June 6, 2024 • 26 mins
Gio Santiago is back on Woke AF Daily, this time as part of the Here We Are campaign, discussing his personal story and highlighting the value of telling our own stories rather than having them be told for us.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:11):
Good morning, peeps, and welcome to ok F Daily with
me your Girl, Daniel Moody recording from the Home Bunker, Folks,
I want to address something that I saw across social
media yesterday when it came out. So the Wall Street Journal,
who we know, is a conservative, right wing Republican outlet, Okay,
(00:36):
make no bones about it. You may go there to
like get you know, stock reports, business updates, blah blah,
but it's coming through a white male cis conservative straight lens. Okay.
So they decided to run a hit piece on Joe Biden,
and everybody on social media was outrage. Oh my god,
(00:58):
how could the Wall Street Journal bahblah blah blah blah.
And I'm like, can we all understand why the Wall
Street Journal would run a hit piece on Joe Biden?
And if I were Joe Biden, I would use it
and the campaign I would use it to my advantage.
(01:19):
Wall Street doesn't want me as their president. You know why,
because I'm not in the business of creating American oligarchs
in the way that the Republican Party is. You see,
Wall Street doesn't want me as president in twenty twenty five.
Do you know why? Because that's when the welfare checks,
(01:45):
the tax breaks that Donald Trump wrote in to law expire.
And so what does that mean for the CEOs and shareholders,
the multi billionaires and multi millionaires. Well, it means that
in twenty twenty five, the jig is up and we're
(02:06):
gonna make sure that these people pay their fair share.
Because if there's anyone that should be getting tax breaks,
it should be hard working, everyday American people who are
struggling with student loan debt, who are struggling with health
care costs, who are struggling with inflation. And why are
(02:27):
they struggling with inflation. It's not my hand that's doing it.
It is greed and the Wall Street Journal, they are
the purveyors of the greed is good mantra that we
heard back in the eighties that was cemented by Reagan
right and legitimized and immortalized by every Republican thereafter. That's
(02:50):
how the fuck you use bad press and you spin
it to your advantage. This is not fucking rocket science.
Trust and believe when you see these stories that pop up,
understand who the fuck is running these newsrooms and where
(03:13):
their allegiance lies, which is to their own fucking deep,
dark pockets. These motherfuckers don't want a Democrat who may,
in fact have them actually pay what is owed back
(03:33):
to this country. Let me tell you something, the Mark
Cubans of the world, who will come out and say, yeah,
I paid two hundred and eighty eight million dollars in
taxes because like, this country has served me very well,
and that is the least that I can do, because
you know what, he's making multi fucking billions. Where would
(03:53):
we be if these motherfuckers weren't able to continue getting
a free goddamn ride. So don't get it twisted when
you see bad press about Joe Biden and no commentary
from the Wall Street Journal that is deeply criticizing Donald
(04:14):
Trump and the fact that he's a fucking convicted felon,
because at the end of the day, their whiteness and
their wealth is going to protect them, or they think
it's going to protect them from fascism, but you know
history tells us otherwise. Coming up next, dear friends, we
have brought back to the show GEO Santiago, who I
(04:39):
interviewed back in January when I was in New Orleans
at the LGBTQ Task Force Creating Change Conference, and today
GEO joins us during Pride as we discuss the stories
of trans people. What does it mean to tell your
(05:00):
own story instead of one being dictated to you. That
conversation with Geo is coming up next, folks. I am
very excited to welcome back to WOKF Daily Geo Santiago,
who you on may remember we did an interview back
(05:22):
in January when I was at the Creating Change Conference
in New Orleans that was put on by the LGBTQ
Task Force and Creating Changes, a conference that happens every
year to kind of look at the landscape of policies
and issues that are affecting LGBTQ plus people. And this
time around, we welcome Geo back to wok F Daily
(05:45):
during Pride Month, where you are involved in a new
campaign that was launched by Glad as well as ground
Media entitled Here We Are. And I was going to
say here we are now, but it's just here we Are,
and I just want to tell folks before we jump
(06:06):
into conversation. So Here we Are is a national storytelling
campaign launched on June first, twenty twenty four, joining an
ongoing campaign to build a country where transgender people can
be their authentic selves and express their identity openly and
free from fear. You can learn more about Here we
(06:28):
Are Now dot com. You can learn more about the
campaign there. But Geo, let's start off with why you
decided to get involved with Here we Are and tell
your story. Why is that important to you?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:45):
First off, thank you for having me back. Super excited
to be here, and for me, it was important because
I feel like transgender people are not telling their own
stories in the media. You know, our stories are being
told for us, whether it is by the opposition or allies,
and we need to be able to talk about ourselves
(07:06):
for ourselves. And also, I think was extremely important to
be a black Matthew and presenting transperson telling their story
and talking about trans joy.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
I don't feel like.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
We see that enough, you know, And I think that
that is so true. One I believe that even still.
