Special Video Episode: Trans Day of Visibility Nonbinary Panel
This episode is sponsored by Rebecca Minor, LICSW. For more information about her course, How To Talk To Kids About Gender, please visit: https://www.genderspecialist.com/learn Listeners of this podcast get 10% off with code ALLYSHIP. For My Kid Just Came Out: Free Guide for Parents, please visit: https://www.genderspecialist.com/nowwhat
And if you're looking to book an LGBTQ+ event for Pride month or after, consider hiring me: https://www.chrisangelmurphy.com
To have the best experience of this special episode, you can watch it exclusively on Spotify.
Our last episode of season one is a special video event featuring the live panel from Trans Day of Visibility on March 31st, 2022! It features stories and wisdom from Zoa Glows (they/she) [current set of pronouns since the event aired], Maze Felix (they/them), and Noel Fernando (they/them) at the intersections of being both nonbinary and trans. Zoa Glows was also a guest on the podcast earlier on in the season and it's one of the listener favorites! We got some great comments, questions, and love from the live panel viewers, so thank you to everyone who helped to make it happen, including Rebecca for helping with back-end tech!
For panelist bios, more about the event, and a chance to watch with subtitles via YouTube, please visit: https://www.gendersexuality.info/blog/trans-day-of-visibility-nonbinary-visibility-panel
Thank you to all of you for making season one such a great success!!! I'm so grateful and I'm glad I could take the time to acknowledge each of you for making Allyship is a Verb what it is today.
See you Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022, for season two! <3 - Chris Angel (they/them)
💜 Donate monthly: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/allyship-is-a-verb/support
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Full Transcript
Chris Angel Murphy 0:01
Y'all it is hot in this apartment. This is a bad idea. [groans] Okay, we can get through it.
Chris Angel Murphy 0:10
Well, hello there. My name is Chris Angel and my pronouns are they/them. Welcome to Allyship is a Verb, the podcast that explores and humanizes allyship for the LGBTQ+ community and beyond!
Chris Angel Murphy 0:25
Molly, please make sure to do a fancy echo on that and leave this in, too. Yep, let's just do that. Cool.
Chris Angel Murphy 0:31
Anyway, this is a very special episode for two reasons. The first is that it is the first video episode. Yeah, so it's exclusive to Spotify. So, if you're not listening on there right now, hop on over there so that you can get my full awkwardness. All I can say about that is: you're welcome and I'm sorry. So, here we are.
Chris Angel Murphy 0:57
The second reason why this episode is so special is it's number 27 and it's actually the final episode of season one. Which is just like, what? Like, how did 27 episodes happen? And how am I already wrapping up season one? This is incredible.
Chris Angel Murphy 1:15
I want to take a quick moment, before we get into the main content, to just thank a few people for helping to make this happen. I want to thank you, the listeners, because I thought maybe I would have seven listeners at best and to date, at the time of recording this, we've already had 2,400 and counting. And I'm just stunned because I'm an indie podcaster. And considering I've done no marketing or anything, I just think that's incredible. That means that's word of mouth. That's, that means that people are somehow finding it. So, just thank you.
Chris Angel Murphy 1:15
I also want to thank sponsors that I've had, like Anchor, and Rebecca Minor, The Gender Specialist. Which brings me to the sponsor of this podcast episode: Rebecca Minor, The Gender Specialist. She's got two awesome resources I want to tell you about. The first is an online course, that's how to talk about gender with your kids. And that's for ages 0-10. So just wanted to offer that as a resource. And she's actually giving listeners of this podcast 10% off with the code: ALLYSHIP. So I'll have all the information in the episode notes.
Chris Angel Murphy 1:51
The other resource that she has that I want to tell you about are these two guidebooks. One, is for gender, and one is for sexuality. So, if your kid has come out to you, and you don't know what to say, you want to get some resources, you want to get some words of encouragement: these guidebooks are for you and they are free. And they will also be linked below. But again, for either of these resources, whether they're good for you, or maybe you know someone who might benefit from them, please let them know.
Chris Angel Murphy 2:55
And Pride season's around the corner. If you still haven't figured out your programming or for the rest of the year, because there's plenty of other awareness events outside of Pride Month, please consider hiring me. I do training, I do workshops, I do you know rollouts of pronouns. So, if you've been considering rolling out pronouns intentionally within your company, I can help with that. I've done it a bunch of times. So, please consider hiring me my website, chrisangelmurphy.com will be linked again in the episode notes.
Chris Angel Murphy 3:28
Those who have been helping to donate. Thank you so much. And that's Jazz, that's Kaitlyn, that's Sarah, and that's Michael. So, even though there are just four of you, I'm still tickled because I never thought I'd have even one donor. So, thank you. And these episodes cost me over $100 a pop because I also have a team helping me. So I also want to acknowledge Molly, my awesome audio engineer. Thank you, Molly. Huge help. So glad that I don't have to learn how to mix and everything. So glad you went to school for that and that we have found each other. So, thank you.
Chris Angel Murphy 4:12
Also, newer to the team is Destiny. Destiny, thank you so much for helping out with transcribing so that the podcast can be as accessible as possible. Also, a special acknowledgement to Star, who was doing that before Destiny. And the awesome audio engineers that came before Molly. Couldn't have done this without all of you. So, thank you.
Chris Angel Murphy 4:34
Thank you to those of you who have also left reviews on places like Podchaser, Apple, and Spotify. It means a lot because when you're doing that, it helps other people decide if they want to listen or not. So thank you, thank you, thank you. And also the people who actually reach out to me and tell me what a particular episode means to you, or that you appreciate my silliness. Thank you, I edit a lot more out, if you can believe it, you probably can. And, also just giving me feedback. One, like, what I set out to do with this podcast and my intention was helping people to just get in the mud of learning allyship because so many of us can be afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing. So, I want to help all of us collectively to just grow, and do better, and learn from each other. And also recognize that different people need different things. So, having those conversations, knowing how to have those conversations, knowing how to apologize and everything, just, that was my intention with this podcast.
Chris Angel Murphy 5:44
However, it's been that and so much more. One of the things that's touched me truly and made me ugly cry several times, is when y'all reach out telling me that it's also giving you permission to explore your own gender, your own sexuality. You're asking yourself questions that you haven't before, thanks to the self-reflection questions that I shove into each episode. And it just means so much to me. Or, through listening to other people's stories, you're inspired and you're learning about new identities, and you have new awesome people to follow on places like Instagram. So, I just feel like a community is building and I just want to thank you for being along for the ride with me. And that means whether you've been here since day one or maybe this is your first episode. So, I can't thank you enough for sticking around. And [pauses] yeah, just hang in, because season two will be coming out in August.
