- 4 months ago
A timely conversation with Black transwomen discussing Black Trans rights in the AA community and what we can do to ensure All Black Lives Matter. Talking points to include: Black
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00:00Hello, everyone, and welcome to Real Talk, Confronting Prejudice Against the Black LGBTQIA
00:11Community. My name is Ian Field-Stewart. I use they, them, she, her pronouns, and I'm the Black
00:16queer trans feminine storyteller working at the intersection of theater and activism. So today's
00:22conversation is going to be all about, as it suggests in the title, Confronting Prejudice
00:26Against the Black LGBTQIA plus community, specifically Black trans women and folks. So joining me
00:33today is the Director of Engagement of the Human Rights Campaign, who has also worked at
00:38as a tireless health and equity consultant advocating specifically for transgender women and those
00:43living with HIV. Please welcome, Tori Cooper. Hi, thank you so much for having me. Oh my god, thank you for being here, dog. So next up, we have an actress,
00:53model and activist, world first fell in love when she put barriers on cycle 11 of America's next top
00:59model. Most recently, she shined with her groundbreaking role in Ava DuVernay's When They See Us. Please
01:04welcome Isis King. Hi. And finally, our final panelist is an actor, model, dancer, and activist who made
01:14history in 2017 as the first openly trans woman of color to appear in Vogue India. She recently wrapped
01:20filming on the feature Asking For It, opposite Kiersey Kimmons and Ezra Miller. Please welcome, Lena Bloom.
01:30Hello, come on, give us a profile. Come on, profile. Hello, ladies. How are you today?
01:36So good. So glad to have you all here. So I'm just going to jump right into it. So 2020 has been
01:45quite a year, and we've all been kind of going through it. And I'm sure that all of us have seen
01:50in various parts and pieces what's been happening in the world and how each of us has been interacting
01:55with it. So I think that just to start us off with kind of an introductory question, you know,
02:00what are three words that come to mind when you think about what your 2020 has been like as a Black trans
02:05woman navigating everything that's been going on? And why did you choose those three words?
02:14Okay, for me, it's been scary, confusing, and exciting. That's kind of a weird combination. I feel like
02:27with when they see us last year, I was so excited about this pilot season. Like, finally, I'm here all
02:34these years. And then a pandemic happened, you know, so juggling that, and also with the Black Lives
02:41Matter, and wanting to protest and be out there, but also being kind of nerve wracking to be around
02:48Black cis men as well, which is a whole nother conversation. It's been definitely a confusing
02:54time. But also opportunities have started to present theirself that wasn't there before the
03:01pandemic. Like, oh, snap, how can I make all this happen in the house? So it's been a mix of emotions,
03:09for sure. Absolutely. Absolutely. I really resonate with that. Tori, how about you? I'll pass it to
03:15you. So my three words would be extremely bipolar energy. I feel it. Okay. I feel it.
03:23So what ISIS said, you know, this year started off, I and folks in our community were more optimistic,
03:32I think, in many, many ways. We knew this was an election year, so we believed that 45 was going
03:37to be picked out. And, you know, opportunities and love and all that stuff started off so excited
03:45and optimistic at the beginning of the year. And then, and so you go from these extreme highs
03:54to being by yourself and being terribly, terribly lonely and isolating. And this, you don't know what
04:04energy to have. And then for some of us, our careers are going even higher in spite of a pandemic.
04:13And so we want to rejoice and be excited for our own progress, while at the same time understanding
04:20that it's not the same for our community, you know, and there are folks who are really suffering
04:25right now. Absolutely. Absolutely. Lena, how about you? I think the three words that I would have to
04:33choose would be perseverance, possibility, and patience. You know, we have been persevering for
04:43thousands and thousands of years. We have created possibilities throughout the few years that
04:50we have given the opportunity. And we have to be patient with ourselves, because there's still
04:55so much work to be done with what everything that we do and all the things that's going to happen
05:00with us. So, yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. Thank you for that. What are some of the hard
05:06conversations we're still avoiding having with each other as a culture? And what are some steps that
05:11we can take to begin breaking down those walls? And Ms. Tori, I'm going to start with you, because I
05:14know you have a fabulous answer for this. Well, thank you. Thank you again. And again, what an honor
05:19to be here today. I'd like to say that as trans folks, transmasculine folks, transfeminine folks,
05:26that we need to have autonomy over our bodies and our stories. I happen to be a dark chocolate,
05:33a stretch mark having, a love chunk having, trans woman. And I own all of that. And just because I
05:44am comfortable with my sexuality and my body and my body parts doesn't mean that I should be
05:49objectified in any way. And it is important for all folks, all queer folks, everybody, all folks who
05:58aren't queer and all folks who ain't queer, that we own our stories and our bodies. And we're able
06:03to move forward in a way that's productive. And that none of us are here for other people's disposal.
