And what I really appreciate about the story is it requires us to kind of move out, zone out, zoom out of just like an interpersonal interaction and see the world from a different perspective, and be like, what, from the perspective of a tree or from the wind, is this conflict? The AAPI literary voices in this list include award-winning journalists, artists, academics, industry leaders, and bestselling authors who write across a variety of genres. And I had to basically stay at home and I started to really write. I was dematerialized and less concerned with form than I was with flow. 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 speak with internationally acclaimed, gender non-conforming writer, performer, and public speaker Alok Vaid-Menon, whose work speaks to themes of trauma, belonging, and the human condition. So who am I going to prioritize? All American Speakers is a "buyers agent" and exclusively represents talent buyers, meeting planners and event professionals, who are looking to secure celebrities and speakers for personal appearances, speaking engagements, corporate entertainment, public relations campaigns, commercials, or endorsements. But Im less concerned with what I sacrificed as much as I am with what I gained. It was a dance that I later staged at my school talent show, for better or for worse. Copyright 2023 All American Speakers Bureau. Beauty is no longer in the eyes of the beholder. our train is delayed and i am late for lunch with a boy i like because he makes me feel less lonely and that seems like a sufficient definition for love to live in america is to blame thedead for their own death, notthe country for creating the veryconditions that already killed thembefore they caught up andmade things more clear, which is why when i tell theliberal who wears words like diplomacyand democrat that i will not pay his taxesbecause i do not want my coins to cause carnageand he calls me a terrorist(i understand), which is why when i tell himthat i do believe in monsters who comeout at night, call them men for shortand he tells me that i only dress femme because i want to be bashed(i understand), which is why when i tell himthat the very women who started our movementare still being murdered in the same cities wheremen are getting married and calling it momentousand he gasps: that happens here? Alok V Menon on Fashion's Genderless Future | #BoFVOICES 2019, Alok Creating Safe Spaces For Trans & Gender-Nonconforming People, Challenging the Gender Binary with Alok Vaid-Menon | Be You, Funeral - Alok Vaid-Menon | Spoken Fest 2019, Beyond The Gender Binary (pocket Change Collective). Despite constant invalidation, so many transgender people transition because we know there is a quiet and fierce dignity to being able to look at yourself and say "this is who I am.". She is the partner of comedian Kate Clinton. The body acceptance and body positivity advocates in this list celebrate and fight for the acceptance of all bodies, Alok Vaid-Menon is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Keynotes, Endowed Lectures & Commencement Addresses, Beyond the Gender Binary and Femme in Public. And so, what I guess Im trying to cultivate in my life is the kind of courage and conviction and stamina to continue every day to ask myself, Who am I? Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Call us to speak with a booking agent about your event or specific speaker request. To use his own words, he once declared, I am not a man. I guess the academic in me would say, I felt like I was no longer a subject. The fluid artist moves seamlessly among poetry, comedy, fashion and writing. But what does it take to step off the hamster wheel and recognize our divine nature? Alok Vaid-Menon - Funeral 21,371 views Mar 10, 2019 1.3K Dislike Share Save Button Poetry 1.37M subscribers Join Subscribe Support Button Poetry: Web89 quotes from Alok Vaid-Menon: 'we have been taught to fear the very things that have the potential to set us free', 'Its not just that you internalize the shame; rather, it becomes It became about being seen in a different way. I sacrificed so much. And so much of the formalization and consolidation of European-Western modernity was also a project of aesthetics and color. In this episode, we examine our divine nature and consider who we truly can be in the absence of judgment. Next Thing: This month, Mx. Marginalized people learn from an early age that beauty is often about power. The sight of me walking with my head high -- brown, bearded, and in a bold red lip -- was too much for them. I am proud to be part of a generation of artists who are challenging mainstream beauty and showing the world that niche is the new norm. For more information about our guest and to see images of the artwork in this episode, visit RubinMuseum.org/awakenpod. And so freedom for me is a daily practice, and its constantly evolving and absolutely not linear, which is so unfortunate sometimes. Show more. 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. For so long I lived my life within society's constraints of who I was supposed to be. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. 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. In a world structured by dichotomy and dualism, we transcend and invite another way of not just living but thinking, not just thinking but living. And if youre enjoying this podcast, leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. 