 Hello, hello, hello all my name is Antoine Hunter purple fire crow. I'm really excited about today Today November 4th 2021 Here on deaf. Whoa a few episodes ago. We had a special guest Well before I start Let me slow myself down. I've been getting reoriented last few weeks So I've been going so so fast up pace So, you know, I'm kind of learning how to slow down, you know, especially, you know with with COVID You know 2020 That taught us how to slow down and now people are going back to doing things in person in person different states different communities And that things down now now are pacing up again. You know, what did we learn? We need to learn how to be patient Slow down. Don't become like a microwave. If you're like a microwave, then you don't get your full nutrition You don't get that full wisdom recognition Connection, you know, microwaving is just covering the surface. It's a warm-up But the core that core that food. No, it's missing You know soul food is that real food real food for the people So let me go ahead and introduce my cool interpreters Let's go see. Let's see what let's see their names Please meet interpreter J and meet interpreter Mateo Luis I want to say thank you so much for coming this evening for providing your services Appreciate you. Now our special guest Armani Lawrence Now Armani was on a earlier episode and we're talking about deaf trans BIPOC trans community. What was going on in the community? We're talking about their life and what was going on in their life Their journey and that's what deaf woke is about discovering unveiling that journey Recognizing the identities No, it's that push and pull We had a great show Unfortunately, though, we had some tech issues and glitches and so I wasn't satisfied So Armani and I discussed and we're like, you know, let's let's run that show again. So please Welcome my friend Armani Hi there How are you? I'm good. I'm very happy to be here Very excited and have been looking forward to the opportunity. It's great You know last time, you know, we were talking about your transition Trans community your life You know that beginning unveiling of yourself You know, how's it been since our last episode till now? What's been going on? You know at that time uh with the original the first show You know, I had just recovered and was in the process of still really early on recovering from the top surgery now I'm post op Now we've been six months post up no almost seven months and I feel, you know, great my uh My range of motion Is back You know before I Yeah, yeah, I remember like little t-rex arms, you know, my son and was like that. Yeah Yeah, I remember. Yeah, you were kind of restricted and now you're free Yes, yes You ready to do some back flips now? Oh, no, no That might be too much to go back I may not land and may end up on my humble side You're right though. You got to take care of yourself Especially after the surgery, you know, you can't get out there too quick Do you know, did you get the opportunity to sleep and more? Uh, you know, did you were able to exercise? You know at that time initially I got approval to do to do go to do some exercises start working out I got that approval and that permission But I noticed that in my chest area it would hurt while I was trying to bench press or work out So it took little by little it was step by step You know, I was trying to do hit are you familiar with the hit process the High intensity was it high? Yeah high intensity interval training So you train for 20 minutes you go real quick and then you rest for 30 minutes 30 seconds And then you do one minute and then you do two minutes and rest and so You'll do one minute of high intensity You'll do 30 seconds rest one minute high intensity 30 seconds rest and that's for 20 minutes and I felt out of shape But it's taking time. It's taking time to get there But now you're good to go, huh? Well, you know, I'm not quite really. I mean I love food. I I knowledge. I love food. I love to eat I got a sweet tooth You know, some people are afraid, you know after surgery You know, they don't feel like they're going back the capability of doing things that they love You know going back to doing the things that you love doing but you're you're back to doing right? You're back doing the things you love doing you just had to slow down Right, you know, you had to pace yourself Yeah because at that time You know at that time of the surgery your body's not responding the way that it typically would Saying no and kind of limiting itself and and just kind of warming up and moving with that You know, I did some yoga and found wow that was That even took time, you know, I would still feel sore And take, you know steps back it helped to meditate You know with life with everything that's going on with co vid You know, it was very nice to take the time to meditate and the yoga helped a lot Yeah, you know speaking about meditation, you know, self realization You know, it's really where you put your energy put your needs within yourself You're recognizing yourself Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm Yeah, oh, I need to learn how to do that. Ooh, that ain't easy. Yeah, no, it's not. No, you're right You know, sometimes when you're meditating you you find your mind is starting to wander and And you're trying to follow your thoughts and it's and it's like no just just stay in this moment Stay in this moment assess it Where are we invested this energy? How? You know, for example, like with co vid You know, you're feeling anxious. You're feeling irritable. You're you know, I