What I've learned about being trans in transition is just that sometimes good things don't happen when you try to rush things. Just as a young girl grows into a young woman, you know, we transition; we grow into our bodies the same way. Angelica Ross More Quotes by Angelica Ross More Quotes From Angelica Ross While I don't necessarily believe the cliche that 'everything happens for a reason,' I do believe that every encounter, every situation, and every challenge I've experienced has shaped me into the woman I am today. And I am proud to say that I have never backed down from life's challenges. Angelica Ross i-am me today life What's hurtful is when you have portrayals like, you know, when you have someone like Jared Leto who accepts an award for 'Dallas Buyers Club,' after playing a trans woman, standing in a full beard and looking fully cis male: it is communicating to our audiences that underneath all of that, it's still a man under that. Angelica Ross woman you man beard Let's not fantasize about having a world of only trans people or only of LGBTQ people. Let's fantasize about a world in which we all can co-exist and where there is just talent that recognizes talent. Angelica Ross just talent people world Visibility has an effect on those who are privileged; it brings more privilege, and on those who are marginalized, it brings more marginalization, because it also brings a spotlight onto them where they're at, in the hood or in certain places that are less tolerable. Angelica Ross places more hood privilege I had always been pegged for being feminine. People would always say, 'Ooh, that's a pretty little girl.' They would talk about my eyelashes or that I was sensitive or that I was crying all the time. I didn't want to play in the dirt outside with the boys. Angelica Ross girl want time people After I came out to my mother at 17, I ran away from home and lived with a friend. We come from a highly religious family, and she could not accept it. It was devastating, and I was depressed. Angelica Ross friend family mother home Somebody, just because they are black, too, or just because they are trans, too, or just because they're gay and recognize I'm trans, does that mean you have the familiarity to use certain language? And I don't mean with just me but with the community. Angelica Ross me you black community You always have some trans girl saying, 'Oh, they were just being funny! They aren't really transphobic,' Just like you will always have some black folks defending some white person for using the 'N' word because they are 'cool.' Angelica Ross cool you girl funny I actually run a nonprofit that's all about giving people opportunities to be their own heroes and do their own work. Angelica Ross own work giving people The problem with the spectrum that is trans-ness and where people like Caitlyn Jenner lie, transitioning and being trans is more than a physical thing. Transition is a process. Angelica Ross lie problem process people I was kicked out of my own house and had my own drag mother, you know, a house mother. Things with my family are great now - my mom and dad were at the premiere - but they had kicked me out. Angelica Ross me you family mother 'Pose' makes the case that it's important to have some sort of family structure, even if you have to create one. You know, if I go back home for a while, my mom will be like, 'Oh, I didn't really throw you out the house.' And I know so many other LGBT parents who don't really own or talk about the rejection, and it prevents healing. Angelica Ross parents you family home I used to work at Bloomingdale's when I was transitioning, and they didn't want me using the same bathroom as the female employees or what have you, so it was a struggle. Angelica Ross me you struggle work The art of what they call female impersonation, or the drag shows, really helped me to hone what type of woman I was. Angelica Ross woman me drag art We have to learn to be allies to each other. We are in a deficit of financial and social capital, and TransTech aims to help trans people reverse that. Angelica Ross learn help financial people Media is a double-edged sword and has the power to change hearts and minds through authentic storytelling as well as the power to paint a person, or an entire community, in a dim and misleading light. Angelica Ross community light change power Being trans comes at a high cost, but being black and trans can cost you your life. Angelica Ross your you black life I get by mostly on speaking engagements, but as soon as I try to pay myself, I end up having to give it back to the business to cover operating expenses or other unplanned costs. Angelica Ross end back myself business Technology has flattened a world where trans people are demanding their rights in the U.S. and abroad. TransTech Social Enterprises is here to empower, educate, and employ them no matter where they are. I could not turn down an opportunity for global exposure that our efforts alone might not have ever afforded us. Angelica Ross alone technology opportunity people There are cis women who are being attacked and called men because they are wearing makeup and because they are too tall, and they might have an Adam's apple. Once cis women start to realize it's not just harmful to trans women, then we'll start to come together more and attack this together. It sucks, but we're all under the patriarchy. Angelica Ross makeup women together men
