Hello everyone, I hope you’re doing. I’m recording this during the Holiday season so by the time I get this out there, it’s going to be 2023. So I want to wish you a very very happy New Year! But hey wait, you don’t even know who I am. Let me roll it back.
My name is Lily and I am a black trans woman. Yes ! And that’s actually what the title means “Femme Trans Noire”. If you are in the social justice circles and the political circles then you already know those words, right. You know, when we talk about “femme folks” or “femme presenting people”, when we talk about, well, trans folks… and then “noir” for black.
Why is it important for me to introduce myself like that?
Well, I think in the context of this podcast for sure and public platforms where we have discussions about social justice, equality or simply like, you know, when we share our experiences, I think it’s important to let people know where we stand on the social ladder, under this white supremacist patriarchal system and me being black, trans and a woman… that means something. That says something about where my place is or where my place is expected to be. So I speak from that position. Now whatever I do with this, we’re going to talk about later, in upcoming episodes. But that does frame my experience. Now, we have other things that frame my experience and our individual experiences: money, access to the basic things that everybody needs just to survive and of course access to education, etc. But we’re gonna talk about that later down the road.
Today, we’re just introducing ourselves. So, you have my name… oh I have to tell you something! I’m recording this, like I said, during the Holiday season and I just had a birthday—a very big one—and it’s the kind of age where you start thinking like “Hey, should I be lying about my age? Should I Photoshop my pictures? What do I do?” I’m not doing any of that but I’m not telling you either.
Anyway, I just had a big birthday and that’s actually one of the reasons why I’m doing this podcast right now. It’s been an idea in my head for maybe like two years and I didn’t really know how I wanted to articulate it. And the way my brain works is: there is this idea out there in the ether. It’s like a sea of… I don’t know how to describe it… like a sea of nothingness, like nothing and something at the same time. Okay… I’m getting a little woo-woo here but hang on for a second. I’m going somewhere. I promise. So yeah… the way ideas come about… it’s like this mass of nothing really defined and at some point, you know, things start to rise to the surface and then they start you know having a shape to them and that’s when I grab them and turn them into actual projects. Right? Because before that, they’re just ideas, sort of concepts but they mean nothing. So yeah… that’s where I was going. I know it’s weird but I’m also sort of an artist in a way. Not in a way. I’m lying. I am an artist. Let me not do this to myself.
Anyway…
I just couldn’t let the year end without actually getting into this because I think it’s important to get other voices out there. I’m not saying that my voice is THE voice. I’m not trying to take that space. But what I mean is that the more voices we have out there, the more someone who’s on the other end, listening, can find someone or a voice to identify with; so if I can be that little small contribution over here then I’ll do that.
In the past, I was very active in the trans community, here in Paris but I had to step back. I did that for a few reasons. I needed to take care of myself: my mental health, my transition, my finances also… A lot of things were going on at the same time so I needed to step away for a moment and then I stayed away. Now, don’t get me wrong, I was still in contact with folks. I didn’t just ghost but in the heart of the community, where the social justice work was happening, I was no longer there.
So I always missed the feeling of connection that we get from being on the ground doing the stuff that’s not very glamorous; you know, when it comes to prevention work, when it’s time to march to demand some rights, some basic rights, doing activism and… you know… some Act UP level stuff I can’t really talk about but… **wink wink** “I don’t remember” **wink wink** “Was I even there?” **wink wink** “I don’t know.” **wink wink** Anyway, you guys are catching I’m trying to throw. So, yeah… it’s important for me to contribute. It’s ALWAYS been important to me; so whichever way I feel comfortable doing that, that’s what I want to do.
So I’m here. You got me. “Comment, share subscribe!” That’s what they say on YouTube or something, right? Whatever. But still, like this comment, comment below, share and… well… subscribe. I need the shares! I’m starting at zero here and I’m gonna need some help, right? I’m gonna need your help. And this is the other part. Since we’re introducing ourselves now, it’s time for you to introduce yourself. Write to me! Email me and let me know what questions you have. Let me know about your experience. On this podcast, I really want to talk about pretty much everything that has to do with us and that’s pretty much life. But I’m just gonna give you a couple clues now. We’re gonna start “easy”. I mean with the stuff that we can all talk about and we can all relate to. I will be talking about disclosure because even though it’s really a basic, it’s still something that keeps coming back. It’s a topic of conversation that is just endless so we need to be having that conversation over here as well.
I also want to talk about that word: “passing”. Yeah, that. What that means. Is that relevant today? All that stuff. I want to hear your thoughts too. I wanna know. I’m over here on my own but I still want this to be some kind of dialogue so I would love to have your questions, your thoughts, your experiences. Also, if you just wanna say “Hey… I’m mad!” I don’t know… Wait, don’t write me to tell me that you’re mad for no reason. Just tell me a little something more. Do explain. Do get into it. Otherwise, it’s not interesting. So email me and let me know your thoughts. And share!
Also, bay-bee, let’s talk about coins. I said coins, bay-bee. So, if you don’t have the means (and this is not a dig; it’s just that times are hard, I know); so… if you don’t have the coins, just share this podcast. It’s free but it helps me out. But if you DO have the coins, just go to the website www.ftnpod.com All right? Once there, you can click on that little “Donate” button at the top. And donate however much you want. It can be a dollar. I take euros, pounds, dollars… baby I’m ready for these coins. Haha… That sounded so weird but I’m keeping it in. J You can also CashApp me at $MsLilyParis.
So, if you have the coin, please support this podcast and, you know, pay a black trans woman for her labor. Do that for me. And again, share but also leave a five-star rating. That will greatly help the podcast as well.
I’m gonna wrap it up because I don’t want this to be too long. I want to meet you all again soon. So let’s say the first Sunday of February; that is February 5th 2023. Is that a date? Let’s make it a date. Until then, take good care of yourselves y’all and be good to yourselves.
Bye-bye.
