Twitter is a cesspool of meme culture that one must immerse oneself in to fully understand. And I, like millions of others, have spent way too much time on the social media site taking in the online scenery. Something in particular that has been plaguing my feed as of late has been the “Fellas, is…
Passing: How Transitioning Changed the Way I’m Perceived
“Some say you must look the part in order to play the part, but as much as gender can be performative, ultimately, it is derived from the individual’s self-determined identity regardless of appearances.” Recently, I visited my local sexual health clinic for a routine STI screening, and despite having gone to the same clinic for…
A Conversation with Transgender Artist and Musician Antemìa Kavillari
Antemìa Kavillari, 27, is a local transgender Latina artist and musician, and someone I’m proud to call a friend. We met via Facebook in 2015 when we were both at the beginning of our respective transitions, and since then, I’ve seen her blossom into a powerful force to be reckoned with, especially when it comes…
Texas “Bathroom Bill” Endangers Trans People, Protects No One
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. This week, trans individuals, their loved ones and members of their community showed up at the Texas state capitol to lobby and voice their opposition to Senate Bill 6, also known as the bathroom bill. I tried my best to watch a live stream of the bill’s hearing,…
The Pursuit of Love: Navigating Sexuality Through a Transgender Lens
The first time I ever “came out” as anything was in seventh grade. I had let a very, very small handful of friends know that I thought I was bisexual, as I had found myself developing crushes on people regardless of their gender. However, since these so-called friends coded me as a gay boy, most…
Trans Panic: Coping with a Trump Presidency and the Shifting Political Climate
Originally published in the San Antonio Current The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was check the results of the presidential election on my phone. I had fallen asleep fairly early, before all was decided, because the way the race was leaning was making me far too anxious. Despite the efforts…
Metamorphoses: Medical Transition and Where Gatekeeping Is Headed
Like a large portion of transgender women, I have experienced immense difficulty accessing the proper care that I’ve required to medically transition. When I first came out publicly as a trans woman, one of my goals was to start hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as soon as possible, but I quickly learned that it isn’t as…
The Portrait of a Lady: A Conversation with Trans Latin@ Activist Bamby Salcedo
On a recent Saturday morning, I had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with legendary trans Latina activist Bamby Salcedo after she led a workshop on community organizing at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. Salcedo was in town for a screening of the documentary Transvisible: The Bamby Salcedo Story, a film about her life and…
Texas Has a Sizable Trans Population. So Why All the Anti-Trans Politics?
Originally published in the San Antonio Current A recent study conducted by researchers at The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law shows that approximately 1.4 million adults consider themselves to be transgender. According to the study, the number is twice that of the transgender population estimated to have existed in the United States…
Challenging Transphobia Within Queer Spaces
Originally published in the San Antonio Current When I was asked to attend a friend’s queer-friendly Studio 54-themed party last year, I hit up my favorite thrift stores as soon as I could to find the perfect Bianca Jagger-inspired ensemble. The night of the party came, my look was red hot, and I spent the…