: That's so powerful. 429 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:07,840 Speaker 1: Yes, like, there were so many amazing points in there, 430 00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:10,400 Speaker 1: and there's a couple of things that I want to 431 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:13,119 Speaker 1: circle back to. So one of the things that I 432 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:18,359 Speaker 1: want to circle back to is about the conversations. Right, So, 433 00:25:19,119 --> 00:25:24,720 Speaker 1: how do we go about having those conversations? Right, let's 434 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:29,280 Speaker 1: say hypothetically, because we all know somebody in our life 435 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:34,400 Speaker 1: who is homophobic or transphobic, right, absolutely, how do we 436 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:39,960 Speaker 1: go about having those conversations with them with that person? 437 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:45,200 Speaker 3: Wow, that is a layered question and answer. 438 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:51,119 Speaker 2: I think it's important for me to say this that 439 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 2: if you are sis gender, if you're not visibly LGBT, 440 00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:58,679 Speaker 2: please don't front about what. 441 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:00,840 Speaker 3: Other cis hetero people say about us. 442 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:04,440 Speaker 2: Don't pretend like it don't come up, don't pretend like 443 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:09,400 Speaker 2: rude things don't get said, don't pretend very deep, hurtful 444 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:13,399 Speaker 2: things don't get said. Don't front because we all know, 445 00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:17,360 Speaker 2: and let's not act like folks ain't bold about it 446 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:24,000 Speaker 2: that folks were transphobia and homophobia proudly. Actually they actually 447 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:30,520 Speaker 2: stand in being heterosexual stronger by being very homophobic, being 448 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:31,520 Speaker 2: very transphobic. 449 00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:32,440 Speaker 1: Right. 450 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:37,480 Speaker 2: There are studies that say that the definition of heterosexuality 451 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:43,359 Speaker 2: is more the absence of homosexuality right, that homosexuality existed first, 452 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:46,560 Speaker 2: and that so much of the heterosexual identity is tied. 453 00:26:46,359 --> 00:26:49,000 Speaker 3: Up in not being homosexual right. 454 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:51,119 Speaker 2: And so I think this kind of ties in what 455 00:26:51,119 --> 00:26:55,880 Speaker 2: we're talking about with conversations is that let's not front 456 00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:59,440 Speaker 2: about what people believe in say, and let's not act 457 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:03,480 Speaker 2: like there are aren't opportunities to check folks right where 458 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:04,360 Speaker 2: they're at. 459 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:06,280 Speaker 3: And I don't think you need a. 460 00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:08,439 Speaker 2: Bunch of information and a whole lot of books and 461 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:14,840 Speaker 2: all this stuff because it's coming up because it's existed, right. 462 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:16,760 Speaker 3: People act like, you know, there's. 463 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:18,639 Speaker 2: All this new fangled and all this none of this 464 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:22,439 Speaker 2: stuff is deal. It's been going on. It's just that 465 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:25,480 Speaker 2: same erasure in our families, pretending that it ain't there 466 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:27,720 Speaker 2: until it bothers you and you want to say something hurtfect. 467 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:36,520 Speaker 2: And so I think the how is about seizing the moment, 468 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,200 Speaker 2: you know, kind of what's going on around us when 469 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:43,639 Speaker 2: those things come up. We need folks to stand strong 470 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:47,000 Speaker 2: and like this isn't right. I was recently having a 471 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:51,120 Speaker 2: conversation saying like how, you know, like I almost don't 472 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:55,159 Speaker 2: know any CIS gender, CIS hetero people that are just 473 00:27:55,240 --> 00:28:00,080 Speaker 2: like really forward about supporting trends people I don't know, 474 00:28:01,119 --> 00:28:03,919 Speaker 2: and I think the reason is because they fear what 475 00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:07,160 Speaker 2: people will think about them if they go too hard 476 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:10,960 Speaker 2: for it, And then that should also raise up questions 477 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:15,120 Speaker 2: for yourself right there. That's an issue. So I think 478 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:17,320 Speaker 2: that when those offensive things come. 479 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:21,359 Speaker 3: Up, you have to say something. You have to be bold. 480 00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:23,560 Speaker 2: And I think we have to know that it ain't 481 00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:27,560 Speaker 2: gonna take one conversation. We deep up into white supremacy 482 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:30,200 Speaker 2: conversations in years and years. We bout four five hundred 483 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:33,679 Speaker 2: to have many years and and folks think, like I 484 