LIVING IN THE LIGHT: SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEWS WITH Javannah Davis FEATURING KAMRYN JERREL

JD: Tell us about yourself

(childhood, coming out experience, etc.)

KJ: I am a Transwoman from the 80's I grew up here in Rochester for most of my life. My childhood is a bit bleak, as I became aware of my Trans status at a very young age, Growing up in a hyper-masculine household didn't afford me the freedom I needed to flourish. So I buried my identity for decades. I became a professional wrestler to offset my "tendencies" as labeled by my father. I hid my sexual identity and Gender identity as best I could. All the while damaging myself along the way. I came out as Trans and Pan at 33 years old. I gave up my wrestling career as I was sure it would be taken otherwise. I was terrified, but ready. Things have not been terrible since then. The newfound love I have cultivated for myself was worth the loss.

JD: How did family and friends react to your decision to be your authentic self? Were you supported in your decision, if so, by whom?

KJ: My family “othered” me, almost immediately. I still have to explain to some of them how their thought processes regarding trans existence are archaic and borrowed white oppression. To no avail. So I am in the midst of making my own family. Blood does not necessarily bond us.

JD: What was/is the BEST thing about your transition?

KJ: The release of the resentment I had towards myself. Lifts more and more each day.

JD: What was the HARDEST thing about your transition? Is there anything you’d do differently?

KJ: I would have done things sooner. Realizing now that the things I feared losing, I lost so they were not worth waiting to figure out. Not a single lost friend or family member was a shock to me. I heard how they treated my kind for decades. I was under no disillusion that I would be spared the homophobia or blatant transphobia. I was not Strong enough to see it then, but I am now, but that isn't how time works.

JD: What prejudices/discrimination/racism have you experienced as a transgender individual in the Rochester, NY community? If so, what happened?

KJ: I have been physically attacked on several different occasions. I once worked a single job for about 16 years. Since coming out I have had to quit 9 times due to hostile environments. And have been fired 7 times, but never for my job performance. In Rochester if you are aware of your rights as a queer person of color you are a liability. Rochester is one of the most Racist, Homophobic, Transphobic, Ableist and somehow still very segregated work environments in all of New York.

KJ: The community here is not as strong as it would make itself out to be. The LGBTQIA movements here are too often white centered, over saturated with programs run by white queer counterparts who speak over POC activists. It borrows too much from white respectability. At times it feels like a popularity contest centered around clicks and altruistic agendas. It leans heavily on Black and Brown LGBTQIA peoples and then values are contributions based on popularity and assimilation. Rochester is the literal Factory where Performance Art Allyship is made. A majority of the time the bigotry starts inside the community, leaving very little actual safe spaces for all LGBTQIA people.

JD: What is your BEST and WORST experience in a healthcare setting?

KJ: Trillium has often been a source of problematic care for trans people of color, but no one is as dangerous as the University of Rochester. Don't believe me, research the history of complaints between them and the Unity health system.

JD: Have you ever been homeless and/or unemployment due to being Transgender? What were your experiences during these times?

KJ: I have been both sadly. My experience has been that there is no infrastructure built to combat either of those issues. We are very aware of how Trans people are treated on job sites. We are even more aware of how Brown and Black people are treated at the same sites, but there is no structure to battle either issue here. Especially nothing that protects Trans people of color.

JD: What would you like your community to know about you as a transgender person in your community? As a Black or Brown transgender/GNC person in your community? In the Rochester, NY community?

KJ: Resilience is a gift given to me by experience, but it is not the only gift I attained through this revolutionary love I cultivate for myself daily.

JD: What advice or guidance would you share with the trans youth in your community?

KJ: Unify, destroy the bias within this community, for the sake of us. No more tip toeing around it. Down with respectability and the constant centering of oppressors.

Follows Kamryn's Podcast/Social Media: Instagram - @Tranoslives

TikTok - @TranosPod

To check out the FULL video interview with Kamryn, visit Blaque/OUT TV at: https://youtu.be/HwbJqdU-xRE

-or - www.wavewomeninc.com