Angelica Ross

The art of what they call female impersonation, or the drag shows, really helped me to hone what type of woman I was. ”

I was cast in commercials, music videos, and booked a lot of modeling jobs. But my acting career never took off because I was holding myself back. I was acting across from male partners who didn't know that I am trans. I was being taught by teachers who didn't know. ”

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. ”

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. ”

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. ”

I always have believed in the value of the diversity and resilience and just, really, the different skill sets that our community has. But we've never been able to find the right platform and find the right environment for us as a community - for us as a professional community. ”

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. ”

Being trans comes at a high cost, but being black and trans can cost you your life. ”

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. ”

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. ”