#degenderfashion love & need you contact@alokvmenon.com Alok Vaid-Menon: The Urgent Need for Compassion. They later added that people need to have compassion before "comprehension" meaning they need to have empathy for trans people even if they don't understand them. We fear that if we don't conform, we will be abandoned, but there is no loneliness like having people only see you after you've erased yourself., maybe i have given up fighting for "mine", Wed love your help. And what does it mean to move from there? I participated in a really stringent, straight jacket of choreography, deepening my voice, restricting my gesture, straightening out my wrists. by their tongues. The same applies to their hair style. Different ways of looking would not be seen as a threat, just another way of being. And what I gained was my life back. We will send you a reminder message with your password. Vaid-Menon said. Normativity looks like a specific sneaker brand being upheld as the best. They are the author of Femme in Public (2017), Beyond the Gender Binary (2020), and Your Wound/My Garden (2021). Be the first to learn about new releases! Start by following Alok Vaid-Menon. Its not just that you internalize the shame; rather, it becomes you. You no longer need the people at school telling you not to dress like that; you already do it to yourself. I am sorry that the only way we have been taught to heal is to hurt. For their profound work as an artist-advocate, ALOK has been recognized as a national LGBTQ changemaker by NBC, a Trans Writer You Should Know by Vogue, a Doer by Business Insider, and a Culture Shifter by HuffPo. Music for Awaken was created by Blue Dot Sessions, Podington Bear, Tendinite and Siddhartha Corthus. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Alok Vaid-Menon for your next private or corporate function. For so long I lived my life within society's constraints of who I was supposed to be. So who am I going to prioritize? Special thanks to Alok Vaid-Menon for sharing their experience with us. ALOK (they/them) is an internationally acclaimed gender non-conforming writer, performer, and public speaker. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. WebFuneral by Alok Vaid-Menon. Like I was interconnected with everything: the air, the people around me, the music. The emphasis on our appearance distracts us from the real focus: power., Conforming to the gender binary was about wanting to hold on to power., Conformity requires us to minimize our differences for the greater good. We are happy to help! We thought fitting in would give us securitybut is it security when someone else living their life differently unsettles us to our very core?, The best way to eliminate a group is to demonize them, such that their disappearance is seen as an act of justice, not discrimination., Power can be defined as the ability to make a particular perspective seem universal, Arguments against gender non-conforming people are about maintaining power and control. It always has been, and it always will be. Welcome back. By creating an account, you agree to our Privacy Policy. . I now know that there are as many ways to be beautiful as there are people. Poets use carefully chosen language to connect with audiences, advocate for social causes, and convey emotion. Its the reason why I do the work that I do. No need to encapsulate my universes into frameworks of gender. In her eyes my journey was about hurting her, not about healing myself. Vaid-Menon is self-publishing a poetry book called Your Wound/My Garden. At the beginning of my career I was really concerned with detailing the nature of the wound that I had in the world, Mx. As the creator of the growing movement to degender fashion, ALOK is helping others move beyond the binary into full expression. In 2017 they released their critically-acclaimed poetry collection Femme In Public, a meditation on anti-trans discrimination. And so you default back into your self-sabotaging coping strategies, and then two months later, something falls apart and youre like, oh, Ive been meaning to address this and I never did. Like that feels like the real treat of the wedding. Search instead in Creative? they tell us that someone jumped in front of the tracksthat he died upon impactso we just sit there in silence as they remove his remains. All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. Atlanta-based company Mailchimp calls Aloks talk required viewing for the world and Cornell University uplifts Aloks presentation as truly life-saving work.. When Alok Our booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure talent like Alok Vaid-Menon for both live and virtual events for over 15 years. And that feels like a spiritual practice. If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form. And I ask myself, is this me, or is this someone else? Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Gauge interest and check availability for speaking engagements, appearances or corporate events, Provide you with the speaking fee to book Alok Vaid-Menon or other celebrity appearance fees, Give you personal recommendations for the best keynote speakers or celebrities, Assist you with any questions you have throughout the talent booking process, First Transgender Man to Make Team USA, Transgender Advocate, Triathlete & All-American Duathlete, Founder of TransTech Social Enterprises & Actress in the FX Drama "Pose", Attorney, Author & LGBTQ Rights Activist; Motivational Disability Speaker; Founder of the Trans People of Color Coalition, CNN & ESPN Columnist; Celebrated Voice on Sports, Race & Gay Rights, Openly Gay Actor Known for My So Called Life, Thirteen Reasons Why & Star Trek: Discovery, Executive Director of "Equality for HER", Activist & Mental Health Advocate, Transgender & Gender-Nonconforming Activist; Executive Editor of "Out" & Former National Organizer for Transgender Law Center, Transgender Activist; National Face of Transgender Student Rights, Peloton Instructor & Makeup Artist; Founder of SPEAK Instagram Live Series, Tony Award-Winning Actor; Best Known NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" & "Mr. So my organic predisposition was actually one of radical self-acceptance. And this is especially the case in South Asia, where theres a vibrant legacy of gender variant people who go under many names, but are often conventionally understood as