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:36,520 Speaker 2: had my one conversation about trans people and it was 485 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:38,760 Speaker 2: real uncomfortable, and I'm good, y'all heard what I thought 486 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:40,400 Speaker 2: about it. We're good on that, right. I know what 487 00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:43,840 Speaker 2: I think. Okay, I'm gonna be quiet now. You know 488 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:46,920 Speaker 2: that's not what it is. It's gonna take a lot 489 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:51,520 Speaker 2: of repetition, which is what learning is. Repetition, repetition of 490 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:57,600 Speaker 2: the truth that black trans folk are black folks, point blank, period, 491 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:03,680 Speaker 2: and that any liberal ideas without black trans people, black 492 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:08,880 Speaker 2: LGTBT people, it's not liberation work for black people. It's 493 00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:13,000 Speaker 2: separating out who deserves and who doesn't. And us being 494 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:16,120 Speaker 2: re entrenched in those patterns of white spency. So had 495 00:29:16,120 --> 00:29:22,280 Speaker 2: a conversation or get out the way. Okay, So we 496 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:27,040 Speaker 2: have to have the conversations. Okay, Now, how do we 497 00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:33,520 Speaker 2: have those conversations with our friends and family that are 498 00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:36,520 Speaker 2: entrenched in religion, because that's one of the things, like 499 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:40,280 Speaker 2: you mentioned that earlier about how our religion has played 500 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:46,280 Speaker 2: a role in homophobia and transphobia, and so how do 501 00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:50,320 Speaker 2: we engage in those conversations with our friends and family 502 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:56,000 Speaker 2: that will try to invoke religion into the conversation. I 503 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:59,360 Speaker 2: think a lot of this is of course, reminding us 504 00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:02,640 Speaker 2: to do our research and understand a lot about the 505 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:06,640 Speaker 2: religions that we are putting these ideas out and that 506 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:11,240 Speaker 2: we are in a white supremac system. We're in the West. 507 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:16,720 Speaker 2: It's a westernized situation, right. Christianity is originally a Eastern 508 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:20,800 Speaker 2: religion from Ethiopia, and that a lot of the ideas 509 00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:24,600 Speaker 2: that we understand now we're talking about through years and 510 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:28,400 Speaker 2: years of translation meetings and changings and things like that. 511 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:31,080 Speaker 2: When it comes to our religion, we have to know 512 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:33,320 Speaker 2: that there are a lot of harmful ideas that we've 513 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:37,080 Speaker 2: carried with those translations, Right, especially once it got translated 514 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:39,760 Speaker 2: into English, especially when white people got a hold of 515 00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:42,120 Speaker 2: it and started using it as a tool of oppression. 516 00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:47,120 Speaker 2: And so once we can tap into that truth, and 517 00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:48,640 Speaker 2: I think most black. 518 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 3: Religious folks can get with that truth. 519 00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:53,239 Speaker 2: And I think what might be hard about that is 520 00:30:53,280 --> 00:30:58,440 Speaker 2: that that also alludes to some other traditional ideas they're 521 00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:02,280 Speaker 2: entrenched in, right. And I think that's the fear a 522 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:06,080 Speaker 2: lot of times with having this conversation and shaking the 523 00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:10,040 Speaker 2: table with religious folks is that if they could come 524 00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:12,960 Speaker 2: to understand that a lot of these harmful ideas are 525 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:16,239 Speaker 2: oppressing other black people, that they would also come to 526 00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:19,400 Speaker 2: understand themselves in a different way, and that it would 527 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:21,720 Speaker 2: shake a lot of the other traditional ideas they have 528 00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:24,360 Speaker 2: about themselves and about other people that they love. 529 00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:26,560 Speaker 3: Right. And I think we have to. 530 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:31,200 Speaker 2: Just remember that religion and the texts of any kind, right, 531 00:31:31,280 --> 00:31:35,480 Speaker 2: not just Christianity, involve a lot of context, a lot 532 00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:36,160 Speaker 2: of nuance. 533 00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:36,520 Speaker 3: Right. 