know for me I do have challenges and problems with anxiety at times And so taking that time to pause and assess it And kind of see life how you can change your life You know what what co vid what areas co vid impacted in your life, you know You know, you know, we were talking about kind of, you know getting physical being physical And now, you know, now we're transitioning to talking about spirit and meditation Yeah, you guys you're I can feel your high spirit right now Uh, you know, we had mentioned, you know, we had talked about that surgery that transition, you know Preparing for that the anxiety, you know, you know, I you know getting comfortable with that identity You know that process Now I said now you'd mentioned a meditation Uh, does that apply? Does that apply to, you know, really immersing into your identity is using that kind of a catalyst meditation? Yeah as I Dropped in and kind of really steeped into my identity there've been some very difficult parts in the do in the journey There are not only do I identify as trans but I also identify as non-binary And That's like, I'm not sure if I'm gay. I'm not sure if I'm by my orientation my who I'm attracted to Those things have also had to come out and be uh assessed as I have delved in To my identity in that journey When I approach people when I interact with people when I say I'm trans or I'm non-binary They say well, which is it? Is it she is it her and I say no, it's they it's them And so there's I have a hard time with asking people to say they and them not she or her correcting them with my pronouns So it's tough You know having to over and over repeat myself and that has to I have to look at myself to make sure how I look How I present myself how I approach someone when I'm correcting them, you know, what best suits me What what serves me what matches me what doesn't match me anymore? You know, you you're feeling more confident today You know being who you are, you know asking, you know kind of nudging You know, but now you're kind of you're being more, you know, it's uh direct You know, how do you get people? To respect your pronouns Is it by you know email? Do you wait until later or you know, or are you right in the moment? You know when I when I introduce myself to people The first thing I do is I say my name and I say that my pronouns are they that and I emphasize it from the beginning Please don't call me she because I may look a little different. Uh a little bit more like A non-binary presentation. So people are always kind of assessing. They're not sure one way or another But for example today, I had a job interview and I said my pronouns Excuse me, are they in them? They're okay great. My daughter's the same and I thought oh It made me feel You know inside. I just felt so good. I felt seen I felt recognized and it made me happy You know, I made my day Let's go back in time You know, did you feel you know back back in the day that people were open to trans and non-binary? You know being that you know, did you feel the deaf community was open or did you feel like they're you know You're just open-minded Yeah, yes, I think people are starting to be open more and more but some will You know, some will some people will just not recognize or acknowledge it. Some people will say well, what's that? And you know, I'll explain and I'll educate a little bit and You know, it's important for you to educate yourself when it comes to queer identities non-binary and trans identities So I do spend time educating Because I get misgendered A lot I do Yeah, okay. Ms. Gendred You know my my bought my very first job You know my boss said she her because my boss had already known me previously from another job and in another part of my journey So I have emailed I have texted Um, that's an ongoing conversation. I'm still struggling and going through that right now That's great You know, you recognize the space you're in You know, you're willing to take that energy to protect yourself to be vulnerable You know, like you said, you know meditation You know, where are you? Where am I investing my energy? You know, who who's willing to listen not not with their eyes or their ears but with their soul, right? I like that. I like that. Yes You know One journey compared to another journey I want to say old journey You know, but during your journey And you know, you mentioned, you know about top surgery Do all people need to do Proceed with top surgery? No, exactly. That's correct. It's how you identify with your body in the trans experience You know, you are always trans enough as soon as you say you are No, I like you. I like what you said, you know, you're trans enough. Yeah You're black enough, you know You're she enough you're him enough. You're they them enough. You're already enough Your identity is simply enough We're human, right? Right, right. I I agree with you. I agree with you on that You know, I really appreciate that, you know, you're so courageous You are a shining shining light You know being courageous is learning how to you know Share that information, you know for you you decided that you wanted top surgery Yes But that ain't free It's not free I think the last episode we talked about you were fundraising Uh, they talked about the insurance aspect of it That's the sign right top surgery It's typically with the chest or you can do top surgery. You're fine I want to make sure You know, I don't know if they would you know, political correct sign language. So thank you for educating me Sure Right, it's not free No, it's not free You know, you had to fundraise and