Reposted by NaturalJoi
This interview with Nikki Giovanni from earlier this year should be required reading. oxfordamerican.org/web-only/nik...
![I think the transgender kids are the bravest kids right now that we see; they're as brave as my generation was in breaking down segregation. They're breaking down-I don't have the word for it right now-but it's gender prejudice, and [the idea that] somebody has decided that they can tell you who you are, what your name should be, and how you should look.
And those youngsters are saying, "No, I can decide who I am, what my name should be." Everybody's mad at me like, You should be a girl because we've decided you're a girl. And they say, "Well, who the hell are you?" I can decide that I'm a boy. And if it makes me happy, what does it mean to you? And I can decide that my name is John. And if you don't like that my name is Geraldine, why can't you name yourself? And if the people who know you and love you-or have to talk to you, maybe they don't even love you but they have to talk to you -you can tell them, “This is my name, and I would like to be referred to in that way."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:bb6m3nt3ohlter5c35zjlt6z/bafkreibs7rspksh3k7ekvnnmxzeenwwuvr4ab6fs4usuckmu2zpdzq3hcq@jpeg)
December 10, 2024 at 3:18 AM
This interview with Nikki Giovanni from earlier this year should be required reading. oxfordamerican.org/web-only/nik...