I think one of the stats on here on the
website herewe Are Now dot Com says that seventy one
percent of Americans claim that they've never met someone that
is transgender. And so when you hear that statistic, what
(07:41):
does that tell you, right, what does that tell you
about our media, our communities. Do you think that that
number is because folks don't feel safe identifying themselves outwardly
as trans or why do you think that that is.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I think it's a lot of different things. That's a
little complex. So to the first piece, I think it
definitely is a safety issue for people that they are
not outing themselves as trans, so people don't know that
they are trans. You know myself, if you did not
know that I was trans, you would just think that
I was a cist gender black man. But I also
feel like it is because people think that they know
(08:25):
what a trans person looks like, you know, so they
can say, oh, I've never met a trans person because
in their mind they think they know what every single
trans person is supposed to look like, so they think
that they can tell what a trans person is. And
so I guarantee my neighbors would be people in that
report to say they've never never met a transperson because
(08:46):
they don't know that I'm trans and they don't see
me that way. So I think it's a lot of
different things. And I also think as far as in
the media, trans people are not being shown own first off,
in enough light, so shout out to glad and ground
for doing this and trying to show trans people. But
(09:07):
I also think when we're seeing trans people, we are
often seeing trans people who are not esthetically passing. So
people think they know, you know, okay, that trans person
I can tell or are passing. But again they're not
a representation of everyone, So that makes it hard and
that's why these numbers are just so skewed.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
I want to go back to what you said about
sharing stories of joy. I also think that oftentimes when
we do have headlines that are telling stories about trans people,
it is namely about violence, it is namely about anti
trans policies, right, So it isn't coming from a place
(09:52):
of a whole person narrative, right like look at this
lovely queer family, or look at this you know, amazing
queer athlete or what have you. It is always coming
from the negative. So talk to us about your story
and what you have shared, and we'll share with us today.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
So I knew it i was five that I was different,
So I've kind of always known that, And you know,
I lived most of my life as a black, masculine
lesbian until I was twenty seven and decided to medically transition.
But you know, I come from a large family. I
come from an extremely loving family. Like it was a
(10:35):
little hard at some points for them to you know,
grasp me being trans, but you know, then it came
very full circle and you know they're extremely supportive.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
And when you watch the video, you'll see that my
sister is alongside of me in this video. She's an
amazing ally and a true advocate. And you know, it's
not her being in this video with me just as
my sister, it is her being in this video with
me also in her role as an advocate and an ally,
and I want to be able to highlight the work
(11:06):
that she does in the community and kind of also
give her that stamp of approval.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
But you know, I'm I'm literally just me, Like I
love to, you know, play.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
Sports, coach sports, you know, be with my family, and
I'm just a regular person. And I think being able
to show that aspect is extremely important. You know, we're
not seeing enough of trans people and especially trans masculine
people literally just living their lives like I'm just out
(11:37):
here thriving, you know, living my bad.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
I love that I.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Really am. I'm like, you know, I'm obviously. I feel
like the problem is every single person has issues, like yes,
and some people's issues are heightened by their race. Obviously,
some are you know, gender, some are gender identity. But
I don't live my life in the ideology that any
(12:02):
issue that I have is because I'm black, or any
issue that I have is because I'm trans. Like, I
want to relish in the joy that I have in
my life, you know. And I enjoy being around my friends,
being around my family, you know, I enjoy going to
Disney like I am unapologetically a Disney adult, you know. Like,
and people don't think about that. People see trans people
(12:25):
and they think that being trans is our entire identity,
and I'm like, no, like it is not. It is
a piece of who we are.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Another piece of who you are is a veteran. You
served this country, and I thank you for your service.
And you were serving during a time when we tell me,
was it before or after? Donas dontell?