Chris Angel Murphy 6:47
And if you have any desire to be on the podcast or anything like that, feel free to reach out to me, and let's have a conversation and see if it's a good fit. But just thank you to, again, each and every one of you who have helped to make this possible and what it is today.
Chris Angel Murphy 7:04
I also want to acknowledge Squadcast. That's a software I use to record these conversations. And the community and the staff are just incredible. So, the staff have been amazing, because they've answered all sorts of weird questions that I've thrown at them. And because of the community that they've created on Slack, they'll do special things like, they gave me an audit of my podcast. And they gave me a few tweaks to implement that have been amazing and great and now I do those every episode. Or just being amongst the community of other people who also do podcasting. And being able to support them and cheer them on as they're also hitting milestones that they have set out. And so, it's just been incredible. So, I have to have the shout out Squadcast. So, just thank you to the community and also the staff, you've been incredibly generous with your time, your insights and everything. So thank you, thank you, thank you.
Chris Angel Murphy 8:01
Again, the new season is going to come out August 2, that is a Tuesday as per usual, of 2022. So hang around, make sure you're following the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts so you get that notification when the new season drops.
Chris Angel Murphy 8:20
And now to the main event. My heart is in community organizing. And I've been really missing doing something like that. So, I organized earlier this year for Trans Day of Visibility, a panel with some of my favorite people. And so, we did that live and it was beautiful. So many people attended live across YouTube, and Facebook, and LinkedIn. And you asked lovely questions and honestly, it was truly magical. At the end of it, we were just kind of in awe and just processing what had just happened. And I know that it meant so much to my friends to be able to have their stories amplified. So, for those of you who attended live, thank you so much. It meant so much to them. And to me, as well as if you watched elsewhere, or you're watching now, but I really wanted to make sure that their stories continue to get amplified.
Chris Angel Murphy 9:16
And just like I'll mention in the panel, not everyone who's "nonbinary" also identifies as "trans", but all four of us are at that intersection. And I just thought it was really beautiful to highlight that and how it's also very different for all four of us. I was just hosting it so, I didn't really insert myself much. I really wanted to elevate my three friends and so, I hope that you'll continue to support them and follow them on social media. And yeah, I am sweating so much in my apartment and I need to get this episode done. So, we are going to cut it here and now go to the event so, just thank you again, for your kindness and your generosity. And here's the panel:
Chris Angel Murphy 10:12
Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining us today whether you are tuning in live or experiencing it later for a Trans Day of Visibility and our nonbinary panel. And yes, I'm incredibly nervous [laughs] right now.
Chris Angel Murphy 10:28
So, yeah, I'm Chris Angel together as a first name and my pronouns are they/them. And I am proudly trans, nonbinary, and queer. And I'm also newly diagnosed as ADHD and autistic and I share that because this is my first public event since learning this about myself. And I'm incredibly nervous as a result because I'm working really hard on not masking or hiding my behaviors. So, thank you for allowing me to have a safer space to explore that.
Chris Angel Murphy 11:05
LGBTQ+ community organizing and educating has been a passion of mine for over 14 years. My small business is called GenderSexuality Info, LLC. Thanks to my ADHD, I have several projects that I'm juggling, and some of my favorites for my business are that I have an Etsy shop of the same name and I produce a podcast called Allyship is a Verb.
Chris Angel Murphy 11:34
We have gathered you all here today [laughs] to advance the trans and nonbinary agendas. So, thank you for showing up. And yes, I am joking, kind of. There are a few things I would like to highlight before we get started. So first, not everyone who is nonbinary also claims the term, community, or identity transgender. This is a unique intersection and I'm honored to introduce you to some of my favorite humans in the world who share this intersection with me.
Chris Angel Murphy 12:12
Not all trans people can be visible today. Some are who don't want to be. There are those who choose to be private or stealth for any reason. Some live in locations that it may bring them harm. Some people don't use the term transgender to describe themselves anymore because they feel their transition journey is complete, which may be a combination of medical, legal, and social changes. There are also folks who detransition, people who want to access gender-affirming medical care, and people who don't, or can't for financial, safety, or health reasons, and beyond.
Chris Angel Murphy 12:58
All of these experiences are valid and held in this space today. We don't have to understand them to respect them. If you are also transgender, and/or nonbinary, or think you might be and don't see yourself in today's events, that does not make you any less valid.
Chris Angel Murphy 13:20
I am hoping you will follow the panelists that I will be introducing today on Instagram and listen to how you can support them. Please do not ask them for any free emotional labor. Let's make sure that instead they are seen, safe, and cared for. The panelists are being paid thanks to your generous donations and it will be divided amongst the three of them. If you are unable to help contribute today, please know that your presence is enough and someone has already paid it forward so that you could be here.
Chris Angel Murphy 13:56
This is Emy, our ASL interpreter for the event. Thank you for being here today and supporting us. For those of you requiring ASL interpretation, she has been known to have a Philly accent. She will stay pinned on the screen throughout the panel.
Chris Angel Murphy 14:14
I am now going to bring Rebecca Minor up, who wants to share a few words. Rebecca has been incredibly supportive throughout the process of organizing this event and I want to make sure to thank her. She has been spreading the word. She's probably spammed everyone on Instagram. [Rebecca laughs] So, thank you for that. And she's also been helping, she's going to be helping me with the tech as we're going and she's been helping with so, so much more. So Rebecca, seriously. Thank you. I love you and go ahead and take the stage.
Rebecca Minor 14:54
Aww, thank you. I love you. I don't want to take long this day is not about me. But, I just want to thank all of the panelists in advance for being willing to be vulnerable and sharing their stories and how important that visibility is. And of course, I want to thank you, Chris Angel, and I know this is going to make you nervous, but this panel wouldn't be happening if you hadn't dreamt it up and put it together. So, thank you for the space that you create.
Chris Angel Murphy 15:24
Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. Well, now what's going to happen is- just to tee up the evening for you all, I'm going to have the three panelists, one at a time, share their stories. I'll first read a short bio. If you registered through Eventbrite, you also got to see their bios, also on LinkedIn, their bios and the links to their Instagram accounts. But I'm gonna go ahead and first bring up, Noel. So thank you again, Rebecca. And Noel, let's bring you up.