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? Alok Vaid-Menon in Oxfordshire, England, on Nov. 22, 2019. 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. Are these my own hands? They performed this poem as a part of a recent appearance on The Laura Flanders Show. Alok Vaid-Menon: The Urgent Need for Compassion. Like that feels like the real treat of the wedding. But I dont know if thats honest about being alive. Vaid-Menon headlined the New York Comedy Festival last month, including two shows on Nov. 13. Addeddate 2016-11-04 00:33:48 Closed captioning no Duration 199 Identifier Reincarnation_-_Alok_Vaid-Menon For more information about our guest and to see images of the artwork in this episode, visit AWAKEN Podcast. When in fact we are guilty of the crime of being alive and meaning it. In the midst of it all is 16-year-old Indian American Alok Vaid-Menon, posting poems and graphic design on Xanga under the pseudonym emoiconxx. Vaid-Menon said. Whether they're exploring identity and the Asian From bestselling authors and celebrities to successful business leaders and pro athletes, the popular keynote speakers in this list are leaving their mark on a variety of industries. Every time Im feeling shame, I breathe into that location. Theres, in fact, a third way. At her funeral I had to dress as the man she wanted me to be. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent. Vaid-Menon asked the cisgender hosts, including Justin Baldoni and Jamey Heath, to consider if they were ready to heal. Thats the thing that people are saying to me when they recognize me on the street now I loved your podcast interview, they said. Its irrelevant. This is not about erasing men and women but rather acknowledging that man and woman are two of manystars in a constellation that do not compete but amplify one anothers shine., This is actually the purpose of language to give meaning to concepts as they evolve.. And the alchemic work of rematerializing what was into what could be is the work of being alive, I think. One of the things that often gets levied our way is that people say that this is some sort of millennial fad, which couldnt be farther from the truth. WebAlok Vaid-Menon is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Keynotes, Endowed Lectures & Commencement Addresses, Beyond the ALOK is a dynamic and seasoned presenter who excels in tailoring their message to their audience from college students to corporate boardrooms. You know, I think that theres a lot of misapprehension, miscomprehension about people like me. We tell them that they are not real. 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. And that kind of sense of recognition and that sense of self-acceptance and that sense of surrender to the kind of quiet pulse of the earth having a heartbeat is what I would describe why we do this thing. And if youre enjoying this podcast, leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. What feminine part of yourself did you have to destroy in order to survive in this world? All American Entertainment Named to Inc. Best Workplaces in 2022. "I dont need to be legitimized. . This writer and performance artist is fighting for a world where all people are able to self-determine their gender. Gender diversity is an integral part of our existence. And I remember speaking it and being like, whoa, this is what I, not just what I want to do for the rest of my life, but this is what I am. . And people are saying thats a threat.". I didnt have shame. I wept: for her, and for me. When I first told my grandmother I was transgender she responded, "How could you do this to me?" The work of soul searching came to me through being an artist. In the episode, which premiered Monday, Vaid-Menon said the gender binary the idea that there are only two genders rather than a spectrum and the traditional expectations associated with binary gender labels hurt everyone, not just transgender people, and these fixed ideas of what it means to be a man or a woman make it difficult for people to find out who they truly are. For more information on how we work and what makes us unique, please read the AAE Advantage. Basically, there was a space heater that I didnt turn off, that my mattress got embroiled with. Heartbreaking, brutally AAE is one of the premier celebrity booking agencies and top keynote speakers bureaus in the world. By creating an account, you agree to our Privacy Policy. Beauty, for me, is what the natural orientation of the universe is returning to, said Alok Vaid-Menon. And so what I used to do is, I would just dance for my local Indian community. "I wish I could explain my existence as a non-binary person with this clarity," one person wrote. Is this me? Be the first to learn about new releases! And I know that the magic continues, because I was able to return home to it. And so then color became associated with anti-reason, emotion, unrestraint, unbridled ways of being. but instead i will sit here and wait until the train starts up again.i will exit the car without saying goodbye to her.i will walk up the stairs to the boy outside with the smile that makes me feel less lonely. We punish them until they conform. Are you willing to go back? That sense of safety, of trust, of legibility and coherence. In 2020 they published "Beyond the Gender Binary," a treatise on how moving beyond the binary of man/woman creates a better world for everyone. 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