Speaker 2 (12:51):
It was? It was during Donas Don't tell.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
It was, So tell us about that experience of you
serving and being a masculine trans person.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
So when I was serving, I had not yet started
to medically transition, So I was living as a black mask,
lesbian in the Air Force.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
Which still I'm like, okay, okay, it is like the
craziest thing because people might not understand, but you know,
like the Air Force is like the elitist branch, so it.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
You know, it was hard.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
You know, I was not in company with a lot
of people that looked like me, whether that be those
who were female identified or those who were black, and
so it was one of the hardest times of my life,
you know, to be able to come from a place
where you're seeing all types of different people, you know, cultures,
(13:51):
all of these things to you know, being where I
was stationed in Texas and on the base that I
was on, where it was like basically just mostly like
a lot of white people.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
But what that taught.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
Me was, you know, to like always believe in myself,
you know, and so one of the core values is
you know, service to self, you know, and excellence and.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
All you do is integrity first. You know.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
These are things that I learned in the Air Force
that I use in my life still.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
And another thing that I learned there was like.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
To adapt and overcome, you know, as a black person,
I had to adapt and overcome every single day when
I was in the military, and even more so as
a black person in the LGBTQ community, because you're almost
living a double life, especially during donas dontail, because I
could not be on base with my girlfriend. I could
(14:40):
not be just like out and about in the grocery
store with my girlfriend, like in the same city, because
anyone from Bates can see you, and now you can
be in trouble, so you had to be like very careful.
So I was stationed in San Antonio, so I spent
a lot of time in like Austin, which was like
forty five minutes way our Houston, you know, which was
(15:01):
like three hours away. Because I was able to be
my authentic self in those places with like a little
less fear of someone seeing me.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Can you talk more about what it felt like to
live a double life in that way, and maybe even
a double life in terms of the military, But then
the decision to then medically transition and then I would
assume that would mean in some ways then be able
(15:33):
to integrate. So can you take us on that journey.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Yeah, So being able to live a double life exhausting.
Let me just it is so exhausting, and being in
the military already is exhausting in itself, I think just
you know, for the atmosphere for everything that is happening,
especially at that time, you know, because it was just
a few years after like nine to eleven, so things
(15:59):
are still very heightened. And so that was a lot,
you know and a lot of like mental turmoil to
be like how do I live as my authentic self
but also not jeopardize my my job, you know, my
livelihood all of these things.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Because I just want to say, as a service member,
you wouldn't even be allowed to get mental health services,
right like, so so I'm you know, I'm saying like
we think, okay, well, hipA like you you can go
and you can and sit down with a you know,
with a therapist that can kind of you know, help
(16:36):
you through. But you couldn't do that, could you.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
I could. I would have had to have a private
one and the edge.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Pay out of pocket.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Yeah yeah right, And that wasn't even just something that
was really talked about or known even you know back then.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
But yeah, I could.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Not go to the therapist on base and be like
I am struggling because I'm gay, you know, like they
would be like, oh, you're really out of here. You know,
they were already a lot of eyes on me because,
like I said, I was masculine presenting.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
You know.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
I had a short haircut, like I had cut my
all my hair off when I was in like my
technical training. I can remember this day like it was yesterday.
I graduated boot camp and I had like fairly long hair.
And about two weeks into my technical training, I was
with my friend who was another black masculine lesbian, and
(17:24):
we were at the Base store and I was like,
you know what, I'm gonna go to the barber shop
and cut all my hair off. She's like, berdie, You're
not going to do it. I was like I'm gonna.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Do it, you know.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
And I knew that there could be consequences, but I
was like I want to do this. And so we
went and I sat in the barbershare and I was like,
cut it all off. And he was like are you sure?
And I was like yeah, cut it all off, and
he cut all my hair off. I went back to
the dorms with a clean fade, and people were like,
(17:52):
you can't go in there. You can't go in there.
There's a few moles doors, and I was like, I know,
and they're like, okay, so you can't go in there,
and I'm like, like, it's me and then people were
like oh snaps like and.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
So then I had to have like a meeting with
you know wow. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
So it was it was very much because they are
there standards and like I said, the Air Force is
the elitist branch. So even in ways of how you
could wear your hair, those types of things, it you know,
when I'm like, okay, this is a piece of me
that I can bring, it was still an issue. Fast
forwarding to being able to transition. I didn't transition until
(18:32):
I got out of service, got them and I was
at the doctor at the VA one day and talking
you know to one of the primary care physicians there,
and I was just like, this is how I feel.
I'm not really sure what the VA like, if there's
anyone I can talk to about this. And so I
(18:52):
started talking to a therapist because at this point, you know,
I'm not in service, I don't really have to worry
about don't ask, don't tell. And I started talking to
my therapists about it, and she said, Hey, there's a
doctor at the Cleveland VA who's like wanting to start
to see patients that are OLGBTQ, maybe you can go
see her. And then that's when I went to see
(19:13):
my doctor, doctor Meghan McNamara, who is phenomenal, and we
just started talking about what it will look like for
me to medically transition. And to her knowledge at that time,
into you know, my knowledge, she had never had another transpatient.