Chris Angel Murphy 16:00
So, let me share about you a little bit. So, Noel Fernando uses they/them pronouns and is a trans, nonbinary artist and illustrator in Albuquerque, [laughs] New Mexico. They love drawing, they make comics, educational resources, and illustrations. Noel's work focuses on highlighting trans joy, sharing queer wisdom, exploring what it means to occupy a transgender body, and celebrating trans bodies and their many forms. They are currently formulating a workshop for artists and creative [inaudible] who wants to be part of a community of trans folks- trans folks, play with creativity without judgment and build self-trust while exploring their identities and recreating childhood experiences they may have missed out on, due to constraints of social expectations. Whew. Yeah, there's a lot going on there. Noel, I'm gonna go ahead and let you share. Thank you so much for being here today.
Noel Fernando 17:06
Thank you. I'm excited to be here and I'm very nervous. So, we'll see how this goes. Like Chris Angel said, my name is Noel. And my pronouns are they/them. I'm an Asian Latinx Native artist and illustrator living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. And I also identify as "nonbinary" and "trans masculine".
Noel Fernando 17:30
At the moment, my art focuses on creating images that center around trans joy. There are so many scary things in the world already. And I personally feel like it's healing and helpful to see people embrace themselves, embrace their identities, their bodies, each other, and show that being trans doesn't have to be centered in traumatic experiences, which is what we see a lot of in media today. It's not all that way. It doesn't have to be that way and it's helpful for me, at least, to remember that. [clears throat] And hopefully not just for trans folks, but for the people who care about us and want us to be safe and happy. For those folks who are allies, friends and family members of trans loved ones, I hope that you, if you come across my work, at some point in the future, it can show you that being trans is something to celebrate and hold sacred. Not just to tolerate, but like to really embrace and love about that person.
Noel Fernando 18:37
Let's see. So, I wanted to talk today also about why it's important to me to be visible myself, I'm just speaking from my own experience. Much of my experience as a trans person has been feeling lost and then finding my identity in a space that embraces me over and over again. I am lucky enough to be openly transgender. And I realized that- that is a privilege of safety and security that I have right now, which not everyone has so, I'm very thankful for that. But it's also one of the reasons that it's very important for me to be visible. [clears throat]
Noel Fernando 19:21
I am also 34 years old, and I didn't realize that I was nonbinary and trans until I was actually 30. Funny, I spent a lot of time in my late 20s following trans guys on Instagram, and wishing I could be like them. And I didn't realize that I was trans. Now, looking back, I see that I probably should have realized that earlier, but part of the problem was that I didn't have [pauses] the vocabulary to express what I was feeling. So, when I sat with the idea of being a man, like the folks that I saw on Instagram, it didn't feel like a good fit. And so I just kind of accepted that my body would never outwardly reflect who I felt like I was on the inside. And I felt bummed out about that.
Noel Fernando 20:11
Um [pauses] part of the reason that I didn't have the vocabulary is because that I'm at an age where, unfortunately, the thinking was very binary when I was growing up and binariness is the way that we were taught to view gender, at least where I come from. So, I just thought that my experience was weird. But, then the internet, of course, came to the rescue. And I discovered the term "nonbinary". Four years ago, I ended up stumbling upon a nonbinary YouTuber who had actually recently discovered their own identity in their 40s. And they were just starting to go through the process of feeling out what was right for them trying on names, pronouns, thinking through how they wanted to present themselves and inhabit their own body.
Noel Fernando 21:04
And seeing someone who came into that identity, who was actually older than me, let me know that it was okay. That I wasn't too old to realize that I was trans or it wasn't too late to live as my authentic self. So, having the language to describe our experiences is so important. [pauses] I'm not sure if I would have realized my identity earlier had I had nonbinary as an option, but it's difficult to speculate into the past. So yeah, I, I just wanted to talk about like, visibility, why it's important to me, and the age thing, which I don't know if other folks have experienced, but I, that was a big part of my discovery.
Noel Fernando 22:01
So [pauses] again, I do my best to pay it forward, because [pauses] seeing other folks like me was so important to me. And I'm really grateful to have found people who are willing to share their journey, other trans folks who are willing to share their journey. And although we don't owe anyone visibility, or education, for me, personally, it's important as someone who has the privilege of safety, for the most part, to throw my hat into the ring of trans visibility. So, that's my little story and I will let the next person go. Thank you so much.
Chris Angel Murphy 22:36
Thank you so much for sharing your story. And I hope you're able to see some of the nice comments that were coming in affirming you. So, thank you for that. And we will hear more from Noel soon so, now I'm going to go ahead and bring up our next guest. And I am not used to this technology. So, thank you for your patience here. But I would love and I'm so excited, I think, [laughs] to introduce [laughs] Zoa. Right, Zoa? Are we ready? Are we ready? Okay.
Zoa Glows 23:12
I am ready! Can't you tell I'm ready? [laughs]
Chris Angel Murphy 23:15
[laughs] This...
Zoa Glows 23:17
[excitedly] Hi!
Chris Angel Murphy 23:18
...is all happening so...
Zoa Glows 23:19
Yeah,
Chris Angel Murphy 23:20
Zoa Glows uses she/they/he pronouns and wants people to use them on a rolling basis, that means, maybe from sentence to sentence, just switching up which pronouns you use for her. So, they are a performer and educator who is from Orlando, Florida. And growing up, Zoa dreamed of doing something that they loved and changing the world. They realized the arts have the power to move people.Zoa went to UCF for musical theater and dance and has been performing since in theme parks, on cruise ships, and for Orlando Rep Theater.
Chris Angel Murphy 24:00
They love teaching theater and are passionate about helping others be their authentic selves. Zoa wants everyone to know their dreams can come true, if you follow your heart, and the things that make you different are your superpowers. Zoa, please take it away.
Zoa Glows 24:18
Oh, are you sure you want me to- Okay, I'm ready. I'm ready. Let's go! [laughs] Hi, I'm Zola and my pronouns are she/they/he like Chris Angel said, I am trans. I am nonbinary. I am Black and I am so happy to be here today. I love being able to be visi-, visible. And it's not always easy for me to be visible, even just walking outside sometimes, in my own neighborhood. And it's been that way since I was young, when I was a child and so I'll take it back to then.
Zoa Glows 24:51
Even when I was younger, [pauses] I grew up in a family with six sisters and one brother and the tough thing was somehow always being the one who [pauses] just there was something, you know. And [pauses] I just remember the first time that I got called "gay" [laughs] by a family member or someone outside of that. And then, whether they were calling me "gay" or "queer", or any other kinds of names. It was just like, [pauses] one [laughs], they don't fit. And two, [pauses] it's just feels so wrong when other people are giving you labels that aren't who you are, you know?