534 00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:40,160 Speaker 2: We have to remember that these weren't just like isolated 535 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:44,800 Speaker 2: events and stories like these are real people, right, These 536 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:49,160 Speaker 2: are historical implications that we're talking about here, and that 537 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:51,800 Speaker 2: we have to remember for the time we're in now. 538 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:54,440 Speaker 3: Whatever religious views you have that. 539 00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:58,120 Speaker 2: If they are the oppression and the thorn in the 540 00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:01,720 Speaker 2: side of any people's then there's a problem there. And 541 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:05,280 Speaker 2: there's something hypocritical about what your religion says and how 542 00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:07,920 Speaker 2: it is in practice, right, And I think we have 543 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:10,840 Speaker 2: to challenge each other on that in general. 544 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:16,000 Speaker 1: Cool. I think that's going to be hard for a 545 00:32:16,040 --> 00:32:23,480 Speaker 1: lot of people, a lot of people not saying that 546 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:24,640 Speaker 1: they shouldn't do the work. 547 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:30,680 Speaker 3: But isn't self work the hardest work? 548 00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:31,320 Speaker 1: Right? 549 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:32,280 Speaker 3: It is? 550 00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:37,200 Speaker 2: We can all agree that it's that self work that 551 00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:40,640 Speaker 2: just really hits hard that we don't always talk about. 552 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:44,040 Speaker 2: We like to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, 553 00:32:44,200 --> 00:32:45,760 Speaker 2: and we can see everybody else. 554 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:48,280 Speaker 3: We can see everybody else. 555 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:53,440 Speaker 2: And I read this in a book recently about radical honesty. 556 00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:56,800 Speaker 2: How are you being radically honest? And what that really 557 00:32:56,840 --> 00:32:59,240 Speaker 2: means is what are those small things that you lie 558 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:02,600 Speaker 2: to yourself others about all the time, and how do 559 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:06,000 Speaker 2: those things manifest this fear? And how does that fear 560 00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:09,840 Speaker 2: turn into projection, and how does that projection turn into 561 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:13,640 Speaker 2: control of other people? And then that judgment if they 562 00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:17,840 Speaker 2: deserve to be here or not right levels to how 563 00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:20,960 Speaker 2: we get here, And it does start at that self work. 564 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:22,160 Speaker 3: It really does. 565 00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:26,280 Speaker 5: Now, Aaron, I want to ask a question, and feel 566 00:33:26,280 --> 00:33:29,560 Speaker 5: free to correct me if this question is not presented 567 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:31,760 Speaker 5: in the best way considering what we're talking about now, 568 00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:35,720 Speaker 5: I think about people that will say they don't understand 569 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:39,520 Speaker 5: or they don't agree right. And the question that I 570 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:42,080 Speaker 5: have is is there a world Is there a space 571 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:47,280 Speaker 5: that exists where someone can understand that black lives matter, 572 00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:53,640 Speaker 5: which includes black, translves black LGBTQ lives. And even though 573 00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:57,560 Speaker 5: this person may not understand or agree with this because 574 00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:00,400 Speaker 5: of their religion, because of what they were taught, is 575 00:34:00,440 --> 00:34:03,160 Speaker 5: there still a place for them to still be an 576 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:06,400 Speaker 5: advocate and ally instead? Is that is that possible for 577 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:07,760 Speaker 5: that to coexist for some people? 578 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:10,960 Speaker 2: Ooh, that's a tough one, and I think this is 579 00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:11,759 Speaker 2: gonna be rough for. 580 00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:12,520 Speaker 3: Some folks to hear. 581 00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:15,640 Speaker 2: Doctor Angela David says something in her live stream the 582 00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:19,640 Speaker 2: other day that I thought was very powerful, and she said, 583 00:34:20,160 --> 00:34:22,960 Speaker 2: there are certainly some black folks that I don't want 584 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:23,560 Speaker 2: to align with. 585 00:34:24,320 --> 00:34:27,840 Speaker 3: And I think that I was very taken back, and 586 00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:28,640 Speaker 3: I know how. 587 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:32,960 Speaker 2: Radical she is, but as a young black lgbt person, 588 00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:38,680 Speaker 2: I felt her deeply, and so I think that I 589 00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:41,319 Speaker 2: have to step back sometimes when people are talking about well, 590 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:42,680 Speaker 2: I just don't agree with that. 591 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:45,760 Speaker 3: This is the thing. You don't really have. 592 00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:49,480 Speaker 2: That power, and that I'm taking that back. And that's 593 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:54,040 Speaker 2: what the trans community is saying. We're saying, I'm not 594 00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:57,560 Speaker 2: giving you the power to accept or tolerate me. You 595 00:34:57,640 --> 00:35:02,600 Speaker 2: will respect me or get out the And I think 596 00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:05,120 Speaker 2: that's all it is to it, right. I think that 597 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:10,640 Speaker 2: because again earlier doctor Bruce had alluded to a statistic 598 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:14,160 Speaker 2: of ninety percent, right, and that statistic doesn't go into 599 00:35:14,239 --> 00:35:17,759 Speaker 2: the deepness of who is perpetuating these murders and these 600 00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:20,000 Speaker 2: harmful things that are happening, right, And we know that 601 00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:21,440 Speaker 2: a lot of it is our skin folk. 602 00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:22,560 Speaker 3: We've seen that. 603 00:35:22,719 --> 00:35:27,080 Speaker 2: Now, we saw you know, Eanna Dior get get jumped. 