She had never had another patient come out to her
as transgender.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
So she was kind of learning as I was learning,
and we went on this.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Journey together and then ultimately we were able to kind
of talk to some other people and open the very
first transgender specific clinic in the entire VA system in
twenty fifteen. And so this was after like three years
of you know, kind of working together. But here we
(19:56):
are now. You know, now there's sixty seventy of these
types of c within the VA system, you know, where
transgender veterans LGBTQ veterans are able to go and get
adequate medical care. And so for me, it was I
was not able to live authentically while I was in service,
but I'm able to do it now as a veteran,
and I was able to assist other veterans in being able.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
To do the same thing.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
I mean, that is just Geo. That is extraordinary, Like one,
I just like the courage to go to the VA
doctor and express your truth and then for that doctor
to actually meet you where you were and be on
that journey together. I just think is extraordinary. Because again,
(20:42):
you know, kind of goes back to your original statement
about thriving. We hear so many traumatic, horrible stories and
not enough of the let's do this together story, right,
And I just think that that is so important. I
do want to, you know, again to help in terms
(21:04):
of educating of my audience, right, which I think is
really important. And again I want people to think about
that seventy one percent of Americans and think of this
interview as your opportunity to say, ah, i may not
have met Geo in person, but I've listened to Geo's story,
So let me open my mind a bit. Tell us
(21:27):
the journey and the difference right between being and identifying
as a masculine lesbian and then the transition into being
a trans man and like and because I think that
again it goes to the negative of well, these LGBTQ people,
(21:48):
they just don't know who they are, what they want
and blah blah. They're always changing things and changing their
pronouns and this that and the other thing. And so
reflect if you would for us that kind of that transition.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
So I believe I said this to you in January
when we spoke. But you know, living my life for
almost twenty seven years as a black woman, you're virtually
invisible in this world until someone needs you. Like people
aren't tracking fellow black women unless they need black women.
And so to leave a life as a black woman,
(22:23):
regardless of whether it's masculine or not, and kind of
be able to navigate invisibly to being a black man,
a young black man, that is the highest targeted person
in this country, you know.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
And so to.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Give up basically this autonomy of freedom of self really
what it is to be like every single day when
I leave my house, I have to think twice about
my life is a wild concept, you know. And I
say to those who are like, oh, people are just
you know, changing mind doing like nobody chooses to have
(23:02):
this enormous target on their back for no reason, ye
if it is not who they truly are. And so
I tell people all the time, Yes, being trans is
a part of who I am, and it's an important piece.
But people see me as a black person before they're
going to see me as a trans person. They're gonna
see me black first, and they're gonna read me as
(23:23):
a black man before, Oh, that's a black trans man,
you know. And so I have to think about all
of that and what those complexities are. But even the
socialization of moving your life from being a black woman
to a black man is different.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
You know, I'm.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Mindful when I get in the elevator, if you know
certain people are in the elevator, you know, where do
I stand, or if I'm walking on the street, you know,
crossing over and understanding. You know, we shouldn't have to
live our lives like that, but that's what, you know,
we have to do sometimes for safety.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
I appreciate you lifting that up again in terms of
the target, nobody chooses. Nobody would willingly choose to be
a target. And I think that that's something that is
consistently lost in the conversations about trans people, right It's like,
who would choose to be knowingly discriminated against to the
points of heightened violence against you? You know, with just
(24:24):
the minute or so that we have left, what is
your hope for this project that you're involved in during
this Pride? What is your hope about this this narrative
storytelling project.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Yeah, I hope that it shows people that trans people
are just people.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
You know.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
We are your brothers, we're your sisters, your nieces, your nephews,
your uncles, you know, your dad's you know, and and
we just want to thrive, like be ourselves, be our
authentic seals. But also I hope it makes people think
as this election is coming up. You know, I am
in Ohio in a state that is like you know,
(25:05):
they say it's a battleground state. You know, we know
that it's still mostly read and you know we talked
about this before, yep. But I hope people think about
people like me when election time comes. If you love me,
think about me at the polls. If you like me,
think about me at the polls. Because what we're seeing
is so much anti LGBTQ, specifically anti trans legislation happening.
(25:33):
And what I want people to see is that we're.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Not pawns in a game. We are literal people.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
And so when you're watching our stories, you know, you're
seeing that Nadia is a young girl and has parents
that love her, and she's a person, you know, and
that Ashton is a young man with a Republican conservative
dad who loves.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Him, you know, and we're just people.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Yeah, Geo Santiago, I thank you so much for making
the time for wok f again and you know, happy
pride to you. I hope that you thrive all pride
season long, and folks do make sure to check out
Geo's story and the other stories of just trans people
(26:25):
at here we Are now dot com. Really appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
That is it for me today. Dear friends on wok
F as always power to the people and to all
the people. Power, get woke and stay woke as fuck.