Zoa Glows 25:36
So, I grew up in a big family, and I am a performer. So I think I've always been like, fighting for attention and validation in some ways. But as a kid, I love to play and the thing that really hurt me the most was being separated [pauses] by genders. And so it, it really broke me down, when my sisters would have a sleepover with someone and I couldn't go. Or it broke me down when I had to be with the boys because [pauses] it just didn't feel right to be separated from either. And [pauses] I have always been the type of person to break out and break free from when people try to tell me who I am and people try to tell me what I have to do.
Zoa Glows 26:24
And yeah, so, fast forward, I just knew I wanted to do something and change the world. And like Chris Angel said, music for me, and singing and dancing, has the power to move people. And I remember in high school, I wrote a song. The- [laughs] it went, [sings] "Now the boys make muffins and the girls, they are the tough ones. Can I have some cause my blood sugar is low?" [speaks] And fast forward to now and I haven't wrote, written a song in so long because my language is evolving. And that was about gender back then. But [laughs] now who I am, I cannot wait till I write another song because [pauses] it's going to be so free and so liberating to be me.
Zoa Glows 27:13
I went to college for singing and dancing and just they would always typecast me in roles and say, "Hey, this is who you are, this is who you are." And I really don't like to be put in a box and told who I am, ever, because I know who I am. I think that we, as trans and nonbinary people- I read a post recently and it said, "We are the experts on who we are. And it's not for anybody else to say."
Zoa Glows 27:34
So, [pauses] moving on, I went to school for singing, did a little performing here and there. And then I was like, "Oh my goodness, my heart is pulling me to teach." And I became a teacher, teaching theater at a high school level, but I taught all levels. And [exhales] the magical thing was that, I was like, "Oh my goodness, this high school does not have a GSA. Wait a minute." And for those of you watching that are in a GSA right now and you're here, it makes my heart so happy. So, I started a GSA and the kids in the GSA taught me who I was and taught me how to be me just by me seeing them be themselves. Sometimes they'd say, "Oh, Miss..." and then my last name or these types of things. And I was like, "Oh, well, that feels good, too." And it was really cool to see the language, as it evolved for me and like, "Wait a minute, this does feel right. And this does feel right", as far as pronouns and titles.
Zoa Glows 28:30
And so we did a lot of shows there, and had a viral video that went bloop because I told my students that I was nonbinary. [laughs] And I just been learning a lot about myself. And [pauses] I think it takes a lot of courage to say to the world and say to kids, and kids should be able to hear who you are. So many teachers tell their students who they are and about their partners and relationships, but it always feels like Queer people have to hold back. Why do we have to hold back, you know?
Zoa Glows 29:00
So, now I am performing. And I am loving, loving, loving- I'm exhausted right now honestly, I just got out of rehearsal. But I'm loving. And I just was sitting for a moment thinking, "Oh my goodness, I'm living my dreams. I'm doing what I love and the people in my cast, and my directors, and my crew are trying. They're trying to use my pronouns and for me, personally, "she" and "they" pronouns feel really, really good. I want to say for me, personally, pronouns are not telling you my gender and not telling you everything about me, but these are the ones that feel right for me. "He" pronouns would feel great but a lot of people just default to he because that's all they can see when they look at me. And I really don't like when people assume terms and those types of things like saying like, "Alright gentlemen", or "guys", or "bro", or "dude", or "sir".
Zoa Glows 29:52
And even feminine ones don't feel right for me always, like I don't like when people assume. [pauses] I know who I am. I love myself. [pauses] uh, whether, I medically transition or not, I'm trans. I'm nonbinary. And I hope that resonates for other people. I can't afford to do some of the things that I would like to do. And I still love myself and I still feel good.
Zoa Glows 30:16
The last thing that I would like to say is that, [pauses] there was a time in my life when I was a kid, where I didn't feel like I was going to be here on this earth and make it to 31. I'm 31 right now. And it's because of seeing other people on TV and seeing other trans people and nonbinary people be visible and stand up and say, "No, I know who I am. You can't tell me who I am." That's how I know me and I'm learning about me and I'm telling you who I am. And sometimes I can't tell you who I am because it's not safe to. So, words to anybody that is struggling right now, I love you. And yourself right now, your younger self. [pauses and exhales] Honestly, you growing up and when you're Zoa, like me, when you're at Zoa [exhales] @zoaglows [laughs], it's a love letter to live. And it's a love letter to your younger self to be you. You are [pauses] love, you are wonderful, and just being you. And you don't have to have it all figured out right now.
Zoa Glows 31:27
And one other thing that I would like to say is that, for me, my power comes from asking people to support me in the way that I need. And it's not always easy with family, especially my mom or my dad. But I've started asking it and I started putting my foot down. Luckily, I'm in a place where I feel like I can and sometimes I'm pushing, pushing, pushing. But that's me. That's Zoa and I'm a free butterfly flying away. [laughs and blows kiss]
Chris Angel Murphy 31:59
Zoa, thank you so much. And I hope you're able to see some of the love coming in for you. People were saying that you have a lovely voice and the impact you've had on them. So, thank you for that. And now, I'm gonna go ahead and [laughs] I love that sound and then right at the end, I'm so sorry, I did that too soon. Please don't come at me. I didn't mean it.
Chris Angel Murphy 32:28
But, our next panelist is going to come up. That's our third panelist, Maze. So, hello Maze. I'm going to introduce you now. So, this is Maze Felix. They use they/them pronouns. Maze is a Queer, trans, nonbinary, AAPI, Chinese. Let me try this again [laughs], is a Queer, trans, nonbinary, AAPI, Chinese, transracial adoptee. They have several careers. I can relate to that, relate a lot. Working as a American Sign Language interpreter, actor, and collaborating with a variety of Queer and trans-owned businesses.
Chris Angel Murphy 33:11
Maze's values and lived experiences of community building, solidarity, and creativity have led them to both their professional and personal passions in life. The most important things in their life are: chosen family, cathartic, creative outlets and their two guinea pigs. [laughs] They are always in awe when they connect with new folks and begin to walk through life with them. And they're always honored to remember those who came before us and who have paved the path for us. So, now that I've stumbled through that awkwardly, Maze, thank you so much for being here. And I'm excited for people to hear your story.
Maze Felix 33:53
Hello, everyone. Thank you so much Chris Angel, you did a beautiful job [laughs] saying that, I- in my introduction of myself, I will be repeating those as well [laughs]. Zoa and Noel ground me so much. I'm really inspired that they have both been able to share their stories so eloquently, whereas I have written everything down and I will be actually reading it off. So, thank you for all your patience for letting me read off my phone.
