A Note from Cece Suazo, creator of Black Trans Stories Matter
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 community to let them know there’s so much out there for us.
I am thrilled to partner with TMI Project to help launch Black Trans Stories Matter, a true storytelling workshop that will culminate in a live virtual performance. In the workshop, the TGNC community will have the support they need to pick up the pieces, dust themselves off, and learn to tap into their power and share their truth. In the performance, we will educate the public about what Black trans people go through.
We will let the world know that BLACK TRANS LIVES MATTER! We are human and deserve equality, yet we’re murdered at alarming rates daily. I know that, like me, many people in my community are afraid to go outside for fear of becoming a target of ignorant violence. But, we are warriors and will continue to fight for change, not only for ourselves but for all those who come after us in future generations.
It is my sincere hope that Black Trans Stories Matter can help us pave the path for our survival; that by the end of the performance, people will have a different outlook on my community and will work with us to create a world in which we can live our truth with freedom and safety.
Getting Started
- What is your organization or group’s goal for hosting the discussion? Get clear about your goals so you can communicate them to your group.
- Make a listening plan. Will your group listen together in person or will your community all tune in online and gather at another time, either virtually or in-person, to discuss the podcast and participate in follow-up exercises? There is no right answer, just plan ahead and let your audience know ahead of time what they can expect and how you will engage.
- Read through the entire guide. Become familiar with TMI Project and Black Trans Stories Matter. Identify obstacles you or your group might have in listening to and discussing these stories. Get well versed in ways to facilitate dialogue to inspire brave communication. Choose the follow- up exercises you will partake in.
TMI Project’s Mission, Vision and History
TMI Project helps craft and amplify stories that intentionally include the “too much information” we usually keep to ourselves. We help storytellers do more than entertain — they speak the unspeakable to replace shame and isolation with connection, freedom, and power – for themselves and those who listen.
Since 2010, TMI Project has led nearly 150 true storytelling workshops and staged live storytelling performances by nearly 3,000 storytellers, which have been presented to audiences of over 250,000 people in schools, colleges, prisons, mental health clinics, theaters, community centers, the United Nations and online.
About Black Trans Stories Matter
Black Trans Stories Matter is a Black trans-led space, for Black trans and gender expansive people to gather, write, share stories, and receive support without justifying, explaining, or defending their truth. TMI Project Workshop Leaders Kiebpoli Calnek (they/them) and Erik Harris (he/him) help guide participants through the TMI Project true storytelling process, to help them choose a story they most want to tell; provide exercises to inspire new perspectives; and edit their piece into a well-crafted TMI Project-style monologue for the stage. The workshop series culminates in live performance for an all-inclusive audience. The program was inspired by actress, ballroom icon, and TMI Project storyteller, Ms. Cece Suazo (she/her) and aligns with the mission of Black Lives Matter.
The culminating content — written stories, live storytelling performances, videos, and podcasts — is accessible to an all-inclusive audience. We pair our storytelling media with strategic tools to inspire deep introspection, a willingness to transform oneself and take bold action to end systemic racism and transphobia.
The TMI Project Story Hour
Season 5: Black Trans Stories Matter
In Season 5 of The TMI Project Story Hour: Black Trans Stories Matter, co-hosts Kiebpoli Calnek and Erik Harris profile 11 storytellers who share radically true stories celebrating Black, Trans, and Gender Expansive communities!
In 2021, in the thick of the pandemic, TMI Project conducted a national call for our first-ever Black Trans Stories Matter program. Season 5 of The TMI Project Story Hour: Black Trans Stories Matter introduces you to the 10 storytellers who were chosen, all of whom performed their true stories on Zoom for audiences around the world, and the creator, Ms. Ceece Suazo. The performance was a culmination of a true storytelling workshop led by Kiebpoli Calnek and Erik Harris. This season features the recording of those inaugural stories, along with interviews with each storyteller, and is accompanied by a listening 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.
And, a note from Season 5 hosts, Kiebpoli and Erik, for our Black trans and gender expansive listeners, “We welcome you. This community is for you. It doesn’t matter where you come from, your size, religion, sexual orientation, or what you got in your pocket. You are welcome here and we love you.”
Creating a Safer Space for Braver Communication
We know that safe spaces don’t actually exist. What is safe for one person can feel threatening to another. However, we also know that we can be mindful about each unique person and put guidelines in place to help facilitate a safer feeling in the room and foster open, honest, and brave communication.
Suggestions:
- Acknowledge safe spaces don’t actually exist and let the group know you will work together to create a safer space. Set the intention to create a space that will inspire people to be brave and compassionate in their communication.
- Establish the space to be a place where people will be listened to powerfully. Ask that one person talk at a time being mindful not to interrupt or talk over each other.
- Save eating, imbibing and socializing for after the discussion is complete. Focus on each other and what is being said.