06:11Absolutely. Thank you so much for that. I so appreciate that answer. Yes. I just want to talk
06:17about they love chunks and they love stretch marks. I love it. I love it. I love it. They love the
06:21beautiful people. All right, Isis, what's your answer? Well, I had some love chunks at the beginning of
06:26quarantine, but unfortunately I'm one of those people that get stressed and don't really eat.
06:31So the little bit I had is gone. But I do want to say a hard conversation is hard to have is
06:39when we say black trans lives matter, right? When people hear that and within a community and they
06:46say, well, you know, that's what we mean when we say black lives matter. And it's like, no, because
06:51within a community, there's still so much prejudice happening. And, and it's hard for people to
06:57understand that we need to eliminate the toxic masculinity that happens within our community.
07:05Because from young ages, young boys are being disciplined for being feminine. And then they're
07:11also being disciplined for whoever they like, if it doesn't fit the mold of who they think a black man
07:17should be with. And I think that that's something that should be dismantled at a young age and family
07:23should be more accepting because once again, it would trickle down into a much, a much better
07:28livelihood for us in the future, us as adults, and also for men. They should be able to be celebrated
07:35no matter who they are, no matter who they love. And because of that, we will have better lives. So I
07:41think that's more conversations for me to have. And every time I try to have it, or I hear people have it,
07:46I hear, oh, they're trying to take the black man down. We're supposed to all be together. It's just
07:51like, yeah, we are. So why are you guys eliminating us from the conversation? And also why, if ever
07:58some one of us get killed, the conversation doesn't turn into the victim. It turns into, well, what did
08:03they do? Did they trick the man? Did they do this? Did they do that? The same thing that happens to
08:09black men when, or black people in general as a whole, when something happens outside of our race,
08:17when it's a race-related situation and, and we are minimized to our skin color. It's just like,
08:24do you guys not see that the same thing is happening to you? It's how you guys are doing to us
08:30as black trans women. And it's hard to have, as I know, like I get backlash sometimes for saying it,
08:38but it's a hard conversation. That's the reality. If that wasn't the case, then most of the trans,
08:44black trans women that are killed wouldn't be killed by black trans, by black men. So I think that we
08:49need to have those conversations more and you need to hold your brothers accountable. You need to hold
08:54your cousins, your uncles, your fathers accountable when they say something to the effect of harming
09:00us just simply by being in our feminine essence or masculine essence. However you present,
09:07you should not be reprimanded or bullied or harmed or killed simply by being who you are or loving who
09:13you love. I mean, I can't say it better than that. So period. What are some actionable next steps or
09:21words of encouragement that you want to give? You know, we kind of start with that,
09:24but like, you know, to other, you know, black and brown, you know, young people out there,
09:30today's generation who are kind of coming into this world, you know, I cannot really imagine what
09:35it is like to be growing up nowadays, you know, as like Gen X or Z or, you know, whoever you are
09:41these days, you know, and you're just, you're seeing so many, you're seeing ice, you're seeing
09:47Lena, you're seeing Tori, like, you know, you're seeing these folks out there. That's just, I can't
09:52imagine what that's like. So what are some, you know, actionable words or just like, you know,
09:55some words of encouragement that you would offer to those young people?
09:58Um, I think for me, like, I didn't see anyone on TV or in media. The only representation I had to
10:07like, hold on to was Octavia St. Laurent and Paris is Burning. And, and for me to see her,
10:14she only had a dream, you know, and I kind of went out there and kind of forged my own way. And
10:19not the curse, but that shit was hard. It's still hard. The moment has just now happened. And after me
10:24working so hard, trying to do this for like 12, 13 years, the moment is just now starting to happen.