Maze Felix 34:29
We were asked to write our stories and so this is my story. Hi there, my name is Maze Felix and my pronouns are they/ them. I'm a Queer, trans, nonbinary, AAPI, Chinese, transracial adoptee. The reason I've included my transracial adoption identity for this panel is because for most of my life, until fairly recently, my adoption and who I was in relation to my, my adoption story and my white adoptive parents took precedence in my journey of forming my own identity with race, culture, sexuality, and gender. My lost sense of self and the intersectionality of those identities have contributed to my gender identity. It has also added to the existing trauma of not being fully accepted as a nonbinary, Queer individual in my adopted family.
Maze Felix 35:32
So I knew I was queer when I was three years old but never gathered the language surrounding sexuality until I was 14 in high school. I had also written a song during a songwriting class that I took in school and later realized that was my coming out song to myself. I came out to myself privately when I was 17, sitting in my high school bathroom stall, and promised myself I'd come out in college. But from social pressure, I landed in a heteronormative relationship and remained in the closet until I was 20 years old. When I came out, as first, lesbian, and then pan, and then Queer, a whole journey. I thought I had my identity figured out. My adoption identity then took over again between the ages of 20 and 23 years old and that has been a whole journey itself.
Maze Felix 36:33
There's been many identities that I've been navigating and struggling with all my life and learning to simultaneously navigate each day. Because all are extremely important and I'm still trying to navigate them every day. Back when I began puberty, at 12 years old, I freaked out as my body began to change. I can distinctly remember the exact moment I experienced dysphoria surrounding my chest. I had an option to bind but because of an existing heart condition that I have, I was unable to for health reasons. And I still didn't have language for gender until I was 20, even if I finally had it for sexuality.
Maze Felix 37:20
At 22, I wanted to use they/them pronouns but because of an unsupportive and unsafe environment with relationships and family members that I was surrounded by at the time, I was pushed back in the closet for another year. I officially started using they/them pronouns when I was 23 and came out as nonbinary subsequently after. And at 24, which was not too long ago. I'm 26, about to be 27. I secretly fundraised with the help of community. And let me say, community really showed up for me. Yeah, for- big time. For me to have top surgery. I raised over $10,000 in less than a month and then I secretly flew to San Diego to stay for another month to have and then also recover from top surgery.
Maze Felix 38:18
For an entire year, my family still did not know and I somehow kept that from them. I don't know how I kind of disassociated that entire year. And I only shared my journey with trusted people in my life through a private, separate Instagram account that I had made for myself. When I was 25, I decided I no longer wanted to feel forced to stay in the closet. So, I came out and long story short, that brought a lot of grief, a lot of pain, but also a lot of joy, and a lot of community. Just all of it existing at once. And then recently, I publicly and legally changed my name to Maze Felix this past September of 2021.
Maze Felix 39:09
So, I'm very vocal, and active, and public, and extremely visible on my social media about my gender but also about all my other identities. And the simple reason I am so visible and public about that- about them is because I deserve to be. I think I deserve to be and we all deserve to be and that's just the simple [laughs] answer for myself that I realized throughout my journey.
Maze Felix 39:45
Um, reclaiming all my identities at once has been a whirlwind. But I've been thinking a lot about what visibility means to me and what it means for me. And I think visibility is terrifyingly vulnerable and exposing, but at the same time, it's really celebratory and joyful. And it builds community and it builds chosen family. And I know that I'm not without my chosen family or my community. And I wouldn't be here today without any of them or without any of these folks here on the panel with me. So, I just I wanted to also recognize the people who, yes, who have come before me, and who will continue to pave the way for all of us in the future, and just the ones who've really celebrated and supported me. And that's who I am.
Chris Angel Murphy 40:46
You did it. Maze, thank you so much for your vulnerability and sharing your story with us. I'm gonna go ahead now and introduce the next section. So, we did have some questions come in before the panel. If you would like to ask any of the panelists a question, you can go ahead and leave it as comment wherever you're tuning in from. So whether that's YouTube, Facebook, or LinkedIn, and we'll figure out who wants to answer them. But I'm gonna go ahead and do one of our questions that we have already gotten. So, give me a second to navigate over there.
Chris Angel Murphy 41:31
And I just want to shout out, I'm seeing so many people from throughout my life from either when I worked at the Trevor Project or people I grew up with and things like that in the live. So I'm seeing you commenting and everything. And I just want to say thank you so much. That means a lot. And that's part of why I'm freaking out, because [laughs] I'm just so grateful for the support. So, thank you for showing up today.
Chris Angel Murphy 41:56
Anyways, that being said, I'm gonna go ahead and pick our first question. I'm going to ask all of the panelists to go ahead and answer this one for us. So, the first question we have is "How do you define nonbinary?" and I'm now going to ask my panelists, which one is ready to go first by waving at me.
Chris Angel Murphy 42:20
And they are being very shy. [pauses] Incredibly shy. I will just pick somebody. I'm- okay. So Zoa is ready. Zoa is ready. Okay. There we go. Thank you.
Zoa Glows 42:33
[laughs] I was- I was waving frantically.
Chris Angel Murphy 42:36
[laughs] I finally saw it. How do you define nonbinary, Zoa?
Zoa Glows 42:40
I do not define nonbinary is my answer to that question. And the reason why I, Zoa, do not define nonbinary is because I really don't like seeing definitions of nonbinary online because a lot of them, not all of them, but to me when I'm reading them, a lot of them exclude a lot of people who are nonbinary. And the very essence for me, of me being nonbinary is that you can't define me, you don't get to tell me who I am. And I know who I am. And there's- so, I don't like to define nonbinary.
Zoa Glows 42:55
But I do love that there are definitions out there. And some of them are better than others. But the reason why you can even say, see- I'm getting like, [grunts] is because it makes me mad seeing that and then maybe somebody reads that and they're like, "Oh, well, I thought I was nonbinary. But now people are saying that I'm not because they've simplified this definition and they're excluding me." And I don't think people should be- [sighs] I, I think [pauses and exhales] you know what I think? [laughs]
Chris Angel Murphy 43:45
I think that what I'm hearing you say is, it's really important for us to have our own definitions.
Zoa Glows 43:52
Yes.
Chris Angel Murphy 43:52
And that when we are sharing that, making sure that we're saying this is how we would define nonbinary for ourselves...
Zoa Glows 44:01
Exactly.
