On Saturday, June 12, 2021, TMI Project presented Black Trans Stories Matter, a live virtual true storytelling performance. The performance was a culmination of a Black trans-led 10-session true storytelling workshop series for Black TGNC people. They gathered, wrote, shared stories, and received support in a space where they didn’t have to justify, explain or defend their truth. The performance is now accessible to an all-inclusive audience, paired with a viewing and discussion guide to inspire deep introspection, a willingness to transform oneself and take bold action to end systemic racism and transphobia. We hope these stories inspire you to take action to create a world where we can ALL live our truth with safety and freedom.
Host a Screening
Schools, Universities, LGBTQIA+ Centers, and groups of any kind can sign up to host a screening. We will send you marketing materials and a Discussion and Action Guide to help you gather your audience, either in-person or online, to watch these amazing stories and to facilitate brave and impactful conversations after the performance is over.
Storytellers
Theadora Green
“I’m honored to share my story and hopefully inspire young women not to give up — that through adversity and perseverance you can reach your goals, whatever they may be.”
Julian Harris
“Our stories matter. My story helps me remember my resilience in times I feel weak, alone, and hopeless. I hope it can help others, too.”
K.C. Nyabinyere Jallah
“Too often the narratives of Black Trans people are unheard, disregarded, or only focused on death. I am hoping these narratives extend our collective humanity and empower other Black Trans folx to continue advocating for our existence.”
KT Kennedy
“I want to showcase, share, celebrate, uplift, and highlight the profound and infinite ways BTGNC’s voices and stories matter.”
Eddie Maisonet
“Trauma porn is very effective to get white-centered institutional resources but using the way hegemonic society pathologizes Black Trans people does not affirm my full humanity or integrity as an artist. I am more than a token that audiences can use to get in touch with their own humanity.”
Aren Somers
“There is tremendous diversity in the lived experience of Black trans men. We can be neurodivierse, ASpec, gay, nerdy — a million different things. I hope the audience will ponder what makes up a black trans life, and how we find the courage and solidarity to keep on living those lives.”
Jahir Thomas
“I want to tell my story of being a black trans man to inspire young and old FTMs to be confident in who they are and to not let fear of judgment slow their lives down. I want the audience to know that being trans is not a negative — it’s a normal and positive aspect of life.”
Syd Williams
“I think it is important for the audience to know the stories of black trans folks are not all the same. We all go through different things to get to where we are.”
Mario (Mars) Wolfe
“Stories centering Transgender folx usually dramatize violence, surgery, and sex work. I find those stories difficult to watch because some of those narratives hit too close to home, but also because they contribute to a monolithic depiction. I want to help expand our growing landscape; filling in the non-binary colors of the rainbow.”
Workshop Leaders
Kiebpoli Calnek
“Working with TMI Project feels like divine guidance. It is humbling to have the opportunity to engage with brave participants, helping them express their true stories, which capture the Black Trans narrative in all its raw authenticity and wisdom. This crucial work enriches the spirit of the performer with a platform for their truth and provides a unique window of reflection for the viewer.”
Kiebpoli Calnek, a non-binary queer Black creative from NYC/Lenapehoking, has generated nuanced performances and creative direction seeped in poetic somatic elements for over two decades. Their social enterprise, Black*Acrobat, produces interdisciplinary programming sharing stories of, for, and with fringe communities, celebrating authentic visions and viewpoints through research, access, and collaboration. They were covered in Essence and contributed, “How It Feels… To Be An Aerial Acrobat” to Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine. While living out West, Kiebpoli nurtured film, stage, and literary relationships and in 2018, the concept of Queer & Trans Love Stories (“cuties”) was born at a writing residency in New Mexico’s Peñasco mountains. Kiebpoli’s works received generous funding and support from Elizabeth Streb, Astraea Foundation, Asian Arts Initiative, and The New York Foundation for the Arts. They are a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, SAG-AFTRA, and Actors’ Equity Association. kiebpoli.com
Erik Harris
“As a Black trans man, I know I have been lucky to come of age in environments that valued my input and allowed me to thrive, but that is not the reality for so many other people like me. When I heard about Black Trans Stories Matter, I knew I had to get involved because my community has so many powerful folks and stories that have yet to be heard.”