10:30So I'm excited for the next generation because they're already doing what's right. They're
10:35already doing it. And they have so many of us to look up to. So it will be easier for them to say,
10:41I want to be actor. I want to be a writer. I want to be a model. I could be on the cover,
10:44like all these things that I was just trying to figure out, you know, like, can I do this,
10:49you know, and now it's happening. So I think each generation will continue to have it easier,
10:53but I never want them to forget how hard the generation before them worked and never take
11:00it for granted because it wasn't easy. And it might not be as so easy for them, but it will be
11:06easier. And as long as they continue to pay it forward, we can't lose. And I'm thankful for that.
11:15And it makes everything that I've done and all my struggles and all of my confusion and this industry
11:20worth it. Absolutely. Amazing. And so I second all of that. And I would stand up if I had on pants.
11:33But I will also add, I'd love to respectfully add. So I dare say that none of us transition to be
11:43trans. We transition to be women. And so for every person, every little trans kid, every little
11:50queer kid, every questioning kid, be true to who you are. I realized identifying as trans, when I
11:59realized that the crap that other folks were calling trans folks didn't apply to us, and that
12:05was their baggage, and it didn't have anything to do with us. And I started taking ownership over my
12:12trans identity. And when I realized that all of us play a role in making it better for each other,
12:18whatever your role is. You don't go to McDonald's, and everybody can't work the fire machine. Some
12:24people have to put the onions on the burger. I'm a big girl, so I'm going to go back to food.
12:30But whatever your role is, do your role well. Everybody wasn't intended to work with Ava DuVernay,
12:36and everyone wasn't intended to go to Cannes. So whatever it is that you do, do it well,
12:41do it with vigor, and do it so that it just doesn't uplift you, but it brings other people along, too.
12:49Absolutely.
12:50Yes. Yan, what do you want to give to the next generation? What do you want to say to the next generation?
12:55Let's just see. I think that I want them to have the audacity. I think that there is just something
13:03so, like, when I, you know, I'm so glad, Isis, that you brought up Octavia St. Laurent, because I think
13:08that, you know, that's just someone who I really, I look at her, and I just think, God, the audacity.
13:14And how, what delicious audacity. The audacity to say, you know, I, you know, I want to be a rich
13:19person, darling. You know, I just, there's just something so audacious about, you know, how about
13:26her being able to say exactly, you know, she's like, what she wants. And I think the audacity to,
13:31the audacity to dream, the audacity to not just dream, but to also make it happen. I, I wish that
13:38for young, for young black, for young black queer kids and black trans kids, just to have the audacity
13:43to, to go further and be more than, than we are here. And then, you know, that we could imagine
13:49to be dream further and go bigger and go harder than we ever did. Yeah. Yes. I'm just going to say
13:55this. Um, we opened the door for you, sit at the table and eat. Everything is inside you. Enjoy.
14:03Period. I love that. I love it. Thank you so much. Um, real, real quick. Can each of you please just
14:08like, tell us like how people can find you, follow you, support you, um, things like that.
14:12Uh, okay. So on all social media, uh, I'm Ms. Isis King, M-S-I-S-I-S-K-I-N-G.
14:25Yeah.
14:26I am on, so I'm the, I'm the elder of the group.
14:31Not only I'm a, but I'm also the girl I'm over 50. Um, so, um, on, I think it's Instagram.
14:42I'm Ms. Tori Cooper 1. And I think it's the other one. No, wait a minute. I said it backwards.
14:47On the Twitter thing, I'm Ms. Tori Cooper 1. Ms. Tori Cooper. Facebook, I'm Tori Cooper.
14:54And I have no idea what my Instagram is. You know, I follow you all. There you go.
15:02Um, my name is Lena Bloom. You can find me inside you and everyone around you. So yeah,
15:07we're all living and breathing, exchanging of atoms and energy. So that's where you can find me.
15:12Mm-hmm. Um, for me, you can find me, um, on Instagram at thefreeactivist. I'm also the founder
15:19of The Ochre Project. So please follow us at www.theochreproject.com.
15:23And at theochreproject, um, on Instagram. Um, and with that, you know, I just want to thank
15:29each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much for sharing yourselves
15:32for us and sharing your time with us. Um, and thank you to Essence Girls United Summit for having
15:37us all for today. Bye everyone. Essence, we love you. Bye. Bye.
15:42You made a retro dream today, being a part of it.
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