Chris Angel Murphy 44:01
...and encourage other people to find the language that works best for them. And when we see a definition, to not take it as this is the only definition because [pauses] all of our intersectionality, our geographical location, our age, all of that is going to impact how we answer that question. So, Zoa...
Zoa Glows 44:21
Yes.
Chris Angel Murphy 44:22
You did that beautifully. Do you want to fan out this time? I'm sorry, I like-
Zoa Glows 44:25
I do. And thank you for- so me and Chris Angel know each other very well. Thank you for [pauses] helping the galaxy brain find it's [inaudible] Thanks, Chris Angel.
Chris Angel Murphy 44:37
Thank you, Zoa. Any- okay, Maze- Maze is bravely going to come up next, Maze, how do you define nonbinary for yourself?
Maze Felix 44:48
First of all, you both did such a beautiful job. I'm basically just [laughs] reiterating. Um, but in my own words, I'm going to do a shameless plug of it. Um, a queer and trans clothing company that I rep for but I'm wearing their, their clothes intentionally because this is one of my favorite shirts. It says, "Not So Binary" and it kind of fits this question. Because the way that I define it, the way that I define nonbinary is that it's not binary. So then there's no one definition, which aligns with what you and Zoa said. Yeah, I think there's this misconception that when you say that you're nonbinary, you are either right in the middle or you have to choose one side or the other, when really, it's just a full spectrum. So yeah, just to be simple, short and simple. That's- I agree with everything that you've said.
Chris Angel Murphy 45:51
Fabulous. Well, thank you so much for adding to that, and super appreciate that. So I'll go ahead and see, Noel, do you have anything you want to add to this? Or should we go to the next question? [pauses] Give me a wave, if you're ready to come up. Okay, thank you. Here we go.
Noel Fernando 46:09
Hello.
Chris Angel Murphy 46:10
Hello.
Noel Fernando 46:11
I see, feel nonbinary for myself, very similarly to what Zoa and Maze said. But I, [pauses] as a very visual person, I see all of gender as sort of like space or like a galaxy. And, like, man, woman is- are like stars in the galaxy that everybody knows and sees and looks at. But there's so many other stars and constellations and whatever. So it's not for me, not so much of a spectrum with like an X and Y at either end but somebody who is nonbinary can be anywhere in that that area. [pauses] Um, yeah.
Chris Angel Murphy 47:08
Yeah, I've been seeing online- we try so hard in the community, to come up with graphics and tools to help explain these kinds of concepts. And something that I've seen is trans can be like its own umbrella, which is how it's usually depicted. And then there's identities that fall under that. So nonbinary doesn't necessarily fall under that.
Chris Angel Murphy 47:33
Someone can decide that for themselves, but not necessarily. However, there's also a nonbinary umbrella. And under that can include other identities, such as genderfluid, and so many more terms that we don't have time to share today. So, yeah. There's just a lot of ways of thinking about it and defining it for each person. So, thank you so much. Anything else you wanted to add to that, Noel?
Noel Fernando 47:59
No, I'm good.
Chris Angel Murphy 48:00
Great. Thank you. All right. You know, my face is feeling less on fire. I think I'm like hitting my groove now, so thank you for your patience and I've seen all the support in the chat as well. I think it's time we take a look and see. All right. So, I'm seeing a really great question right now that I'm going to ask the panelists to wave at me if they feel moved to share this and talk about it. But this is the question that has come in, "How do you handle being constantly misgendered at work?"
Chris Angel Murphy 48:38
I'm gonna give my panelists a moment to think about that. And while they're thinking, what I can share is, it really depends. I think that one way you could explore this is thinking about what your boundaries are and what your needs are and what's non-negotiable for you. And if that's because people aren't using your name, if they're not using your pronouns correctly, it can feel like the burden falls on you- of the emotional labor to educate people. And so if you don't feel comfortable doing that, because I know for me, conflict can be really scary, there are great resources out there. And I think sometimes you could have a conversation with someone and say, privately, "Hey, you know, I told you my name is Chris Angel, and my pronouns are they/them. I noticed you've been using the wrong pronouns with me sometimes. I just wanted to see, you know, do you have any questions that I can help to answer about it?" Or, you know, "Can I send you a resource so that, you know, if you need to practice or something like that?" I think there's a lot of different options but looking again at my panelists, is there anything else my panelists would like to share with this person? All right, I'm gonna bring up Noel.
Noel Fernando 50:09
I'm back. Um, so my situation at work is a little bit, uh, [pauses] maybe normal, but maybe odd for others. I am out to some of my co-workers as trans but not to others. And over time, my comfort with myself and my co-workers has changed and therefore my boundaries have changed. So, first, I would recommend that you, like Chris Angel said, figure out what your boundaries are. But also give yourself the opportunity to change those boundaries as you- your identity changes, as you get more comfortable with yourself, et cetera.
Noel Fernando 50:56
I also am lucky enough to have some co-workers who are allies and advocates for me, who are willing to stand up for me and help me advocate for myself and have conversations with coworkers who misgendered me or whatever. So, I'm really lucky to have that and it doesn't always have to fall on you. But if you have somebody at work, who you trust, you can ask them to help you with that. But that's just my experience so.
Chris Angel Murphy 51:36
So appreciate that, Noel. Thank you so much. Maze, did you want to come up here? [pause] Wave if you want to, you're thinking about it. While you're thinking about it, I just want to add to that, that if folks want to practice allyship in the workplace names and pronouns can be really tricky. Sometimes we're only "out" in certain parts of our lives. So, for example, someone could be "out" on their roller derby team, and everyone there knows, but maybe not at work. So, if someone shares with you, allies, if someone shares with you a name and pronoun set, because they've just come out to you, and they've just changed it, ask them, ask them. I mean, first thank them for sharing that with you. And then ask them, "Are there any exceptions?" "Are they are there any other places in your life where you want me to do something differently?"
Chris Angel Murphy 52:32
And another thing is also asking that person, "Do you want me to correct people for you?" And there can also be exceptions there. Sometimes, trans folks might make exceptions for their family, for example, their immediate family. And that is a very personal decision. And none of the rest of us should ever, no one should, but especially the rest of us should not ask that person for that kind of exception. So, if someone has shared with you their name and their pronouns, please do the work. Please practice, I have to do the same thing. I make mistakes. And it makes a difference when you practice. So, alright. I'm going to go ahead now. And thank you so much for asking that question. I'm going to go back to another one that we got earlier. And it's, "How did you find community?" And I'm going to ask my panelists to wave at me when they're ready. All right, Maze. Come on up.
