I'm so grateful that I had the luxury of transitioning in private. Because when you transition in the public eye, the transition becomes the story.

I have always been aware that I can never represent all trans people. No one or two or three trans people can. This is why we need diverse media representations of trans folks to multiply trans narratives in the media and depict our beautiful diversities.

The preoccupation with transition and with surgery objectifies trans people, and we don't get to really deal with the real lived experiences.

It's a struggle every day, to stay present, not to become that...eight year old who was bullied and chased home from school. Some days I wake up and it's like I'm eight years old again. And I'm scared for my life, and I don't know if I'm going to be beaten up that day.

Whether you're transgender or not, most of us get to a point in our lives where we can no longer lie to ourselves.

If you have a problem with people living their lives and being authentically who they are, you really should go and do some soul-searching.

Just me existing, as an openly black transgender woman from a working-class background, thriving, is a political act. My brother always reminds me that if you are black in America and you're alive, you deserve a round of applause. There are so many forces that don't want us to be alive, and so just being openly who I am, and happy and thriving, is a political act.