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What happens when we don’t share our own stories? They get told by non-trans, non-people of color who want to advocate for us, but don’t necessarily understand how to. This is why diversity and inclusion is so important, especially in spaces that can control narratives like media and entertainment. In this episode of Dem Bos Podcast, I continue the conversation with Sydney Baloue and we discuss the importance of storytelling, the fluidity of gender, the truth of “American culture,” and more!

We talk:
The importance of storytelling in the trans community - 3:48
Sydney’s experience challenging the “gender is a fact’ rhetoric - 14:40
How the gender binary shifts with time - 23:50
Sydney’s favorite childhood cartoons - 30:07
Advice from Sydney Baloue - 40:04

Click here for transcript!

References:
Moi Renee
Miss Honey by Moir Renee
Kylian Mbappe
“HIM” from PowerPuff Girls
Dexter’s Laboratory
Sailor Moon
Looney Tunes
From Kalulu the Hare to Bugs Bunny: Trickster Lagomorph Legends
“What’s Opera, Doc”
Little Richard - Documentary
Tina - Documentary
Scooby-Doo

Read more about Sydnes in his bio below:
Sydney Baloue is a TV writer/producer, dancer, archivist and journalist. He is in the House of Xtravaganza and he was Co-Executive Producer on HBOMax’s LEGENDARY Seasons 1 and 2. In 2022, he was the first Black trans man in the Writers Guild of America after working as a staff writer in scripted TV on The Vanishing Half at HBO and Tom Swift at the CW. Sydney is the author of Undeniable: A History of Voguing, Ballroom and How it Changed My Life (And the World). He was the first trans man to solely win Grand Prize for “Old Way” at the Latex Ball in 2019.

• www.sydneybaloue.com
• https://www.instagram.com/sydneybaloue
• https://www.twitter.com/sydneybaloue

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