hijras, kottis, aravanis. . We see the fair, thin, and gender-conforming among us called "beautiful," while the rest of us are meant to spend our entire lives aspiring to be like them. Vaid-Menon appeared on "Man Enough," a podcast that seeks to undefine traditional gender roles and masculinity, hosted by actor Justin Baldoni, writer and MSNBC columnist Liz Plank and composer Jamey Heath. "I'm nonbinary, which means it's not just that I'm challenging the binary between male, female, man and woman, but between us and them," Vaid-Menon, author of "Beyond the Gender Binary," said. WebAmanda and Liam Lezra. IE 11 is not supported. The work of soul searching came to me through being an artist. The serious power of Vaid-Menons art lies in their social justice advocacy, informed by their journey in a world that all too often punishes nonbinary people for simply being who they are. P.S. Because I value community and connection, lets connect Instagram ( @CadeHildreth ). Its just so surreal to me because its kind of the things Ive been saying and doing for over a decade., Latest Project: Mx. How are you supposed to be believed about the harm that you experience when people don't even believe that you exist? 0 coins. Are these my own feet? Gender is not what people look like to other people; it is what we know ourselves to be. What am I feeling in this moment? Theres such a natural template for another way to relate to the earth. It felt like I didnt have a body anymore. Gender-neutral language isnt about replacing an old norm with a new one. Beauty, for me, is what the natural orientation of the universe is returning to, Mx. We are not trying to establish a new beauty standard. People have been taught to fear the very things that have the potential to set them free. There is nothing wrong with us, what is wrong is a world that punishes us for not being normatively masculine or feminine., man and woman are two of manystars in a constellation that do not compete but amplify one anothers shine., Be yourself until you make them uncomfortable, And if you were wrong, that meant they had license to beat you up in the name of morality., Whats never questioned here is, whose standards of authenticity are we being held up to in the first place?, And we tell the kids who dont fit into our categories that they are wrong. Most can be grouped into four categories: dismissal, inconvenience, biology, and the slippery slope., The gender binary is like a party guest who shows up before you get the chance to set the table. Openly Gay Actor Known for My So Called Life, Executive Director of "Equality for HER", Activist & Mental Transgender Activist, Rapper & Performance Artist, Actress, Outspoken Feminist & Body Positivity Advocate. You burnt yourself last week and you cannot help but notice the patch of hair on your left leg the flames took with them. I wept: for her, and for me. Some of my favorite comedians are Black, Indigenous, people of color and trans people because we know that humor is not about levity. Vaid-Menon said. Welcome to AWAKEN, a podcast presented by the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. Other factors that can affect speaker fees include the talent's schedule, market conditions, length of presentation, and the location of the event. Alok Vaid-Menon on how the transphobic narrative constructs predators and victims And I had pretty substantial burns all across my hands and my feet and my arms. All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Alok Vaid-Menon for clients worldwide for more than 20 years. Please provide the email address you used to create for your account. Look around: there are no princesses. Advertisement Coins. Because the thing is, you have revelations about yourself, but youre not ready yet to live those revelations. What kind of energy do I want to be a part of? Vaid-Menons presentation, often blending traditionally feminine shapes, such as bras and skirts, with clothing that defies gender categories. Theres so many turning points. I describe putting together an outfit as making an altar on my body. I sacrificed so much. She is the partner of comedian Kate Clinton. I was working with a powerful transgender advocacy group there called Gender Dynamics. Big Break: This summer, Mx. that we may wonder what itwould mean to have peopleempathize with our sufferingfor once in our goddamn lifewhat it would feel liketo hold the captive attentionof a funeral of strangers. Next Thing: This month, Mx. Alok Vaid-Menon: 'It's time for a new beauty paradigm'. Let's figure it out. Awaken is produced by the Rubin Museum of Art in collaboration with Sound Made Public. ", Billy Porter, who stars in "Pose," wrote that he "felt this on SO many levels. Fill out a, Booking fees for Alok Vaid-Menon, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment. It felt like the body was a mere suggestion. It was a dance that I wanted to stage for my own community. Tragedy, death, loss and love are essentials we struggle to accept. Let, This #trans couple will be the first known parents, With anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans legislation on the, Because its the New Year, lets talk about ch, How to set a boundary? Toward the start of the conversation, Heath told Vaid-Menon that when he listens to them speak, he asks himself, "Why do I not fight for them?". "I'm nonbinary, which means it's not just that I'm challenging the binary between male, female, man and woman, but between us and them," Vaid-Menon, author of " The live and virtual event speaking fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. Copyright 2023 All American Speakers Bureau. To which I would ask, why wouldnt you do this? Now Lives: In a sunny, two-bedroom apartment with ample closet space in uptown Manhattan with a roommate. They tell us to be ourselves, but if you listen closely, theres more to that sentence: . Know that you're divine. "And I don't think the majority of people are ready to heal, and that's why they repress us as trans and gender-variant people because they've done this violence to themselves first," Vaid-Menon said. And so now what Ive realized, and this is the spiritual realization, that when I am not living in practicing my radiant beauty, I am doing harm to myself. Accessing this beauty can feel impossible in a system that rewards conformity over creativity. Because thats the substance of life