‘CD Player pt III’ by death's dynamic shroud.wmv I think my brain is in a weird place today, so this fits right in.
What i say: I have anxiety
What most people think i said: I am awkward but cute awkward and shy.
What people assume: I am imagining illnesses to justify my lifestyle and personality.
What i actually mean: I live in a constant fear. I worry about the past, current or future situations, i have stomach and head pains all the time, tachycardia and awful panic attacks that include heart palpitations, and breathing problems. I suffer everyday and not only in "stressful situations". I think so much before i do something and eventually i don't do it at all, so people think i am lazy. I suffer from insomnia. I sweat to the idea of having to interact with people. I don't use the word anxiety to justify anything or to make myself look cool. It's a mental disorder, i have to live with it and find ways to control the symptoms. It is not a trend. Many people around the world actually suffer from this disorder. Accept those who have it and help them, don't judge them, don't joke about it. NEVER.
‘Nwampfundla’ by Tshetsha Boys New Wave Dance Music from South Africa, via @jonathanhartsf
Here’s an extract of her talk:
“I have a vagina. Just thought you should know. Just thought you should know. I look like a woman. I’m dressed like one, I guess. The thing is, I also have balls….I’m not male or female. I’m intersex.
“Most people assume that you’re biologically either a man or a woman, but it’s actually a lot more complex than that. There are so many ways somebody could be intersex.
In my case, it means I was born with XY chromosomes, which you probably know as male chromosomes. And I was born with a vagina and balls inside my body. I don’t respond to testosterone, so during puberty, I grew breasts… I don’t actually have a uterus – I was born without one, so I don’t menstruate, I can’t have biological children…
“We put people in boxes based on their genitalia. Before a baby’s even born, we ask whether it’s a boy or a girl, as if it actually matters; as if you’re going to be less excited about having a baby if it doesn’t have the genitals you wanted; as if what’s between somebody’s legs tells you anything about that person.
Are they kind, generous, funny? Smart? Who do they want to be when they grow up? Genitals don’t actually tell you anything. Yet, we define ourselves by them. In this society, we love putting people into boxes and labeling each other…
“But there’s one really big problem: biological sex is not black or white. It’s on a spectrum. Besides your genitalia, you also have your chromosomes, your gonads, like ovaries or testicles. You have your internal sex organs, your hormone production, your hormone response and your secondary sex characteristics, like breast development, body hair, etc.
Those seven areas of biological sex all have so much variation, yet we only get two options: male or female. Which is kind of absurd to me, because I can’t think of a single other human trait that there’s only two options for: skin color, hair, height, eyes…”
Listen to the whole talk here. Believe me, it is worth your time!
Art by Virgil Finlay.
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