38 min listen
Strange Fruit #103: Janet Mock on What It Means to be a Real Model — Not a Role Model
FromStrange Fruit
Strange Fruit #103: Janet Mock on What It Means to be a Real Model — Not a Role Model
FromStrange Fruit
ratings:
Length:
30 minutes
Released:
Jan 9, 2015
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
When you think about the current state of trans activism, the name Janet Mock is probably at the top of your mind. But there was a time when Mock was living a relatively low-profile life, working as a journalist outside the spotlight… until a friend recommended her for a profile in Marie Claire magazine. The article’s publication changed the course of her work, and life—lucky for all of us. "I didn't plan the role model part of it or the advocate part of it," she explains. "I think that all just kind of started. I realized after the piece came out that there was such a hunger to hear more about young trans women of color experiences. I think my writing just kind of went there because I think there was a need to hear more about that and I think there was also a need within myself to share more about parts of myself that I'd kept silent for so long." Janet's still a writer, but now she's also an activist - and one of the most recognizable faces in trans advocacy. In many ways, she's become the role model she herself didn't have while growing up. "People often say that I'm a role model," she says. "I feel like I'm a real model. Like, there's a real model of how you can do it. I'm existing. I'm out in the world. I'm still discovering who I am. I'm not playing a role. I'm being real. This is my life." In her book, Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More, she tells her story and shares some of what she's learned along the way. On this week's show, we talk to Janet about her work, her life, and the wisdom she hopes to impart on today's trans girls of color. "The biggest lesson that I've ever learned in my life is to just truly fight for who you are, and not let anyone - not even your own body - tell you that you can't do something that you know you're supposed to be doing." When we asked Janet who some of her own role models are, she name checked TransGriot blogger Monica Roberts. Monica is a long-time friend and auntie to the show, so we thought we’d close this episode with some words of wisdom from her, recorded when she was in town last summer.
Released:
Jan 9, 2015
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Strange Fruit #56: 'Furious Cool' Co-Author David Henry on the Life of Richard Pryor: This week we spoke with David Henry, co-author of [Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him](http://www.amazon.com/Furious-Cool-Richard-Pryor-World-ebook/dp/B00CL08LNK), about Pryor's work, and why it was so groundbreaking. "He had this sort of vulnerability about himself that just made him irresistible," David says. "He didn't pull any punches." Throughout their research for the book, David and his co-author (and brother) Joe Henry, learned about how Richard honed his craft, sometimes working the same comedy club every night for a week, each night with an improved version of the previous night's material. We talked about Pryor's surprising comments on his sexual experiences with other men, his openness about his drug use, and why audiences of all races found him so relatable. "When he was on stage by himself with just a microphone, he seemed to understand everything about being a human by Strange Fruit