Good morning, peeps, and welcome to ok F Daily with
me your Girl, Daniel Moody recording from the Home Bunker, Folks,
I want to address something that I saw across social
media yesterday when it came out. So the Wall Street Journal,
who we know, is a conservative, right wing Republican outlet, Okay,
(00:36):
make no bones about it. You may go there to
like get you know, stock reports, business updates, blah blah,
but it's coming through a white male cis conservative straight lens. Okay.
So they decided to run a hit piece on Joe Biden,
and everybody on social media was outrage. Oh my god,
(00:58):
how could the Wall Street Journal bahblah blah blah blah.
And I'm like, can we all understand why the Wall
Street Journal would run a hit piece on Joe Biden?
And if I were Joe Biden, I would use it
and the campaign I would use it to my advantage.
(01:19):
Wall Street doesn't want me as their president. You know why,
because I'm not in the business of creating American oligarchs
in the way that the Republican Party is. You see,
Wall Street doesn't want me as president in twenty twenty five.
Do you know why? Because that's when the welfare checks,
(01:45):
the tax breaks that Donald Trump wrote in to law expire.
And so what does that mean for the CEOs and shareholders,
the multi billionaires and multi millionaires. Well, it means that
in twenty twenty five, the jig is up and we're
(02:06):
gonna make sure that these people pay their fair share.
Because if there's anyone that should be getting tax breaks,
it should be hard working, everyday American people who are
struggling with student loan debt, who are struggling with health
care costs, who are struggling with inflation. And why are
(02:27):
they struggling with inflation. It's not my hand that's doing it.
It is greed and the Wall Street Journal, they are
the purveyors of the greed is good mantra that we
heard back in the eighties that was cemented by Reagan
right and legitimized and immortalized by every Republican thereafter. That's
(02:50):
how the fuck you use bad press and you spin
it to your advantage. This is not fucking rocket science.
Trust and believe when you see these stories that pop up,
understand who the fuck is running these newsrooms and where
(03:13):
their allegiance lies, which is to their own fucking deep,
dark pockets. These motherfuckers don't want a Democrat who may,
in fact have them actually pay what is owed back
(03:33):
to this country. Let me tell you something, the Mark
Cubans of the world, who will come out and say, yeah,
I paid two hundred and eighty eight million dollars in
taxes because like, this country has served me very well,
and that is the least that I can do, because
you know what, he's making multi fucking billions. Where would
(03:53):
we be if these motherfuckers weren't able to continue getting
a free goddamn ride. So don't get it twisted when
you see bad press about Joe Biden and no commentary
from the Wall Street Journal that is deeply criticizing Donald
(04:14):
Trump and the fact that he's a fucking convicted felon,
because at the end of the day, their whiteness and
their wealth is going to protect them, or they think
it's going to protect them from fascism, but you know
history tells us otherwise. Coming up next, dear friends, we
have brought back to the show GEO Santiago, who I
(04:39):
interviewed back in January when I was in New Orleans
at the LGBTQ Task Force Creating Change Conference, and today
GEO joins us during Pride as we discuss the stories
of trans people. What does it mean to tell your
(05:00):
own story instead of one being dictated to you. That
conversation with Geo is coming up next, folks. I am
very excited to welcome back to WOKF Daily Geo Santiago,
who you on may remember we did an interview back
(05:22):
in January when I was at the Creating Change Conference
in New Orleans that was put on by the LGBTQ
Task Force and Creating Changes, a conference that happens every
year to kind of look at the landscape of policies
and issues that are affecting LGBTQ plus people. And this
time around, we welcome Geo back to wok F Daily
(05:45):
during Pride Month, where you are involved in a new
campaign that was launched by Glad as well as ground
Media entitled Here We Are. And I was going to
say here we are now, but it's just here we Are,
and I just want to tell folks before we jump
(06:06):
into conversation. So Here we Are is a national storytelling
campaign launched on June first, twenty twenty four, joining an
ongoing campaign to build a country where transgender people can
be their authentic selves and express their identity openly and
free from fear. You can learn more about Here we
(06:28):
Are Now dot com. You can learn more about the
campaign there. But Geo, let's start off with why you
decided to get involved with Here we Are and tell
your story. Why is that important to you?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:45):
First off, thank you for having me back. Super excited
to be here, and for me, it was important because
I feel like transgender people are not telling their own
stories in the media. You know, our stories are being
told for us, whether it is by the opposition or allies,
and we need to be able to talk about ourselves
(07:06):
for ourselves. And also, I think was extremely important to
be a black Matthew and presenting transperson telling their story
and talking about trans joy.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
I don't feel like.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
We see that enough, you know, And I think that
that is so true. One I believe that even still.
