
“So Damn Tired”: My speech at the Montreal Trans March 2017
I’m tired, y’all.
My name is Vincent Mousseau, and I am an unapologetically Black, unapologetically non-binary, unapologetically trans, and unapologetically queer person, and I am So. Damn. Tired.
I’m tired of having to fight for basic recognition of my gender identity in society; begrudgingly checking one of the binary boxes on forms, hunting for that gender neutral bathroom that’s tucked away on the other end of campus, and forever having to explain to people what non-binary even means in the first place.
I’m tired of walking into spaces, both predominantly cis and predominantly trans spaces, and having the feeling of not feeling “trans enough”. I’m tired of the Curious Cis™ asking me invasive questions about my genitals, and I’m just as tired of the quizzical looks that I get from other trans folks when I walk into closed trans spaces or when I assume my transness.
I’m tired of the continual erasure and tokenization of racialized people within our communities, where trans people of colour are often seen as an afterthought; as if active efforts to include trans people of colour was in any way optional (Obvious side note: it’s not, and never was). As if we didn’t start this damn movement.
I’m tired of not having services that respond to my needs, both from community organization and from government services. Coming as no surprise to anybody present, the casual transphobia that pervades these organizations is far too present, and when we attempt to bring these issues up, we are often faced with defensiveness and overly complicated policy decisions and passing the buck.
I’m tired of the constant deracialization of trans victims of violence by the media. If they mention the trans status of the victims, the fact that they were also racialized is often erased, and vice versa. This serves to categorically ignore and erase the existence of trans people of colour.
I’m tired of being silenced. I’m tired of being shut down. I’m tired of being scared. And I’m not going to take it any more. I am unapologetically Black. I am unapologetically queer. I am unapologetically non-binary, and that makes me “trans enough”. And I’m done with being tired.