604 00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:30,680 Speaker 2: You know well, from what I understand, was going to 605 00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:35,440 Speaker 2: a protest situation, right, was supposed to be a unity situation. 606 00:35:36,120 --> 00:35:38,959 Speaker 2: And after seeing that, I talked to some young trans 607 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:40,920 Speaker 2: people who said, I ain't going out there marching for 608 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:44,839 Speaker 2: no black men. Look what they do, right. They were 609 00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:46,920 Speaker 2: very honest about it. I'm not going out there. 610 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:49,800 Speaker 3: We know what it means for us, right. 611 00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:56,040 Speaker 2: And I think that, unfortunately, because the situation is so 612 00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:01,040 Speaker 2: desperate for young trans people life or death. I think 613 00:36:01,080 --> 00:36:02,600 Speaker 2: they ain't even thinking about it. If you want to 614 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:06,719 Speaker 2: be an ally or not, this is survival, which is 615 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:10,960 Speaker 2: exactly why the attitude is. You don't get to accept 616 00:36:11,040 --> 00:36:15,239 Speaker 2: or tolerate me. You will respect me and my experience 617 00:36:15,239 --> 00:36:17,959 Speaker 2: in my existence, or you can get out the way 618 00:36:18,600 --> 00:36:21,600 Speaker 2: and that we're not looking to liign ourselves with folks 619 00:36:22,080 --> 00:36:24,719 Speaker 2: that are killing us and rightfully sup. 620 00:36:25,239 --> 00:36:32,239 Speaker 1: And so then for those of us who do respect 621 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:38,359 Speaker 1: the trans community and want to be advocates, like so, 622 00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:42,280 Speaker 1: taking it a step beyond being an ally but being 623 00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:46,319 Speaker 1: an advocate, what does that look like? 624 00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:50,839 Speaker 2: I've thought hard about this because the needs the list 625 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:55,400 Speaker 2: is so long, but I would say beyond. 626 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:58,760 Speaker 3: Just the simple educate yourself, right, I think beyond. 627 00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:01,799 Speaker 1: That, right, because that's what an would do, right right. 628 00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:07,080 Speaker 2: I think beyond just educating yourself in this capitalistic system, 629 00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:12,120 Speaker 2: young black trans people need folks to open up their 630 00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:16,240 Speaker 2: hearts in their wallets. One and when I say hearts, 631 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:19,120 Speaker 2: and while it's what I'm saying is as I said 632 00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:21,280 Speaker 2: earlier that a lot of the young black trans people 633 00:37:21,320 --> 00:37:24,840 Speaker 2: are often talking about relationships, often talking about needing community 634 00:37:24,880 --> 00:37:28,600 Speaker 2: and not having it not having spaces for themselves just 635 00:37:28,640 --> 00:37:31,200 Speaker 2: to be able to exist, not having just a space 636 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:35,040 Speaker 2: to feel safe amongst their own and that black folks 637 00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:40,040 Speaker 2: should start creating spaces for that trans exclusive spaces, because 638 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:41,799 Speaker 2: we actually are living in a time where many of 639 00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:45,760 Speaker 2: the trans spaces are disappearing, many of the LGBT spaces 640 00:37:45,760 --> 00:37:46,839 Speaker 2: are disappearing, and. 641 00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:51,400 Speaker 3: For certain the black LGBT places are disappearing. 642 00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:56,400 Speaker 2: It's almost always integrated everybody party now, that's the push 643 00:37:56,440 --> 00:38:00,640 Speaker 2: these days, and unfortunately we still need to just hold 644 00:38:00,680 --> 00:38:04,359 Speaker 2: space for this community where they feel safe around their 645 00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:06,799 Speaker 2: brothers and sisters, because we know how dangerous is it 646 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:10,560 Speaker 2: is otherwise. And so I would challenge black folks who 647 00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:14,120 Speaker 2: want to be an advocate that after they've done their research, 648 00:38:14,840 --> 00:38:18,160 Speaker 2: that they look into those grassroots organizations that are doing 649 00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:21,640 Speaker 2: the work. That there are homes group owns, there are 650 00:38:21,719 --> 00:38:22,759 Speaker 2: trans people. 651 00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:26,560 Speaker 3: With funds online. I follow one on Instagram. It's called 652 00:38:26,600 --> 00:38:27,400 Speaker 3: for the Girls. 