Hi everyone, my name is Skye, and this video
is about race, sex, gender, and being an activist,
for certain segments of the MOGAI community
that often go unnoticed. Sometimes, I tell
myself that race and gender and biological
sexes don't exist. They're real to most humans,
but they aren't real to me. I often forget
how real those experiences are to other people,
until someone reminds me of the impact gender
has on humanity, how it's so ingrained in
us that some of us don't even think to not
label someone based on outward appearance.
I know for myself it's pretty fucking obvious
that when people look at me, they automatically
assume that I'm a female, almost all the time!
But I've taught myself over the past 6 years
that I've been out of the closet as trans,
to look at people as humans, and not assume
genders at all. Sometimes I feel like I have
to distance myself from those social constructs,
and put race, gender, and sex issues on the
back burner for a while, otherwise I'll go
mad. Right now it's summer; summer just started
and where I am it's as hot as hell in a hand
basket, and the time around summer solstice
is a time where I usually lose my fucking
mind anyway, so having additional issues to
tackle on top of that I just can't handle
it and I won't be a well-functioning person
and I might go into the downward spiral of
self-pity, and depression and other negative
crap. And I don't have the energy to be an
activist all the time. I don't have the energy
to be strong all the time, even though I am
expected to do that ALL THE TIME! I have people
coming up to me saying "you're a role model",
"I give you kudos for being able to handle
stuff"- and they have NO idea how hard it
is for me to handle stuff! How often I have
to bite my tongue. How often I have to write
in my journal. How often I have to cry alone
in my bed. How often I have to remind myself
of the self-help skills that I've learned. It's
not easy, it's really hard. I mean, it's hard
enough just being trans, it's hard enough
just being Agender like me, and it's hard
enough just being Asexual like me. But when
you have mental health stuff piled on top
of that, it makes life really difficult, and
I really wish people would give me a break,
and just let me be Skye the person who falls
apart for a while. I don't know if I'm ever
gonna get that break.