I think one of the stats on here on the
website herewe Are Now dot Com says that seventy one
percent of Americans claim that they've never met someone that
is transgender. And so when you hear that statistic, what
(07:41):
does that tell you, right, what does that tell you
about our media, our communities. Do you think that that
number is because folks don't feel safe identifying themselves outwardly
as trans or why do you think that that is.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I think it's a lot of different things. That's a
little complex. So to the first piece, I think it
definitely is a safety issue for people that they are
not outing themselves as trans, so people don't know that
they are trans. You know myself, if you did not
know that I was trans, you would just think that
I was a cist gender black man. But I also
feel like it is because people think that they know
(08:25):
what a trans person looks like, you know, so they
can say, oh, I've never met a trans person because
in their mind they think they know what every single
trans person is supposed to look like, so they think
that they can tell what a trans person is. And
so I guarantee my neighbors would be people in that
report to say they've never never met a transperson because
(08:46):
they don't know that I'm trans and they don't see
me that way. So I think it's a lot of
different things. And I also think as far as in
the media, trans people are not being shown own first off,
in enough light, so shout out to glad and ground
for doing this and trying to show trans people. But
(09:07):
I also think when we're seeing trans people, we are
often seeing trans people who are not esthetically passing. So
people think they know, you know, okay, that trans person
I can tell or are passing. But again they're not
a representation of everyone, So that makes it hard and
that's why these numbers are just so skewed.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
I want to go back to what you said about
sharing stories of joy. I also think that oftentimes when
we do have headlines that are telling stories about trans people,
it is namely about violence, it is namely about anti
trans policies, right, So it isn't coming from a place
(09:52):
of a whole person narrative, right like look at this
lovely queer family, or look at this you know, amazing
queer athlete or what have you. It is always coming
from the negative. So talk to us about your story
and what you have shared, and we'll share with us today.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
So I knew it i was five that I was different,
So I've kind of always known that, And you know,
I lived most of my life as a black, masculine
lesbian until I was twenty seven and decided to medically transition.
But you know, I come from a large family. I
come from an extremely loving family. Like it was a
(10:35):
little hard at some points for them to you know,
grasp me being trans, but you know, then it came
very full circle and you know they're extremely supportive.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
And when you watch the video, you'll see that my
sister is alongside of me in this video. She's an
amazing ally and a true advocate. And you know, it's
not her being in this video with me just as
my sister, it is her being in this video with
me also in her role as an advocate and an ally,
and I want to be able to highlight the work
(11:06):
that she does in the community and kind of also
give her that stamp of approval.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
But you know, I'm I'm literally just me, Like I
love to, you know, play.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
Sports, coach sports, you know, be with my family, and
I'm just a regular person. And I think being able
to show that aspect is extremely important. You know, we're
not seeing enough of trans people and especially trans masculine
people literally just living their lives like I'm just out
(11:37):
here thriving, you know, living my bad.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
I love that I.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Really am. I'm like, you know, I'm obviously. I feel
like the problem is every single person has issues, like yes,
and some people's issues are heightened by their race. Obviously,
some are you know, gender, some are gender identity. But
I don't live my life in the ideology that any
(12:02):
issue that I have is because I'm black, or any
issue that I have is because I'm trans. Like, I
want to relish in the joy that I have in
my life, you know. And I enjoy being around my friends,
being around my family, you know, I enjoy going to
Disney like I am unapologetically a Disney adult, you know. Like,
and people don't think about that. People see trans people
(12:25):
and they think that being trans is our entire identity,
and I'm like, no, like it is not. It is
a piece of who we are.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Another piece of who you are is a veteran. You
served this country, and I thank you for your service.
And you were serving during a time when we tell me,
was it before or after? Donas dontell?
Speaker 2 (12:51):
It was? It was during Donas Don't tell.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
It was, So tell us about that experience of you
serving and being a masculine trans person.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
So when I was serving, I had not yet started
to medically transition, So I was living as a black mask,
lesbian in the Air Force.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
Which still I'm like, okay, okay, it is like the
craziest thing because people might not understand, but you know,
like the Air Force is like the elitist branch, so it.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
You know, it was hard.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
You know, I was not in company with a lot
of people that looked like me, whether that be those
who were female identified or those who were black, and
so it was one of the hardest times of my life,
you know, to be able to come from a place
where you're seeing all types of different people, you know, cultures,
(13:51):
all of these things to you know, being where I
was stationed in Texas and on the base that I
was on, where it was like basically just mostly like
a lot of white people.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
But what that taught.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
Me was, you know, to like always believe in myself,
you know, and so one of the core values is
you know, service to self, you know, and excellence and.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
All you do is integrity first. You know.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
These are things that I learned in the Air Force
that I use in my life still.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
And another thing that I learned there was like.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
To adapt and overcome, you know, as a black person,
I had to adapt and overcome every single day when
I was in the military, and even more so as
a black person in the LGBTQ community, because you're almost
living a double life, especially during donas dontail, because I
could not be on base with my girlfriend. I could
(14:40):
not be just like out and about in the grocery
store with my girlfriend, like in the same city, because
anyone from Bates can see you, and now you can
be in trouble, so you had to be like very careful.