653 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:30,439 Speaker 2: You know, all they do all day long is talk 654 00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:33,399 Speaker 2: about trans women who are in desperate situation that need 655 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:37,359 Speaker 2: your money right now, that it's always urgent, and look 656 00:38:37,400 --> 00:38:40,400 Speaker 2: into give it into those situations. I think we often 657 00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:44,160 Speaker 2: just get caught up in big name organizations, and we 658 00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:47,200 Speaker 2: tell ourselves we feel good about that, right, go a 659 00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:51,560 Speaker 2: little deeper form some relationships. I think one of the 660 00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:54,160 Speaker 2: biggest things for the young trans people in my space 661 00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:58,520 Speaker 2: is to experience relationships that they did not think were 662 00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:02,880 Speaker 2: possible for people who care and who empathize and who 663 00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:05,440 Speaker 2: will listen to them. I think that's what it is. 664 00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:08,440 Speaker 2: It's really putting your feet on the ground. Not just 665 00:39:08,480 --> 00:39:12,879 Speaker 2: having those conversations with your family, but going into those communities, 666 00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:17,319 Speaker 2: talking to those people, seeing what's up, what's going on, 667 00:39:18,040 --> 00:39:19,840 Speaker 2: the same things that we're saying that we would like 668 00:39:19,880 --> 00:39:23,120 Speaker 2: folks to do with the black community at large in general. 669 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:25,840 Speaker 3: Get in there, put your feet on the ground. 670 00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:30,839 Speaker 2: Love your people, feed folk, you know, dance with them, 671 00:39:31,239 --> 00:39:35,560 Speaker 2: feel good with them, feel good together, experience black joy together, 672 00:39:37,120 --> 00:39:37,319 Speaker 2: you know. 673 00:39:37,440 --> 00:39:38,080 Speaker 3: Soak it up. 674 00:39:38,640 --> 00:39:43,200 Speaker 2: These things are very important because trans people very much 675 00:39:43,239 --> 00:39:47,560 Speaker 2: so crave these things, need these things, and certainly from 676 00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:50,120 Speaker 2: black folk, certainly from black folk. 677 00:39:50,960 --> 00:39:54,640 Speaker 1: As you're saying that it sounds like the things that 678 00:39:55,600 --> 00:40:00,399 Speaker 1: are needed. What's so astounding to me is that these 679 00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:07,840 Speaker 1: are the These are everyday things that we all want, Yes, 680 00:40:07,960 --> 00:40:12,840 Speaker 1: and most of us have the privilege of having easy 681 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:17,480 Speaker 1: access to and so I find myself feeling so heartbroken 682 00:40:18,120 --> 00:40:22,239 Speaker 1: that when you know, I ask about being an advocate, 683 00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:27,560 Speaker 1: that an advocate really is about basic human rights. 684 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:31,000 Speaker 2: I think again, it just goes back to some of 685 00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:35,520 Speaker 2: those alarming figures about black trans youth and black trans 686 00:40:35,560 --> 00:40:39,200 Speaker 2: people in general, and that they are living lives without 687 00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:42,640 Speaker 2: those basic things that we need. That they're often in 688 00:40:42,680 --> 00:40:48,120 Speaker 2: situations where, if they aren't kicked out, being held hostage. Right, 689 00:40:48,160 --> 00:40:51,160 Speaker 2: you have families that don't always kick trans folks out, 690 00:40:51,200 --> 00:40:54,719 Speaker 2: but keep them close so they can't fully experience themselves 691 00:40:54,760 --> 00:40:59,320 Speaker 2: in that way. Again, you know, just somewhere to stay, 692 00:40:59,560 --> 00:41:03,359 Speaker 2: somewhere love exists, small things that you can do being 693 00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:04,040 Speaker 2: an advocate. 694 00:41:04,320 --> 00:41:07,120 Speaker 3: You know, I don't want that it's come off the wrong. 695 00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:09,680 Speaker 2: Way, but I think I could actually ask, like, how 696 00:41:09,719 --> 00:41:14,319 Speaker 2: many folks who are not trands are in those circles 697 00:41:14,600 --> 00:41:15,880 Speaker 2: are hearing those stories? 698 00:41:16,520 --> 00:41:17,720 Speaker 1: That's an important question. 699 00:41:17,960 --> 00:41:18,839 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that. 700 00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:20,960 Speaker 2: And this is not me saying go out and say like, oh, 701 00:41:20,960 --> 00:41:22,960 Speaker 2: I have a trans friend. You know, I'm advocated, and 702 00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:29,600 Speaker 2: I ain't saying that. What I'm saying is, let's not 703 00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:33,759 Speaker 2: be performative, Let's not perform it, and let's be real 704 00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:37,600 Speaker 2: and ask yourself about your circle, your community and who's 705 00:41:37,640 --> 00:41:40,960 Speaker 2: there and who's not and why. 706 00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:42,960 Speaker 1: Not? 707 00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:45,000 Speaker 3: Just what why? Well? 708 00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:50,680 Speaker 1: I think I know we are definitely going to have 709 00:41:50,719 --> 00:41:57,080 Speaker 1: a list of organizations in our show notes that people 710 00:41:57,120 --> 00:41:59,080 Speaker 1: can people can donate to. 711 00:42:00,120 --> 00:42:02,040 Speaker 3: Awesome, I got some great ones I can I can 712 00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:03,080 Speaker 3: type some out. 713 00:42:03,640 --> 00:42:05,080 Speaker 5: And Aaron, if you could just tell us a little 714 00:42:05,120 --> 00:42:08,000 Speaker 5: bit about your story and you know, how did you 715 00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:13,000 Speaker 5: even become this advocate, this ally, this pillar of strength 716 00:42:13,200 --> 00:42:15,800 Speaker 5: for lgbt Q youth. 