Beauty, for me, is what the natural orientation of the universe is returning to, Mx. "And I don't think the majority of people are ready to heal, and that's why they repress us as trans and gender-variant people because they've done this violence to themselves first," Vaid-Menon said. They've repressed their own gender nonconformity. In the author's words it "is a dream of what it could look like to celebrate transfemininity in public both in ourselves and for the people who desire us (by which I mean: everyone, across time, always)." So I think spirituality for me is a kind of cultivation of compassion and an ability to keep going. Welcome to AWAKEN, a podcast presented by the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. Call us to speak with a booking agent about your event or specific speaker request. Alok Vaid-Menon is a gender non-conforming performance artist, educator, and writer. Let me share that. And that dissonance, I think, is the crisis of our times. And I ask myself, is this me, or is this someone else? 0 coins. Alok Vaid-Menon on how the transphobic narrative constructs predators and victims That sense of safety, of trust, of legibility and coherence. To which I would ask, why wouldnt you do this? At her funeral I had to dress as the man she wanted me to be. I feel like every day is an artistic and spiritual endeavor to be what is. that we may wonder what itwould mean to have peopleempathize with our sufferingfor once in our goddamn lifewhat it would feel liketo hold the captive attentionof a funeral of strangers. In this performance-lecture ALOK presents a 21st century approach to gender rights, calling for an end to the gender binary. and some part of usis happy because this, this is the first time we havefelt like part of something greater than ourselves in a whilein this city where sometimes it takesan accident to remember what the purpose of abody is to begin with. And what I gained was my life back. I think thats so often peoples imagination of what beauty is what we look like. You burnt yourself last week and you cannot help but notice the patch of hair on your left leg the flames took with them. Dont miss this powerful poem from Alok Vaid-Menon, performing in Minneapolis, MN. In 2019 ALOK was invited to close the Business of Fashion Voices Conference with a keynote speech calling for the degendering of fashion and beauty industries. Search instead in Creative? Well hear from authors, artists, wisdom bearers, and Buddhist teachers, people who have experienced a shift in their perspectives on life throughout their personal journey. One of life's paradoxes is that we are encouraged to "be ourselves," but are often punished when we do. Now Lives: In a sunny, two-bedroom apartment with ample closet space in uptown Manhattan with a roommate. We silenced our own differences, subdued our creativity, and toned down our own gender non-conformity in order to fit in. When you experience us and our, our, and our way of being, you realize that there is an alternative way. I dont need you to show up to 'protect' me," Porter wrote on Instagram. In moments like these I think about how dangerous beauty can be. 2017 also saw ALOK being selected as the youngest recipient of the Live Works Performance Act Award, granted to ten performance artists across the world. I used to love dancing, and I think dance was my first language. It was a dance that I wanted to stage for my own community. Alok Vaid-Menon and the Art of Standing Out. Vaid-Menon appeared on "Man Enough," a podcast that seeks to undefine traditional gender roles and masculinity, hosted by actor Justin Baldoni, writer and MSNBC columnist Liz Plank and composer Jamey Heath. Beauty is no longer in the eyes of the beholder. Its the willful unnoticing. This podcast is inspired by the exhibition Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment, which illustrates the stages of enlightenment through paintings, sculptures, and other objects. After transitioning I vowed that I would never again compromise my dignity for likability. How two poets are nurturing support networks disrupted by the Gauge interest and check availability for speaking engagements, appearances or corporate events, Provide you with the speaking fee to book Alok Vaid-Menon or other celebrity appearance fees, Give you personal recommendations for the best keynote speakers or celebrities, Assist you with any questions you have throughout the talent booking process, First Transgender Man to Make Team USA, Transgender Advocate, Triathlete & All-American Duathlete, Founder of TransTech Social Enterprises & Actress in the FX Drama "Pose", Attorney, Author & LGBTQ Rights Activist; Motivational Disability Speaker; Founder of the Trans People of Color Coalition, CNN & ESPN Columnist; Celebrated Voice on Sports, Race & Gay Rights, Openly Gay Actor Known for My So Called Life, Thirteen Reasons Why & Star Trek: Discovery, Executive Director of "Equality for HER", Activist & Mental Health Advocate, Transgender & Gender-Nonconforming Activist; Executive Editor of "Out" & Former National Organizer for Transgender Law Center, Transgender Activist; National Face of Transgender Student Rights, Peloton Instructor & Makeup Artist; Founder of SPEAK Instagram Live Series, Tony Award-Winning Actor; Best Known NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" & "Mr. We fear that if we don't conform, we will be abandoned, but there is no loneliness like having people only see you after you've erased yourself., maybe i have given up fighting for "mine", Wed love your help. I am awake.. And if youre enjoying this podcast, leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. As I continue my journey of self-acceptance, I see so much more beauty around me. And so what I used to do is, I would just dance for my local Indian community. Vaid-Menon said. Im going to act like a fool because it makes me feel good. We thought fitting in would give us securitybut is it security when someone else living their life differently unsettles us to our very core?, The best way to eliminate a group is to demonize them, such that their disappearance is seen as an act of justice, not discrimination., Power can be defined as the ability to make a particular perspective seem universal, Arguments against gender non-conforming people are about maintaining power and control. Diversity and inclusivity are not just industry buzzwords. So color is part of