4/25/2016
BFI Flare, an LGBT film festival recently flew me overseas for the first public screening of REAL BOY.
Y'all I was sooooo nervous.
A lot of people have asked me if it's uncomfortable,
watching my nineteen year old self navigate the beginning of my transition.
Yes. it's weird.
I was sad
and scared
and angry at everything and everyone that had conditioned me to feel ashamed of who I am.
~
I used to think that I was born in the wrong body.
Now, I know that I was born to have this experience:
to learn to embrace a life in transition.
I believe that Identity is Destiny.
and we are all given specific words to talk about our experiences
labels to compartmentalize and share our point of view .
These words, in a way,
end up shaping our perceptions
of the experience itself.
Let's open up that conversation a bit;
and transcend this dichotomy, together.
can we grow beyond the cultural confines
of our associations with gender?
Nature loves variety.
No body is the same.
Lets celebrate
our humanness
our individuality
that which makes us unique
and also
our inherent mutuality
that which keeps us connected
The idea that this film might find its way into the hearts
and minds of people that need its message has been comforting.
I want this film to do good things for my community.
I want the parents of gender variant children
to be empowered by my mom's journey through my transition,
so that they are determined to stand up and hold space for their beautiful kids.
If this film can do that for somebody, then its worth it all.
...
so yes, watching a really vulnerable part of my life
projected on a screen for others to view & judge
is very uncomfortable
but fuck it, so is growing.