Maze Felix 52:34
Hello, again. [clears throat]
Chris Angel Murphy 52:49
Hello.
Maze Felix 52:51
Um, I found- I think I have many different communities. And I think I found all I, not think, I know I found all of those communities, sadly, out of desperation to be seen and validated and- And, for example, I found as a transracial adoptee, I found my AAPI community because I was trying to figure out how I fit in the world as an AAPI person, who grew up in a white world. And I found the queer community, actually, right when I came out, I'm not sure if U-hauling is an appropriate term for my experience. But my best friend at the time, when I came out to her, she immediately asked me to help her and a group of friends start a queer sorority at our college. And that was essentially my initiation into the queer world.
Maze Felix 54:40
And I think I- I recognize I'm very, um, I'm very lucky and appreciative of that moment because if I hadn't had my friend or those community of friends to welcome me into that group, I probably would have struggled finding the community myself. And so, yeah, I, for me finding community right now, actually, with COVID, and everyone being online, I've actually found a lot with online friends. And online friends have turned to in-person friends, and in-person friends have turned to chosen family. And, um, I think connecting and sharing lived experiences with one another is really validated and needed for folks who are not seeing by the environments that they're in.
Chris Angel Murphy 55:41
Yeah, thank you so much for sharing. I'm gonna go ahead and see. Noel, are you ready to answer this one? Wave, if yes. Okay. Thank you. Hello, welcome back.
Noel Fernando 55:55
Hello again. I also found community through online through Instagram. I talked a little bit about that in my story. But I found that when I started reaching out to people and saying thank you or attending live events that I saw, like this one, or particularly for me sharing artwork and crediting those folks, and like lifting other people up who I really admired, I found that a lot of them were actually really kind. And that's how I've made friends who I really value who have similar experiences to me. And that's been really awesome as, as problematic as Instagram can be for many of us, it's given me the opportunity to meet people all around the world who are also trans so, yeah.
Chris Angel Murphy 56:59
Absolutely love it. Thank you so much for adding more to that. For our next question. I'm gonna go ahead and get that teed up and say to that I didn't like show y'all I'm rocking this right now so, just wanted to show you and Zoa has one as well. And I know that they will show you shortly here.
Chris Angel Murphy 57:22
But the next question is going to be from the audience. So, thank you. And this is about impostor syndrome, and so is going to be coming up to talk through it. "So have you experienced impostor syndrome with queer trans identity? And if so, any tips for dealing with it?"
Zoa Glows 57:42
Yes, I have. And here's my "Protect Trans Kids" shirt. I think we should get like a link or something where they can get these two because the people that make these are really awesome. Okay, so I literally had impostor syndrome today before this [laughs] thing, and even sometimes, like, while I'm going on performances and stuff. And so [pauses] for anybody that is having impostor syndrome, what I do [laughs] is I love on myself, and I just, I give myself love and grace. We know who we are. And sometimes it just feels like the world when, when they are like invalidating us with certain things, or they're not putting in the work to get our pronouns right, or using them how we would like to use them. Or even like with our partners and family, they say things and it just makes you feel like "Oh, they still don't see who I am, they still can't see that. This is me, and maybe they'll never see."
Zoa Glows 58:40
But I love to love on myself and hug myself and be proud of myself for being myself. And, and speaking up and saying who I am. And, and even for the people who can't speak up and say for- who they who they are, even for the people who can't afford to do the things that they want to do. [sighs] Even like today, before this panel, I was like, "Oh, am I do I have the earrings that I want to put on? Or is my chest looking a certain way, or these things in my hair, too." And I'm stripping all that down and I'm saying "I am always trans. I am always nonbinary" And it's hard, but I give myself affirmations, and affirmations, and affirmations. "I am trans, I am nonbinary, I am me. I'm proud of myself for being brave". And, and that's and that's what I do every day, day by day. I believe you. If you say you're trans, if you say you're nonbinary, I believe you.
Chris Angel Murphy 59:45
Yeah, I think you know, another question that was gonna come up. it's very similar to this is "What does nonbinary look like?" "What does transgender look like?" And I think that, although we have so many more stories available to us, either because we see people on Instagram or Tumblr or other places like YouTube sharing their stories. When we look at the media and Hollywood, we see very specific types of people being cast and certain types of stories being told. And they're not as authentic as we could have because sometimes the characters are used as an educational token.
Chris Angel Murphy 1:00:26
And so rather than having more authentic dialogue, where we see them casually putting on a binder as they're getting ready for a date, like those are the things we really need to see. And I think part of that, too, is because a lot of these roles are not written for us. They're written for cisgender, you know, heterosexual people to absorb and so-
Zoa Glows 1:00:26
So true and along with that casting, like the breakdowns for casting when they're casting a nonbinary person and I'm going to auditions, and callbacks to these types of things, reading some of these descriptions, it's like "Who wrote this?" It was definitely not a trans or nonbinary person because it just seems like, they really got some work to do. And it's always like that for every single identity. Like, even for me as a Black actor seeing how they write, write it out in our asking for us to be cast. It's like, "Do you really want it to be cast? Or do you want this stereotypical image of what you want?"
Chris Angel Murphy 1:01:23
Yeah. Thank you so much, Zoa. I'm actually going to bring Maze up next because you have some stuff to share with us. So, go for it.
Maze Felix 1:01:35
Thank you. Yeah, I wanted to jump in on the whole, "What does nonbinary look like?" And I think a lot about that question as, personally, because for me, like I am, in three days, four days, I will be five months on T, I've had top surgery. But um, a lot of my gender expression is very fluid. And I love being so fluid specifically with my hair. And I've had my hair short, I've had my hair medium length long, really long. Currently, it's it's kind of in the long stage. And I've gotten a lot of comments. Surprisingly, very, very supportive comments, but I'm very curious comments about why I choose to have my hair long. And, and that for me, makes me wonder, like, "What does nonbinary look like for me?" And for me, like, there is this- I, for me, I, sometimes do feel that impostor syndrome, where I feel pressured to fit in that whole nonbinary box of, you know, you need to transition, or you need to cut your hair short.
Maze Felix 1:02:52
And while I have done, for myself, and what I wanted, with top surgery and, and T, I don't necessarily want to cut my hair just because I think I want to be perceived in a certain way because I love my hair either way. I actually intentionally choose to not cut it because of that. And so I've gotten a lot of love, actually, from folks who, from other nonbinary folks who've also felt this way. And it's been very- I have felt very seen in that because just as we've- just as Zoa talked about, Zoa and Chris Angel talked about in the media, we don't see that a lot of nonbinary folks have short hair still. And to just meet other people who have the same experience for me. It is, is a- it brings euphoria for me.