So I was stationed in San Antonio, so I spent
a lot of time in like Austin, which was like
forty five minutes way our Houston, you know, which was
(15:01):
like three hours away. Because I was able to be
my authentic self in those places with like a little
less fear of someone seeing me.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Can you talk more about what it felt like to
live a double life in that way, and maybe even
a double life in terms of the military, But then
the decision to then medically transition and then I would
assume that would mean in some ways then be able
(15:33):
to integrate. So can you take us on that journey.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Yeah, So being able to live a double life exhausting.
Let me just it is so exhausting, and being in
the military already is exhausting in itself, I think just
you know, for the atmosphere for everything that is happening,
especially at that time, you know, because it was just
a few years after like nine to eleven, so things
(15:59):
are still very heightened. And so that was a lot,
you know and a lot of like mental turmoil to
be like how do I live as my authentic self
but also not jeopardize my my job, you know, my
livelihood all of these things.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Because I just want to say, as a service member,
you wouldn't even be allowed to get mental health services,
right like, so so I'm you know, I'm saying like
we think, okay, well, hipA like you you can go
and you can and sit down with a you know,
with a therapist that can kind of you know, help
(16:36):
you through. But you couldn't do that, could you.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
I could. I would have had to have a private
one and the edge.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Pay out of pocket.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Yeah yeah right, And that wasn't even just something that
was really talked about or known even you know back then.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
But yeah, I could.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Not go to the therapist on base and be like
I am struggling because I'm gay, you know, like they
would be like, oh, you're really out of here. You know,
they were already a lot of eyes on me because,
like I said, I was masculine presenting.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
You know.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
I had a short haircut, like I had cut my
all my hair off when I was in like my
technical training. I can remember this day like it was yesterday.
I graduated boot camp and I had like fairly long hair.
And about two weeks into my technical training, I was
with my friend who was another black masculine lesbian, and
(17:24):
we were at the Base store and I was like,
you know what, I'm gonna go to the barber shop
and cut all my hair off. She's like, berdie, You're
not going to do it. I was like I'm gonna.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Do it, you know.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
And I knew that there could be consequences, but I
was like I want to do this. And so we
went and I sat in the barbershare and I was like,
cut it all off. And he was like are you sure?
And I was like yeah, cut it all off, and
he cut all my hair off. I went back to
the dorms with a clean fade, and people were like,
(17:52):
you can't go in there. You can't go in there.
There's a few moles doors, and I was like, I know,
and they're like, okay, so you can't go in there,
and I'm like, like, it's me and then people were
like oh snaps like and.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
So then I had to have like a meeting with
you know wow. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
So it was it was very much because they are
there standards and like I said, the Air Force is
the elitist branch. So even in ways of how you
could wear your hair, those types of things, it you know,
when I'm like, okay, this is a piece of me
that I can bring, it was still an issue. Fast
forwarding to being able to transition. I didn't transition until
(18:32):
I got out of service, got them and I was
at the doctor at the VA one day and talking
you know to one of the primary care physicians there,
and I was just like, this is how I feel.
I'm not really sure what the VA like, if there's
anyone I can talk to about this. And so I
(18:52):
started talking to a therapist because at this point, you know,
I'm not in service, I don't really have to worry
about don't ask, don't tell. And I started talking to
my therapists about it, and she said, Hey, there's a
doctor at the Cleveland VA who's like wanting to start
to see patients that are OLGBTQ, maybe you can go
see her. And then that's when I went to see
(19:13):
my doctor, doctor Meghan McNamara, who is phenomenal, and we
just started talking about what it will look like for
me to medically transition. And to her knowledge at that time,
into you know, my knowledge, she had never had another transpatient.