717 00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:19,759 Speaker 2: So interestingly enough, I think a lot of my advocacy 718 00:42:19,840 --> 00:42:24,600 Speaker 2: works start at the church. I grew up in a 719 00:42:24,760 --> 00:42:28,239 Speaker 2: very pro black church. They took me to see Amistade 720 00:42:28,239 --> 00:42:30,800 Speaker 2: when I was nine years old and they're crying like 721 00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:34,239 Speaker 2: a baby, but they were very forward about blackness right 722 00:42:34,800 --> 00:42:38,680 Speaker 2: and early on in my life. I think internally, I 723 00:42:38,760 --> 00:42:41,480 Speaker 2: asked myself questions about a lot of my favorite black heroes, 724 00:42:41,480 --> 00:42:42,120 Speaker 2: and I think at the. 725 00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:45,439 Speaker 3: Top of the list for me was if they would accept. 726 00:42:45,080 --> 00:42:49,480 Speaker 2: Someone like me because I fall under the LGBT umbrella. 727 00:42:49,680 --> 00:42:53,080 Speaker 2: I identify as non binary, which means someone who does 728 00:42:53,160 --> 00:42:56,440 Speaker 2: not buy into the gender binary of male or female, 729 00:42:57,160 --> 00:42:59,879 Speaker 2: or any binaries for that matter, and so I think 730 00:42:59,880 --> 00:43:02,640 Speaker 2: I always struggled with that, and I think that my 731 00:43:02,760 --> 00:43:05,759 Speaker 2: pro blackness and the things that I understood about that 732 00:43:05,800 --> 00:43:08,800 Speaker 2: and the way I was raised propelled me to attend 733 00:43:08,960 --> 00:43:15,400 Speaker 2: college at HBCUs, where I experienced many, many hurtful things 734 00:43:15,960 --> 00:43:21,560 Speaker 2: when it came to sexual orientation and gender specifically. 735 00:43:21,960 --> 00:43:25,680 Speaker 3: That I was, you know, threatened. I had someone break 736 00:43:25,680 --> 00:43:30,040 Speaker 3: into my home, threatened me, and a lot of their. 737 00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:34,360 Speaker 2: Language was around me being being gay. Things like that. 738 00:43:34,880 --> 00:43:38,600 Speaker 2: Just experienced many things at my first HBCU and my 739 00:43:38,800 --> 00:43:43,359 Speaker 2: second HBCU. I wouldn't say that I experienced moment like that. 740 00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:45,600 Speaker 2: I would say that it would be things like I 741 00:43:45,719 --> 00:43:48,799 Speaker 2: was in the lobby and someone would just make sure 742 00:43:48,840 --> 00:43:53,600 Speaker 2: to bring up how things are different now and homosexuality is. 743 00:43:53,560 --> 00:43:56,160 Speaker 3: Wrong, and you know, they bring up the Bible. 744 00:43:56,400 --> 00:43:59,960 Speaker 2: And this is a common theme at universities in general, 745 00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:04,000 Speaker 2: because I think most universities are founded in conservative views. 746 00:44:04,880 --> 00:44:09,279 Speaker 2: And then I chose to leave Texas and pursue a 747 00:44:09,320 --> 00:44:15,000 Speaker 2: grad program in California, which was not an HBCU and 748 00:44:15,040 --> 00:44:18,880 Speaker 2: where I was isolated because of my race, and so 749 00:44:19,000 --> 00:44:23,239 Speaker 2: here I am a young young student struggling with this 750 00:44:23,320 --> 00:44:29,719 Speaker 2: intersection of my gender identity presentation, and then also my 751 00:44:29,840 --> 00:44:33,200 Speaker 2: race where I couldn't quite find a spot where I 752 00:44:33,200 --> 00:44:36,600 Speaker 2: felt comfortable and I felt really good, where I couldn't 753 00:44:36,840 --> 00:44:40,680 Speaker 2: quite come into myself, and this caused me to kind 754 00:44:40,680 --> 00:44:44,040 Speaker 2: of step back from that, really kind of dig in deep, 755 00:44:44,040 --> 00:44:45,520 Speaker 2: and I think a lot of what I was struggling 756 00:44:45,560 --> 00:44:50,760 Speaker 2: with was non binary iness, transness, understanding myself. 757 00:44:50,600 --> 00:44:51,600 Speaker 3: In the world around me. 758 00:44:52,280 --> 00:44:57,239 Speaker 2: From there, I moved home and then move right back 759 00:44:57,239 --> 00:45:01,920 Speaker 2: to California and jumped in doing nonprofit LGBT work. 760 00:45:02,520 --> 00:45:04,440 Speaker 3: And I've been on that ever since. 761 00:45:05,160 --> 00:45:08,040 Speaker 2: I've worked with young people between the ages of three 762 00:45:08,120 --> 00:45:10,880 Speaker 2: and twenty four. One of my youngest clients actually was 763 00:45:10,920 --> 00:45:13,440 Speaker 2: a young man who was six years old, and I 764 00:45:13,480 --> 00:45:16,120 Speaker 2: was assigned to him specifically because he was struggling with 765 00:45:16,160 --> 00:45:17,160 Speaker 2: things around gender. 766 00:45:17,719 --> 00:45:20,200 Speaker 3: And then when I met the young man, I realized 767 00:45:20,200 --> 00:45:22,879 Speaker 3: that a lot of what they were, what the struggle was, was. 768 00:45:22,840 --> 00:45:27,560 Speaker 2: That his grandmother was very religious, and that he liked 769 00:45:27,600 --> 00:45:30,799 Speaker 2: things that they didn't really approve of him liking. He 770 00:45:30,880 --> 00:45:34,120 Speaker 2: wasn't really good at basketball and things like that, and 771 00:45:34,440 --> 00:45:36,959 Speaker 2: he liked female rappers, and. 772 00:45:36,640 --> 00:45:39,480 Speaker 3: There were these things about him where I started understanding 773 00:45:39,600 --> 00:45:42,359 Speaker 3: why they had assigned me to him, and. 774 00:45:41,920 --> 00:45:44,319 Speaker 2: I think one of the most impactful things about all 775 00:45:44,320 --> 00:45:47,520 Speaker 2: of it was for me as a worker. Wow, Like, 776 00:45:48,320 --> 00:45:50,600 Speaker 2: this kid's going to grow up and a lot of 777 00:45:50,640 --> 00:45:53,680 Speaker 2: who he is. They want me to kind of strip 778 00:45:53,760 --> 00:45:57,120 Speaker 2: him of that, and they just want me as a 779 00:45:57,160 --> 00:46:00,279 Speaker 2: presence to keep him comfortable as I'm doing that, and 780 00:46:00,320 --> 00:46:03,160 Speaker 2: I kind of stepped back again. And then when I 781 00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:07,600 Speaker 2: started working with some of the older youth, I just realized, Wow, 782 00:46:07,680 --> 00:46:10,040 Speaker 2: this kind of goes back to that young man where 783 00:46:10,080 --> 00:46:15,160 Speaker 2: it starts so young, where young Black LGBT people are 784 00:46:15,239 --> 00:46:19,440 Speaker 2: told to not be themselves, are sent mixed messages, and 785 00:46:19,520 --> 00:46:21,440 Speaker 2: I think I would send some of those mixed