that. We define ourselves by what we are not., The days that I feel most beautiful are the days that I am most afraid. The AAPI literary voices in this list include award-winning journalists, artists, academics, industry leaders, and bestselling authors who write across a variety of genres. Transgender Model & Advocate; Founder of Gender Proud. Poets use carefully chosen language to connect with audiences, advocate for social causes, and convey emotion. Despite constant invalidation, so many transgender people transition because we know there is a quiet and fierce dignity to being able to look at yourself and say "this is who I am.". Please provide the email address you used to create for your account. Webwe have been taught to fear the very things that have the potential to set us free Alok Vaid-Menon 63 likes Like Its not just that you internalize the shame; rather, it becomes Fill out a. The activist wrote a book describing the rights of the gay community, which was released in 1995. We use these artworks as a jumping off point to better understand the paths our guests have been on and where they are going. Welcome back. If youre hungry to continue the conversation, join us on Instagram at @RubinMuseum. So it means that Im kind of ambivalent about form and Im more invested in flow. Mx. New video daily http://bit.ly/buttonpoetryIf you loved this poem, check out Andrea Gibson: http://bit.ly/MaybeINeedYouAlok Vaid-Menon, performing in Minneapolis.Button Facebook: http://facebook.com/buttonpoetryButton Twitter: http://twitter.com/buttonpoetryButton Instagram: http://instagram.com/buttonpoetryButton Tumblr: http://buttonpoetry.tumblr.comAbout Button:Button Poetry is committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion and fundraising for spoken word and performance poetry.We seek to showcase the power and diversity of voices in our community. I was dematerialized and less concerned with form than I was with flow. To have a relationship with our body thats our own body? "They've repressed their own femininity. It didn't work. In one memorable moment, Mx. When I first told my grandmother I was transgender she responded, "How could you do this to me?" Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Did anyone teach you about the question words? ALOK (they/them) is an internationally acclaimed writer, performer, and public speaker. The LGBTQ+ community was sook by the death of one of their leader and activist. In this episode, we examine our divine nature and consider who we truly can be in the absence of judgment. And I had to basically stay at home and I started to really write. I am proud to be part of a generation of artists who are challenging mainstream beauty and showing the world that niche is the new norm. And how funny it is, the way the universe works, where in withholding one ability it allowed me to recognize my super ability. And the alchemic work of rematerializing what was into what could be is the work of being alive, I think. We tell them that they are not real. WebDo you know who you are outside of who you have been told you should be? Anyone can read what you share. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent. they tell us that someone jumped in front of the tracksthat he died upon impactso we just sit there in silence as they remove his remains. And thats, I think, where the spirituality comes in. But I am seeing the ways that my fingers are phoenixes, becoming touch again. But color was one of the first realms of resistance I had. say: i understand. Let me buy you a razor?" Alok V Menon on Fashion's Genderless Future | #BoFVOICES 2019, Alok Creating Safe Spaces For Trans & Gender-Nonconforming People, Challenging the Gender Binary with Alok Vaid-Menon | Be You, Funeral - Alok Vaid-Menon | Spoken Fest 2019, Beyond The Gender Binary (pocket Change Collective). Heartbreaking, brutally AAE is one of the premier celebrity booking agencies and top keynote speakers bureaus in the world. That, actually, even though Im unsafe from other people, when I am expressing myself, Im unsafe to myself when Im not expressing myself. The live and virtual event speaking fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. It depends on each persons experience. i will soon forget. Alok Vaid-Menon in Oxfordshire, England, on Nov. 22, 2019. No one is purely good or evil. The Museum closes at 5:00 PM on the Friday before Labor Day, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and New Years Eve. ", They said though trans and nonbinary people face violence and death for challenging traditional gender norms, they don't want people to fight for their rights "because you want to protect me or you want to help me.". And I began to use color to communicate, theres something else going on here. It was one and the same. Like, Ive experienced this goodness, this rightness, this alignment, this beauty, why would I not want other people to be part of it? I admire Alok, because they work to normalize discussions of trauma, shame, and violence against trans and gender non-conforming (GNC) people of color, one poem, performance, and outfit at a time. They are a literal style and thought icon, and impressively, show immeasurable grace while frequently under attack. And that kind of sense of recognition and that sense of self-acceptance and that sense of surrender to the kind of quiet pulse of the earth having a heartbeat is what I would describe why we do this thing. Gender-neutral language isnt about replacing an old norm with a new one. Are these my own feet? Pricing often varies between live and virtual events. Awaken is sponsored by Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, a print and digital magazine dedicated to making Buddhist teachings broadly available. Why do engrained beauty standards so often require some of us to become invisible in order to make other people feel more comfortable? "Thats the paradigm shift I really want to move away from is that the fear and the danger makes it so that people arent ready to receive love. What kind of joy do I want to cultivate? I was no longer an individual. "Women were basically just saying, 'We want the right to vote,' and men heard that as 'Im losing power,'" they said. Me, or is this me, '' Porter wrote on Instagram at @ RubinMuseum, a and... Other people feel more comfortable ability to keep going endorsement by the Museum. 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