She had never had another patient come out to her
as transgender.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
So she was kind of learning as I was learning,
and we went on this.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Journey together and then ultimately we were able to kind
of talk to some other people and open the very
first transgender specific clinic in the entire VA system in
twenty fifteen. And so this was after like three years
of you know, kind of working together. But here we
(19:56):
are now. You know, now there's sixty seventy of these
types of c within the VA system, you know, where
transgender veterans LGBTQ veterans are able to go and get
adequate medical care. And so for me, it was I
was not able to live authentically while I was in service,
but I'm able to do it now as a veteran,
and I was able to assist other veterans in being able.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
To do the same thing.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
I mean, that is just Geo. That is extraordinary, Like one,
I just like the courage to go to the VA
doctor and express your truth and then for that doctor
to actually meet you where you were and be on
that journey together. I just think is extraordinary. Because again,
(20:42):
you know, kind of goes back to your original statement
about thriving. We hear so many traumatic, horrible stories and
not enough of the let's do this together story, right,
And I just think that that is so important. I
do want to, you know, again to help in terms
(21:04):
of educating of my audience, right, which I think is
really important. And again I want people to think about
that seventy one percent of Americans and think of this
interview as your opportunity to say, ah, i may not
have met Geo in person, but I've listened to Geo's story,
So let me open my mind a bit. Tell us
(21:27):
the journey and the difference right between being and identifying
as a masculine lesbian and then the transition into being
a trans man and like and because I think that
again it goes to the negative of well, these LGBTQ people,
(21:48):
they just don't know who they are, what they want
and blah blah. They're always changing things and changing their
pronouns and this that and the other thing. And so
reflect if you would for us that kind of that transition.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
So I believe I said this to you in January
when we spoke. But you know, living my life for
almost twenty seven years as a black woman, you're virtually
invisible in this world until someone needs you. Like people
aren't tracking fellow black women unless they need black women.
And so to leave a life as a black woman,
(22:23):
regardless of whether it's masculine or not, and kind of
be able to navigate invisibly to being a black man,
a young black man, that is the highest targeted person
in this country, you know.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
And so to.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Give up basically this autonomy of freedom of self really
what it is to be like every single day when
I leave my house, I have to think twice about
my life is a wild concept, you know. And I
say to those who are like, oh, people are just
you know, changing mind doing like nobody chooses to have
(23:02):
this enormous target on their back for no reason, ye
if it is not who they truly are. And so
I tell people all the time, Yes, being trans is
a part of who I am, and it's an important piece.
But people see me as a black person before they're
going to see me as a trans person. They're gonna
see me black first, and they're gonna read me as
(23:23):
a black man before, Oh, that's a black trans man,
you know. And so I have to think about all
of that and what those complexities are. But even the
socialization of moving your life from being a black woman
to a black man is different.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
You know, I'm.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Mindful when I get in the elevator, if you know
certain people are in the elevator, you know, where do
I stand, or if I'm walking on the street, you know,
crossing over and understanding. You know, we shouldn't have to
live our lives like that, but that's what, you know,
we have to do sometimes for safety.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
I appreciate you lifting that up again in terms of
the target, nobody chooses. Nobody would willingly choose to be
a target. And I think that that's something that is
consistently lost in the conversations about trans people, right It's like,
who would choose to be knowingly discriminated against to the
points of heightened violence against you? You know, with just
(24:24):
the minute or so that we have left, what is
your hope for this project that you're involved in during
this Pride? What is your hope about this this narrative
storytelling project.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Yeah, I hope that it shows people that trans people
are just people.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
You know.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
We are your brothers, we're your sisters, your nieces, your nephews,
your uncles, you know, your dad's you know, and and
we just want to thrive, like be ourselves, be our
authentic seals. But also I hope it makes people think
as this election is coming up. You know, I am
in Ohio in a state that is like you know,
(25:05):
they say it's a battleground state. You know, we know
that it's still mostly read and you know we talked
about this before, yep. But I hope people think about
people like me when election time comes. If you love me,
think about me at the polls. If you like me,
think about me at the polls. Because what we're seeing
is so much anti LGBTQ, specifically anti trans legislation happening.
(25:33):
And what I want people to see is that we're.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Not pawns in a game. We are literal people.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
And so when you're watching our stories, you know, you're
seeing that Nadia is a young girl and has parents
that love her, and she's a person, you know, and
that Ashton is a young man with a Republican conservative
dad who loves.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Him, you know, and we're just people.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Yeah, Geo Santiago, I thank you so much for making
the time for wok f again and you know, happy
pride to you. I hope that you thrive all pride
season long, and folks do make sure to check out
Geo's story and the other stories of just trans people
(26:25):
at here we Are now dot com. Really appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
That is it for me today. Dear friends on wok
F as always power to the people and to all
the people. Power, get woke and stay woke as fuck.
Host
Danielle Moodie
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