- Have everyone agree and commit with a raised hand that what is said in the room stays in the room!
- Customize your space. Ask your group what else they need to feel safe and add it to the list.
Seven Strategies to Consider for Inclusive Dialogue
Every group will have unique needs. These are simply suggestions. Read through and see if any of these strategies will benefit the group you are hosting.
- Progressive Stacking—an effort to foreground voices that are typically silenced in dominant culture. Members of any marginalized group are given priority on the list of people who want to speak—the stack.
- Stepping up and stepping back. Simply put, this entails being mindful of how much time we each take up and a collective commitment to making space for as many voices as possible.
- The Humanity Clause (known in some circles as The Ouch and Oops) Everyone engaged in this conversation is human and likely going to make mistakes. Know it’s okay to make mistakes but also take time to acknowledge if a mistake hurt someone else. Resist being defensive and make an effort to understand another’s point of view and offer a sincere apology.
- Speak from your own experience. Use “I” language.
- Consider who is in the room. Disagreement is a natural part of this dialogue. Being in agreement is not necessarily a sign of success. It might mean your room is not diverse enough.
- Know you are participating in an open-ended conversation. Do not expect it to conclude with a sense of closure.
- Learn to listen and listen to learn.
Episodes
Black Trans Stories Matter workshop leaders and Season 5 podcast hosts Kiebpoli Calnek and Erik Harris announce TMI Project’s international Call for Storytellers for Black Trans Stories Matter, a 10-session workshop culminating in a live performance on June 24, 2023. Submissions are due by February 15, 2023.
By rejecting binary socialization, K.C (they/them). embraces their magic and discovers self-acceptance and joy.
Recounting his journey with mental health, Eddie (he/him) reflects on his time at an in-patient facility which he calls Feelings School. Content warning: This story contains descriptions of suicide and suicidal ideation. Listener discretion is advised.
Recounting his childhood, Julian (he/him) explores his identity in the shadow of a strict Jehovah’s Witness upbringing. Content warning: This story contains a description of a sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised.
Exploring the spectrum of gender, sexuality, and identity through costuming and sports, KT (they/them) finds self-acceptance and makes a non-binary declaration.
After coming out as Trans to his father, Jahir (he/him) decides to create his own definition of masculinity.
While chasing her goals, Sanaia (she/her) goes on her first date as a trans woman. The date does not go as planned. Content warning: This story contains graphic violence about a sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised.
Though Mars (they/them) comes from a legacy of performers, their genuine identity emerges after competing in a high school drag show.
With feelings of pride and joy for his family, Syd (he/him) takes us back to the day of his wedding.
From military boots to pumps, Theadora (she/her) embodies courage, commitment, and claims her space in the world during her first public walk in women’s clothing.
From growing up with gender freedom to his experience in the military and child rearing, Aren (he/him) explores alternate expressions and uncovers the true man he is.
As a member of the original, legendary Royal House of LaBeija, Cece (she/her) explains how her ballroom background helped her deal with a difficult health diagnosis.
Discussion Questions and Writing Prompts
Questions
- After listening to Season 5 of The TMI Project Story Hour: Black Trans Stories Matter, what are you feeling?
- Which storytellers stood out and why?
- Did any of the stories surprise you? How and why?
- Regardless of your own identity, has your sense of the Black trans experience shifted or broadened from listening? If so, how?
- Do you feel inspired to take a new action around racial justice and transgender rights?
Writing Prompts
Write a true story about:
- The first time you learned about the construct of race.
- The first time you learned about the construct of gender.
- A time you were impacted by or benefited from your identity.
- A time when a blind spot was removed and you recognized one of your own implicit biases.
Black Trans Stories Matter Co-Hosts
Kiebpoli Calnek
TMI Project Workshop Leader
Pronouns: They/Them
“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
TMI Project Workshop Leader
Pronouns: He/Him/His
“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.
About Cece Suazo, creator of Black Trans Stories Matter
Cece Suazo
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
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.
Suggestions for Action
Learn how to take action mindfully. See Black Lives Matter Toolkit Healing In Action
Read Black On Both Sides by C. Riley Snorton, Revolution Is Love: A Year of Black Trans Liberation, and Black Trans Feminism by Marquis Bey
Discuss as a group what actions you can take to combat racism and transphobia on a systemic level. What can you do collectively to impact your community, school system and local government?
Credits
TMI Project Co-founder and Executive Director:
Eva Tenuto
Season 5 Editor:
Stevie Manns
Operations and Programs Manager:
Blake Pfeil
Marketing and Digital Coordinator:
Laura Ruocco
Graphic Design:
Lauren Gill
Funders
The TMI Project Story Hour is created in partnership with Radio Kingston, a Hudson Valley based non-commercial platform dedicated to a vibrant, just, and healthy Kingston centered around community storytelling, artistic and musical expression, conversation and connection.
TMI Project programming is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.