messages 786 00:46:21,520 --> 00:46:25,000 Speaker 2: right the people that I know love me send me 787 00:46:25,080 --> 00:46:30,160 Speaker 2: mixed messages about myself because it's hard to hear folks 788 00:46:30,160 --> 00:46:32,759 Speaker 2: say I love you but also don't be you. So 789 00:46:32,840 --> 00:46:35,000 Speaker 2: it's a tough thing for a young person. And so 790 00:46:35,040 --> 00:46:39,759 Speaker 2: I pretty much dedicated myself around youth because these age 791 00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:43,000 Speaker 2: rangers that I'm talking about are spaces that we really 792 00:46:43,040 --> 00:46:46,839 Speaker 2: can capture young folks and make the biggest impact. That's 793 00:46:46,880 --> 00:46:51,360 Speaker 2: where I am now continuing that work and moving forward 794 00:46:51,480 --> 00:46:54,239 Speaker 2: with working on writing a collection of essays right now, 795 00:46:54,280 --> 00:46:57,000 Speaker 2: and it's called Everything in between, I'm going to talk 796 00:46:57,000 --> 00:47:01,080 Speaker 2: a lot about those nuances about LGBT people and everything 797 00:47:01,120 --> 00:47:05,040 Speaker 2: between those letters, everything and we don't talk about the 798 00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:07,799 Speaker 2: spectrums of things that we don't talk about and the 799 00:47:07,840 --> 00:47:09,759 Speaker 2: way all these things come together and a lot of 800 00:47:09,760 --> 00:47:11,200 Speaker 2: people's experiences. 801 00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:12,640 Speaker 3: So I'm hoping to. 802 00:47:12,560 --> 00:47:17,719 Speaker 2: Get that out in twenty twenty one Covid willing if 803 00:47:17,719 --> 00:47:22,160 Speaker 2: I can't, Darin, that. 804 00:47:22,160 --> 00:47:25,000 Speaker 6: Was a powerful story number one, And I'm sitting here thinking, 805 00:47:25,239 --> 00:47:27,560 Speaker 6: so you was just gonna let us leave without telling 806 00:47:27,640 --> 00:47:30,239 Speaker 6: us that amazing story, Like, come on, now, that was 807 00:47:30,440 --> 00:47:33,000 Speaker 6: I mean, it was so moving, and I'm just very 808 00:47:33,280 --> 00:47:35,520 Speaker 6: empathetic about your experience. And I think one thing that 809 00:47:35,560 --> 00:47:38,360 Speaker 6: you said that really was just like damn when you 810 00:47:38,400 --> 00:47:41,880 Speaker 6: said you know, I love you, but don't be you 811 00:47:42,080 --> 00:47:43,040 Speaker 6: or something along. 812 00:47:42,760 --> 00:47:45,240 Speaker 5: Those lines, and it's just like, h let's just punch 813 00:47:45,280 --> 00:47:47,160 Speaker 5: to the chest, you know, and even about the young 814 00:47:47,640 --> 00:47:50,719 Speaker 5: student that you worked with. And so we appreciate you, 815 00:47:51,040 --> 00:47:53,319 Speaker 5: We appreciate you educating all of. 816 00:47:53,320 --> 00:47:54,960 Speaker 3: Us and so much. 817 00:47:55,320 --> 00:47:58,960 Speaker 6: Yes, yes, we're so grateful, and we would love to 818 00:47:59,280 --> 00:48:02,120 Speaker 6: end our conversation on a positive note. 819 00:48:02,120 --> 00:48:03,359 Speaker 5: And so we want to shift up the. 820 00:48:03,360 --> 00:48:08,240 Speaker 6: Energy just a little bit on the podcast and because 821 00:48:08,239 --> 00:48:11,520 Speaker 6: we recognize, appreciate, and celebrate the multi faceted woman, and 822 00:48:11,560 --> 00:48:13,760 Speaker 6: we believe that it's okay to be classy and ratchet. 823 00:48:14,040 --> 00:48:17,880 Speaker 3: That's just how we do. Okay, we can still. 824 00:48:17,719 --> 00:48:19,840 Speaker 5: Be elegant and dance the strip club music. 825 00:48:20,400 --> 00:48:23,640 Speaker 6: You want to invite you, okay, to the oh U 826 00:48:23,760 --> 00:48:28,240 Speaker 6: clatchet segment? So Aaron's take on the challenge. 827 00:48:28,800 --> 00:48:30,759 Speaker 2: I don't know what that means, but I'm all for 828 00:48:30,920 --> 00:48:32,160 Speaker 2: the classy and the ratchets. 829 00:48:32,200 --> 00:48:36,120 Speaker 3: So I'm gonna take you. All right, We're ready, We're ready. 830 00:48:36,840 --> 00:48:41,120 Speaker 1: Okay. So our first question, what is the most spontaneous 831 00:48:41,160 --> 00:48:43,480 Speaker 1: thing you've ever done? Oh? 832 00:48:44,320 --> 00:48:53,600 Speaker 3: The most spontaneous one? Nice standing, We have. 833 00:48:53,719 --> 00:48:59,560 Speaker 6: Some very interesting Yeah, it was good. It's risky, yeah, 834 00:49:00,360 --> 00:49:01,240 Speaker 6: keeping it honest. 835 00:49:01,280 --> 00:49:01,719 Speaker 1: I love it. 836 00:49:01,760 --> 00:49:02,640 Speaker 3: I love it all. 837 00:49:02,600 --> 00:49:06,000 Speaker 6: Right, Aaron, what is your biggest pet peeve? I feel 838 00:49:06,000 --> 00:49:07,239 Speaker 6: like it's going to be a good one. What's your 839 00:49:07,239 --> 00:49:08,200 Speaker 6: biggest pet peeve? 840 00:49:09,000 --> 00:49:12,040 Speaker 2: That the person that emails you and then they reply 841 00:49:12,160 --> 00:49:13,960 Speaker 2: to all of them and they keep coming in. I 842 00:49:14,000 --> 00:49:19,640 Speaker 2: know that's like but like, wow, I heard it twenty times, 843 00:49:19,800 --> 00:49:22,120 Speaker 2: like wow, congratulations. 844 00:49:22,560 --> 00:49:26,879 Speaker 3: I don't know, right, and yes, like then I got 845 00:49:26,880 --> 00:49:29,480 Speaker 3: a sad shit I type congratulations to so everybody can 846 00:49:29,520 --> 00:49:31,960 Speaker 3: see it, you know, very annoying. 847 00:49:32,800 --> 00:49:39,440 Speaker 1: Yes, I love it. Okay, So what is your biggest 848 00:49:39,680 --> 00:49:40,640 Speaker 1: guilty pleasure? 849 00:49:41,640 --> 00:49:44,879 Speaker 2: Honestly, I really love when black women got the long 850 00:49:44,960 --> 00:49:47,160 Speaker 2: nails and they do the click clack when they're talking 851 00:49:47,160 --> 00:49:47,560 Speaker 2: to you. 852 00:49:52,280 --> 00:49:54,879 Speaker 3: I live for that. I live for the click clack 853 00:49:54,920 --> 00:49:55,960 Speaker 3: when you're talking to. 854 00:49:55,800 --> 00:50:00,720 Speaker 2: Me, like, wow, that's my tie, you know, like guilty 855 00:50:00,760 --> 00:50:05,719 Speaker 2: pleasure as hell. Okay, well clacking on me? 856 00:50:05,840 --> 00:50:09,960 Speaker 3: What's up? Okay? 857 00:50:10,360 --> 00:50:11,239 Speaker 1: All right, sorry y'all. 858 00:50:11,280 --> 00:50:13,080 Speaker 6: I had to mute myself because I was laughing too 859 00:50:13,120 --> 00:50:14,719 Speaker 6: obnoxiously loud for that one there. 