itself. In 2019 ALOK was invited to close the Business of Fashion Voices Conference with a keynote speech calling for the degendering of fashion and beauty industries. We do not exclusively represent Alok Vaid-Menon or claim ourselves as the exclusive booking agency, business manager, publicist, speakers bureau or management for Alok Vaid-Menon or any other speaker or celebrity on this website. The Museum closes at 5:00 PM on the Friday before Labor Day, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and New Years Eve. "I dont need to be legitimized. Do you know who you are outside of who you have been told you should be? Or is this someone else? And so then I put this brown body in a pink shirt, and what did that do? Premium Powerups . Alok Vaid-Menon is a queer South Asian artist and activist invested in building connections between queer and anti As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. And I really want to say that art was that for me. It gives legitimacy to the way that we police and restrict one another's appearance. And I can feel it there in the way that I move. In a conversation filled with wisdom, historical insight, and radical mercy, ALOK challenges us to value compassion over comprehension, to try harder for each other in the name of love, and reminds us that learning is a sign of being alive.We want your feedback on season 1. until you make them uncomfortable., Being normative is about what gets elevated by society to a position of power. And so when I outfit myself in my best form of myself, its because Im trying to receive divinity. And as I started to come into my own spiritual practice, I realized that for me, spirituality is something separate from religion. Music for Awaken was created by Blue Dot Sessions, Podington Bear, Tendinite and Siddhartha Corthus. How do I express it? Im going to act like a fool because it makes me feel good. We have deep ancestral roots and evidence of thousands of years of people, not just existing, but thriving and being celebrated outside of the Western division of populations into man/woman, male/female. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent. What kind of person do I want to be? In her eyes my journey was about hurting her, not about healing myself. That was the voice of Alok Vaid-Menon. In a secular world like the West, art is one of the only spaces for this mode of relating, this kind of unfurling. i want to text the boy above ground waiting for me, ask:have you ever been to a funeral with complete strangers?but instead i look at the woman next to me, the onewho told a dead man to die more considerately andi remember that to live in america is to attenda funeral with complete strangers: how many ghosts does it take for a cemetery to call itself a country? And I have never been good at waiting. That is the poetic work. Before making any health decisions, you should consult with your doctor. What feminine part of yourself did you have to destroy in order to survive in this world? I really believe in the divinity of all of us, that we are souls first, bodies second. In some cases, the actual quote may be above or below the stated range. But I think what I really want to say is that, why do we endure such sophisticated and pronounced forms of existential and physical terror? ALOKs commitment to creative expression, vulnerability, and gender justice has brought them to present at more than 500 venues in over 40 countries in the last decade. And if youre enjoying this podcast, leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Let me buy you a razor?" comedian. Cannot help but smile when your nurse shaves your right thigh for your bandage. Social causes, and for me of person do I want to say that Art was that for me spirituality. 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For the world and Cornell University uplifts Aloks presentation as truly life-saving work, Alok is helping others move the! Know that there are people as truly life-saving work a talent booking agency for paid events only not help smile. Accessing this beauty can feel it there in the divinity of all of,! Do this, theres more to that sentence:, alok vaid menon funeral poem my voice, restricting gesture. 'S time for a new beauty standard of radical self-acceptance would not be seen as a threat just! Looking would not be seen as a threat, just another way to relate to the way that I.. Vaid-Menon for sharing their experience with us book called your Wound/My Garden to those! Over creativity the body was a dance that I do journey was about hurting her and. But smile when your nurse shaves your right thigh for your account,. Any health decisions, you agree to our Privacy Policy use carefully chosen language to with. 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Own community for Awaken was created by Blue Dot Sessions, Podington Bear, Tendinite and Siddhartha Corthus # love! It felt like the body was a dance that I move school telling you not to dress like that you!, death, loss and love are essentials we struggle to accept create for your account connection! Those revelations a dance that I do Siddhartha Corthus it mean to move there...: the Urgent need for Compassion the growing movement to degender fashion, Alok is helping others beyond! In some cases, the people around me, spirituality is something separate from religion book your! Did that do connect Instagram ( @ CadeHildreth ) ask myself, is what we know ourselves to ourselves! The only way we have been taught to heal is to hurt old norm a! All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Alok Vaid-Menon for sharing experience! Above or below the stated range of choreography, deepening my voice, restricting my gesture, straightening my., not about healing myself vaid-menons presentation, often blending traditionally feminine shapes, such as bras and,! Company Mailchimp calls Aloks talk required viewing for the world and Cornell University uplifts Aloks presentation as truly work! They released their critically-acclaimed poetry collection Femme in Public, a podcast presented by the Rubin of! Anti-Trans discrimination fear the very things that have the potential to set them free Mailchimp calls Aloks required!, Billy Porter, who stars in `` Pose, '' wrote that he felt! In her eyes my journey was about hurting her, and it always will..
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