Chris Angel Murphy 1:03:50
Yeah, I just can't help but think that when we see nonbinary in modeling or acting tends to be someone who's white, thin, androgynous. And, you know, there's just other parts that go with that. And so it can feel like- I can feel like an impostor because I have a beard and people comments on it all the time. I have a cisgender guys who are like, "I'm jealous." And I'm like, "Thank you." And then I have other people saying, "Well, how are you nonbinary? You have a beard, you just look like a guy." And it's like, because we can express our gender however we want. So, thank you so much for answering this question, Maze, I really appreciate you.
Chris Angel Murphy 1:04:33
I think we have time for one more. So, I'm gonna go ahead and put you back. Feels weird to say, I don't know a good way of saying I'm removing you from the screen. Maybe that was it. But I want to make sure that we answer another question from the community. And I think this is very important and timely. So, this one, "If you could give advice to the family members of trans youth, what would that be? What didn't you get as a child that would have been helpful?" I'd really love to hear from all three panelists on this as soon as you're ready. Can you give me a wave, please? Alright. We got Zoa. Zoa coming on up, come on down. The Price is Right.
Zoa Glows 1:05:16
Hey, if I could give advice to family members of trans youth, I would say, "Love them. Tell them you love them, tell them you're proud of them, and let them be themselves." The thing that I didn't get as a child would be knowing that you will love me and that I don't have to be who you expect me to be. I can be myself. That's my [trails off].
Chris Angel Murphy 1:05:43
Thank you. I love it. Good. Good little nutshell right there. Anyone next from the panel? Wave at me, please. You're thinking, here we go. Thank you, Noel.
Noel Fernando 1:05:55
My mine is short and sweet. My suggestion is don't force them into an idea of what you think they should be. That goes not just for gender but for any aspect of their life. Feeling like you're being stuffed into a box of being a girl or box of being a boy, can be really stifling and confusing. So, even if if your child says that they're transgender, believe them, but also allow them to explore what that means for them. Because it means something different for everybody. So yeah, that's mine.
Chris Angel Murphy 1:06:38
Thank you. I think what I would add to that, before I bring Maze up is unconditional love. Love your child unconditionally. And just say, "Hey, I'm here for you. I don't maybe know a lot about this and I'm going to do some research but I just want you to know that I love you. This doesn't change how I love you. I love you the same. Thank you for sharing this with me and let's be in this together. I'm here for you." So, alright, Maze let's bring you up.
Maze Felix 1:07:12
You all say it so beautifully. I don't want to repeat everything because that went into right what I was thinking. I was gonna say, explore. Explore with them, explore with your trans youth. Don't, don't just let them explore, like, let them explore, but also be willing to explore with them and let them change it, like, it will change. Maybe, by the year, by the month, maybe even by the day and not let it stay fixed. Yeah, for me, the unconditional love what you said, Chris Angel, really hit home. That's not what I got as a, as a kid. And so if I could give that advice to family members to, to give that gift to your child.
Chris Angel Murphy 1:08:04
Yeah, I know, if I put on my empathy hat, parents and guardians, family, y'all can be worried about doing the wrong thing. You may be worried that you've done something wrong to cause this in us. And I just want to say that is not true. You will cause harm though, if you can't learn to unconditionally love your child and support them in the ways that they need. And again, you don't have to know everything right now, culture and all that is going to change. But there are so many resources out there for you to help you navigate this. I think people immediately think of surgery and "Oh, my God, my child's a minor." And there's, there's so much more to it and that may not even be part of it. But I think yeah, the best gift you can give your child, in this way, is the gift of knowing that if they should share this with you, that nothing would change. That you would still love them unconditionally. So, yeah.
Maze Felix 1:09:03
And I also want to add that it's a gift that your child is sharing who they are with you, as well.
Chris Angel Murphy 1:09:11
Yeah, well, I'm gonna go ahead and- Maze, I'm going to keep you up here. And what I'm going to do is, I'm going to take this question down, and this question down, unless Rebecca can do it, please? And I'm gonna go ahead and bring up all of the panelists because we are at the end of the hour.
Zoa Glows 1:09:34
Yay.
Chris Angel Murphy 1:09:34
And I want each of you and I'm going to popcorn to ya, but I just want each of you to share out one last thing, of like, I think we need so much love in the world right now with all the anti-trans legislation, the "Don't Say Gay" and "Don't Say Trans" bills. So, Zoa, I'm going to ask you first, what would you like to say to everyone listening right now?
Zoa Glows 1:09:57
You are meant to be here on this earth and the miracle, this is from Encanto [laughs], the miracle is you. You are the miracle and just you being you. I love you, and the world is such a better place because you are you.
Chris Angel Murphy 1:10:16
Thank you so much, uh, Noel.
Noel Fernando 1:10:19
Um, I just want to say to trans youth specifically, trust yourself, you know who you are, people will very likely question your identity and tell you that you're too young, or in my case too old, to know that you're trans and try to sew seeds of self-doubt, but you know who you are. And you deserve to be cared for in a way that honors and respects who you are.
Chris Angel Murphy 1:10:44
Snaps to that. Maze?
Maze Felix 1:10:48
I'm going to keep this short and sweet: celebrate yourself. And don't feel guilty celebrating yourself with whoever, whatever, whatever community you want to celebrate [laughs] Yes. I'm celebrating myself by being here with Zoa, Noel, and Chris Angel.
Chris Angel Murphy 1:11:08
Yes, thank you again, to the panelists. Thank you to our ASL interpreter. Thank you to Rebecca for helping in the back end. Thank you for everyone in my life showing up and all of your comments, all of your questions, all of your support, all of the donations. Thank you so much. And we will hopefully see you again sometime. Take care, everyone.
Zoa Glows 1:11:28
Bye.
Noel Fernando 1:11:29
Bye.
Zoa Glows 1:11:30
Have a great day. Thanks.
Chris Angel Murphy 1:11:32
Well, folks, thank you for sticking around. Thank you for taking the time to watch the panel. I hope you enjoyed it and learned something, and have new awesome people to follow that you weren't already. And the other thing I want to say is this really bittersweet wrapping this up. So, just thank you again for watching and for your support. And if you're very anxious for season two, please do go ahead and listen to the other episodes, if you haven't yet. And I will see you August [laughs], Tuesday, August 2nd of 2022. Thanks so much. Take care for now.