860 00:50:14,719 --> 00:50:15,359 Speaker 3: And that was good? 861 00:50:19,320 --> 00:50:19,440 Speaker 1: Is it? 862 00:50:19,560 --> 00:50:20,040 Speaker 5: I turned on? 863 00:50:20,520 --> 00:50:27,960 Speaker 3: Yes, okay, I'm sorry. You just distracted. That's what came 864 00:50:28,000 --> 00:50:28,400 Speaker 3: to mind. 865 00:50:28,440 --> 00:50:31,200 Speaker 5: I love I just I just put your Cardi B's 866 00:50:31,239 --> 00:50:31,880 Speaker 5: long nails. 867 00:50:35,320 --> 00:50:36,040 Speaker 3: Oh my gosh. 868 00:50:36,120 --> 00:50:39,280 Speaker 5: Okay, let's see what's your favorite drink? 869 00:50:40,040 --> 00:50:42,680 Speaker 3: This is This is an adult podcast, right, this is wrong? 870 00:50:44,960 --> 00:50:49,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, so Hennessy straight straight up, Like I'm not a 871 00:50:49,680 --> 00:50:50,680 Speaker 2: mixed type person. 872 00:50:51,040 --> 00:50:54,200 Speaker 3: It's a Hennessy straight situation. I need it every time. 873 00:50:55,600 --> 00:50:58,320 Speaker 1: All right, we got honey on the menu, Okay. 874 00:50:58,440 --> 00:51:00,360 Speaker 3: To keep it anything as possible. 875 00:51:00,040 --> 00:51:05,480 Speaker 1: Absolutely, and I can imagine that anything is possible when 876 00:51:05,520 --> 00:51:10,040 Speaker 1: you hit the dance floor, so right, question when you 877 00:51:10,080 --> 00:51:12,239 Speaker 1: twerk or two steps? 878 00:51:13,040 --> 00:51:16,480 Speaker 2: So right now, I'm a mixture between the old uncle 879 00:51:16,520 --> 00:51:19,600 Speaker 2: two step and I do a little bit of the. 880 00:51:19,680 --> 00:51:23,239 Speaker 3: Tina from Bob's Burger's twerk. You know. It's like, yeah, 881 00:51:23,760 --> 00:51:25,799 Speaker 3: I gotta do the little back jerk a little bit 882 00:51:25,960 --> 00:51:31,160 Speaker 3: when it's getting good. Yeah, but I would say I'm 883 00:51:31,239 --> 00:51:34,040 Speaker 3: I'm a two steper. I'm a two step. 884 00:51:34,600 --> 00:51:36,359 Speaker 1: You got that honey in your cup and you got 885 00:51:36,400 --> 00:51:38,520 Speaker 1: that old that old uncle two step. 886 00:51:38,560 --> 00:51:42,759 Speaker 3: All right right, it's only right, right right. 887 00:51:44,280 --> 00:51:46,360 Speaker 5: This was so fun. Thank you so much, Aaron. 888 00:51:47,400 --> 00:51:49,839 Speaker 3: But shuh, I like that. 889 00:51:49,840 --> 00:51:53,160 Speaker 2: That's I'm normally not good at questions like that on 890 00:51:53,200 --> 00:51:53,680 Speaker 2: the spot. 891 00:51:55,080 --> 00:51:57,520 Speaker 1: That's what we love about this is that, like we 892 00:51:57,600 --> 00:52:01,920 Speaker 1: have gotten such a wide variety of answers, and everyone 893 00:52:02,080 --> 00:52:05,719 Speaker 1: has been just so willing to dive in and open 894 00:52:05,800 --> 00:52:07,680 Speaker 1: up in this way, and so we love doing this. 895 00:52:07,760 --> 00:52:13,960 Speaker 1: So thank you and thank you so much for being 896 00:52:13,960 --> 00:52:19,040 Speaker 1: willing to educate us and create help us to create 897 00:52:19,239 --> 00:52:22,960 Speaker 1: space to have this conversation, a much needed conversation. 898 00:52:23,480 --> 00:52:23,680 Speaker 3: Man. 899 00:52:23,760 --> 00:52:24,239 Speaker 1: Thank y'all. 900 00:52:24,280 --> 00:52:26,279 Speaker 2: I feel like y'all really made space for me to 901 00:52:26,320 --> 00:52:28,879 Speaker 2: just really get a lot of the young people's experiences 902 00:52:28,920 --> 00:52:30,240 Speaker 2: out here, and I really. 903 00:52:30,000 --> 00:52:30,799 Speaker 3: Do appreciate that. 904 00:52:30,880 --> 00:52:33,799 Speaker 2: I feel like it was very much so we're here 905 00:52:33,800 --> 00:52:37,200 Speaker 2: to listen situation, which is beautiful because a lot of 906 00:52:37,239 --> 00:52:40,000 Speaker 2: the times these young people, they don't their voices, won't 907 00:52:40,000 --> 00:52:41,960 Speaker 2: get out there, you know, the things that are happening 908 00:52:42,000 --> 00:52:44,799 Speaker 2: to them. We don't often have platforms and just let 909 00:52:44,800 --> 00:52:47,279 Speaker 2: it get out there. And I really appreciate y'all for that. 910 00:52:47,400 --> 00:52:50,480 Speaker 2: And it was it was a very emotionally charged conversation. 911 00:52:50,640 --> 00:52:55,160 Speaker 2: I felt it the entire time. Yeah, wow, Yeah, the 912 00:52:55,360 --> 00:52:57,800 Speaker 2: energy was just man, it was it was all so 913 00:52:58,719 --> 00:53:01,080 Speaker 2: you know, I felt that it was so close to us, 914 00:53:01,280 --> 00:53:01,680 Speaker 2: all of. 915 00:53:01,680 --> 00:53:05,120 Speaker 3: Us as we were talking about I really appreciate that. 916 00:53:08,640 --> 00:53:10,440 Speaker 6: I feel like we have to close out with a 917 00:53:10,480 --> 00:53:18,560 Speaker 6: group virtual hug. 918 00:53:19,840 --> 00:53:20,239 Speaker 3: For sure. 919 00:53:21,800 --> 00:53:24,880 Speaker 1: Hey lady, is doctor Dom here from the her Space podcast. 920 00:53:25,520 --> 00:53:27,560 Speaker 1: Do you have a burning question you're dying to get 921 00:53:27,560 --> 00:53:31,239 Speaker 1: feedback on? Do you want an unbiased perspective on a 922 00:53:31,280 --> 00:53:35,879 Speaker 1: situation you're facing? If so, visit her Space podcast dot 923 00:53:35,920 --> 00:53:40,280 Speaker 1: com and click ask doctor Dom under the start here option. 924 00:53:40,800 --> 00:53:43,560 Speaker 1: Every Tuesday, I'll choose a few questions and answer them 925 00:53:43,600 --> 00:53:48,080 Speaker 1: at random. Thanks for joining us today. In her Space. 926 00:53:48,719 --> 00:53:53,960 Speaker 1: Please note that our show may contain conversations about self help, advice, 927 00:53:54,440 --> 00:53:57,799 Speaker 1: self empowerment, and mental health, but it is by no 928 00:53:57,960 --> 00:54:01,240 Speaker 1: means meant to be a substitute for an ongoing formal 929 00:54:01,320 --> 00:54:06,000 Speaker 1: relationship with a trained mental health provider. If you are 930 00:54:06,040 --> 00:54:08,960 Speaker 1: someone you know is in need of mental health care, 931 00:54:09,440 --> 00:54:13,600 Speaker 1: please visit the Therapy for Black Girls directory Psychology Today 932 00:54:14,160 --> 00:54:16,080 Speaker 1: or contact your insurance provider. 933 00:54:16,600 --> 00:54:18,279 Speaker 4: If you liked what you heard and want to keep 934 00:54:18,320 --> 00:54:21,680 Speaker 4: the conversation going, connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and 935 00:54:21,800 --> 00:54:26,640 Speaker 4: Twitter at her Space podcast or check out our website 936 00:54:26,680 --> 00:54:30,920 Speaker 4: at herspacepodcast dot com. And before we meet again, repeat 937 00:54:31,000 --> 00:54:35,319 Speaker 4: after me, There's something inside of me that's bigger than 938 00:54:35,360 --> 00:54:36,239 Speaker 4: any obstacle. 939 00:54:37,200 --> 00:54:38,680 Speaker 1: We'll see you next week, Lady,