Erik Harris is a proud Black, queer, trans man from North Carolina currently located in Richmond, Virginia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Race & Ethnicity Studies from Salem College as well as a Master of Arts degree in History from UNC-Greensboro. Erik is professionally trained as a secondary English teacher. As a high school teacher in Nashville, he was one of the founding advisors of the SafeZone, a club for LGBTQ teens and allies to explore their identities and advocate for their needs in the school. This work, in addition to his own lived experience, has shaped his long-standing passion for social justice and equity work. Erik is currently dedicating his time to building community, developing his writing, and reconnecting to the Earth. When he isn’t working, Erik enjoys hiking, cooking, and playing guitar for his cat, Tux.
Black Trans Stories Matter Creator and Community Outreach Coordinator
Cece Suazo
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
“Before I was introduced to TMI Project I was torn, broken, and felt like damaged goods. To be completely honest, I just wanted to end it all. Today, I live with a greater sense of freedom because I learned how to tell my narrative and live in my truth. I was accepted and gained a new family through TMI Project. I feel whole again, stronger, and more confident in my ability to continue life’s journey. I also felt inspired to reach out to others in the TGNC (transgender non-conforming) community to let them know there’s so much out there for us.”
Cece is a life-long trans activist and artist. She was honored with the 2018 Advocate Magazine Award for her contributions to the ballroom community and performing arts. She has appeared in numerous off-Broadway productions at Rattlestick, Signature, LaMama, Arcon, and appearing in the New York Times Critics’ Pick production of Street Children and Incongruence at NYTW. Cece also starred in the Bay/San Francisco area premiere of Chisa Hutchinson’s Dead & Breathing at Theater Rhinoceros, as well as in TMI Project’s off-Broadway production Lifelines: Queer Stories of Survival for the Trevor Project. In 2019 she had the honor to play trans pioneer Lucy Hicks Anderson in High Herstory. As the 1st trans woman of color at WOW Cafe Theater, she’s produced many works in her 12 years as a collective member. Cece is also one of the founders of TRANSLAB where she recently did a residency in partnership with The Public Theater & WP Theater. Her first play, Shattered Reflections (The Deep Play), had its premiere in December 2018 at the WP Theater. She recently presented her latest play, You Will Neva Enter Our High Holy Land Of Blackness-HIYA, at Long Wharf Theater. Ms. Suazo’s ballroom career began in 1988 as the youngest member in the Iconic House Of LaBeija. She earned Legendary status in 2010, and in 2013, she departed the house after 27 years.
Virtual Event Manager
Bailey Buckles
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Bailey Anderson is an endurance athlete, storyteller, and avid outdoors enthusiast based in Elizabeth, Colorado. Her first appearance with TMI Project was in the off-Broadway production of Lifelines: Queer Stories of Survival, and she is proud to be joining the team at TMI Project as a virtual event manager. You can find her Monday-Friday making sure everything runs smoothly for Sprouts Farmers Market, but on her weekends you might find her scaling the Rocky Mountains, doing upkeep on her tiny home in the middle of nowhere, putting on the preparations to open her food truck or loving on her wife Amanda.
Host
Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Dubbed the Ancient Jazz Priestess of Mother Africa, Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi is a Black Nigerian, Cuban, Indigenous, American Performance Artist, Author, Educator, Speech Writer, a Helen Hayes Award winning Playwright (Klytmnestra: An Epic Slam Poem (Helen Hayes Award 2020), For Black Trans Girls…, Ghost/Writer, The Diaz Family Talent Show, Quest of The Reed Marsh Daughter, The Dance of Memories), Advocate, Dramaturg, a 2x Helen Hayes Award Nominated choreographer (2016, 2018) and co-editor/co-Director of the Black Trans Prayer Book. She is the curator and a co-producer of Long Wharf Theater’s Black Trans Women At The Center: An Evening of Short Plays. Her radio play, Quest of The Reed Marsh Daughter, can be heard on the Girl Tale’s Podcast, and her play The Diaz Family Talent Show can be read on the Play at Home Website. She wrote episode 1 of Untitled Mockumentary Project and acted in the series as well. She was featured as Patra in King Ester and acted as a story consultant for the series. She wrote episode 9 (Refuge) of Round House Theater’s web series Homebound, and was one of the writers for Arena Stage’s short film The 51 st State. www.LadyDaneFE.com
Black Trans Stories Matter supports and is aligned with the mission of Black Lives Matter.
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