You will not tell me that you accept me. You will not tell me that you tolerate me. That is not your power. I take that from you. You will respect me for who I am.
Dominique Jackson
We all want to be normal, but it's relative to individuality. My normal is not your normal.
In the realness categories, what happens is you walk and your peers judge you, because if you're not able to walk amongst your peers and pass as being cis male or cis female, then it's obvious that you haven't done enough work. They wanted you to be able to go outside and come back home safely.
We have to continue to empower each other... we do not have to live in this marginalisation, we do not have to live in oppression, but our fight to get out of it is not going to be an easy one.
I came to be a part of the ballroom scene in late 1993. I was living in Baltimore, and i was going through that phase in high school when no one understood me. I was sneaking out of my house to go to this group that was for gay-identified people, and I just didn't fit in.
I started hormone therapy illegally and I thought I looked good enough for my family to accept. I was wrong. It was a disaster. My sister ran screaming calling me the demon with blue eyes. Using her Christianity as the base for her insight into seeing me as a demon.
I learned that there is an inner strength that blossoms when one cleanses themselves by processing and attempting to comprehend their situation and/or experience. Writing became my therapy!
My childhood had extremely difficult moments and some trauma but there were also amazing moments and times of pure happiness.
We are human beings, we matter, and we will not be erased.
We celebrate pride every day of the year - whether it's black pride, whether LGBTQIA + pride, whether it's the pride of being a woman, whether it's the pride of being a mother, we should be proud of who we are each and every day.
It's been a long road of self-transformation for me, and I'm so grateful for the care I received at NYU Langone with Dr. Rachel Bluebond-Langer, one of the best transgender surgery specialists in the country.
Don't tell me about tolerance. Don't tell me about acceptance. Look at me as the woman that I am and respect that.
My faith is my faith, and I cannot allow anyone to take that from me.
Ball culture saved my life, and many people don't understand that. But ballroom is where I found chosen and proven family.
Whenever I have to go out or do something, it must be glamour.
People have to realize that it is not OK to hurt another human being. And that is what we forget.
I did not realize how many people would not be happy with my success.
Trans men and women have always been thrown to the sides, but... have always been the nurturers, especially trans women.
Once you start crossing over and displaying feminine ways, you're a target. It's sad, it's humiliating, and it's confusing.
Even though it is fictional, 'Pose' has really tapped into some realities that I know would come from someone who really took the time to investigate ballroom.
We live in this realm where things exist but we pretend they don't exist, so that makes them, you know, nonexistent.
I had a regiment of psalms that I said each day.
Trans women are often fetishized, which sometimes makes us feel important in a world that doesn't always accept us.
People told me that if I were to become post-op, that they would have nothing to do with me.
I'm so proud to be able to share my story with others who might be going through a similar process with their identity.
Pride can never be just a month.
Being on 'Pose' for me has now allowed me to realize how important my culture is. It's made me realize how important the struggles that everyone has gone through are, and now we are able to tell that story.
A woman reveals so much by what she's wearing.
When I was introduced to balls, it was only in New York, now it's spreading everywhere. I couldn't be happier.
Growing up I was told, 'Stop acting like a girl. Don't stand like that, don't act like that, deepen your voice.' But for me, it came naturally.
Trans people have been repeatedly told that we don't have the right to live. And Black people have been told that by our slave masters and continue to be told that by society. We have, generationally, bled this kind of hatred.
A lot of us just want to lead normal, regular lives. I want to go in for a role and if I can play that part, my trans identity shouldn't affect me.
We're trying to humanize the trans community. It's about showing us as normal, everyday human beings who just happen to be trans.
It is extremely important for trans people to be visible.
I realised that I couldn't live in a box. It was not for me.
Women are very different, but the woman I wish to be is the ultra-femme girl, and it's not something that's instilled in me, it's just something that when I look in the mirror, it's how I want to present myself.
Strut' was an amazing experience, but it was also a learning experience, because reality TV can be crazy.
People talk about ballroom, but they don't really understand the history. Crystal Labeija, Avis Pendavis, Paris Dupree, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey. These were the women that really brought ballroom to life.
Mr. Murphy is really, really amazing. I have admired him from the time that I saw the first season of 'American Horror Story.' I watched 'Glee,' but once I saw 'American Horror Story,' I was like: 'I'm working for him.'
If your community tells you that you're an abomination, that you're nothing and, because of who you are, you'll never amount to anything, why would you love yourself? Why would you save money? Why would you set goals?
Writing about my life was a 13-year process where I had to face my demons as I wrote and take the time to understand them, then defeat them.
I learned that I have purpose and my experiences no matter how horrible taught me heart, strength and forgiveness!
When I would walk down the runway back in the late 90s, I could feel the tension from others who knew I was transgender. I could see the joy on the faces of people from my community, elated to see someone represent them.
You're actually putting someone down by saying that you don't understand their culture and hence it's not normal. Perhaps some things we find 'new' were simply things we were ignorant to earlier.
Don't tell me what I need. Start looking at the people in front of you, appreciate the diversity in the community, respect it. Don't debate it.