reach out to the community First of all, you know, that was amazing that you were able to find confidence and trust in your community To reach out to them and ask for support Mm-hmm You know, how did you come to that point? To you know, get courageous to ask people were you just Is it something that you just elected to do? Was it just innate? You know, I had the help of the community with my friend melissa They posted And shared about the fundraiser and people just sent money You know, and we we spread the word We did flyers And people just were very generous. I was quite overwhelmed with the community and with people's support It was I was overwhelmed with the love. I was overwhelmed with all of that I never Had received that kind of love and community support before you know, growing up. I didn't get support of You know, who I could be and who I am but to have people Support me and accept me and and love me who I am not even know me but but support me I was extremely overwhelmed extremely touched. It's something I'll never forget You know, we you know going back in time, you know regarding being younger and not getting that support But now finding that support in that love Um, our have have you reached your goal for fundraising? I did I I met the goal I met the goal everything. Yes Everything is paid off You know, what would you like to say to the people who supported you? You know who poured in those? Those donations You know, you know, I have no words to express and show everything in terms of how I appreciate it Uh, I'm trying to show how I appreciate it. I was just so overwhelmed um To me You know that goes beyond words language You know, I mean, how do you describe that feeling? You know to to to have the top surgery to be one's authentic self To live in your own truth. I mean Yeah Hmm, you're gonna make me cry you're gonna mess up my makeup You know just to see you smile your presentation That you're enough for the community And being happy is what's critical Seeing you happy It's a salient feature of life You know not having that support, you know, where is it? You know getting that support You know Where are the other uh, humans that kid that you know can find that support You know who is out there that you know struggling You know with their death trans identity non-binary You know that culture, you know where? Where can they get more information more support more resources? Well, you know, uh the deaf queer resource center That's who actually guided me and kind of facilitated some of my journey. I've been following their instagram deaf queer resource center and and their various postings and information A friend of mine had actually showed me and kind of connected me with them And uh, they actually helped support my journey in terms of different tidbits and so forth And if not for them, where would I be? You know, where where would I have been able to plug into a community and and feel inspired and educated just for my own personal journey? um, so absolutely them You know, has your journey just been stable or has been like a roller coaster, huh? It's been a roller coaster ups and downs a lot of a lot of thinking a lot of Meeting people Feeling similar connection where who are journeying and going through what you're going through You know and going through some of my own depression Uh the struggle of the identity and going back and forth and the things that come with it You know, but I wouldn't change anything about it at all. I like that You know the journey came but I wouldn't change it. I like that You know, I meant you mentioned, uh meditation, but what are some other activities? Do you kind of surround yourself by positive people? Yeah, I I spend time with like-minded people You know people who have similar identities as myself It doesn't have to necessarily be the exact same thing, but people who are going through similar journeys More or less, uh similar in in their way Uh Like how they approach themselves. I love being around that and like you said, you know, and and a lot of them are positive people But it's that similar thinking that similar Framework, you know, I believe I believe that if you're not around people who think like you you end up feeling different You know, for example, my best friend couldn't understand My journey and we were parallel and we were working in the same restaurant and we would go from restaurant to restaurant together and I started to change. I transitioned and found myself having a very hard time and we were very close Uh, and then I felt different and they were going through their own journey And I found my journey going opposite of theirs or away from theirs and Right and you just kind of drift away, right? And you know and and trying to find a way to To meet again and understand each other again and and understand where each one of us is is coming from You know what I mean? Yeah, that happens You know, two people can be best friends on the same journey and then depart but then That journey disembarks from one another And you don't know how to feel and you know, you like forget them But then that one day that that path reconnects And you know, we mature Maybe we learn how to help somebody else understand, you know, sometimes some people won't get it Some people will get it Some people refuse to get it The point is as long as you Get it Yeah You know, that's you know people become woke You know Yeah That's why I love this show deaf woke mm-hmm It's about waking people up to who we are Now have have you you know, is it important to you that you kind of get with your best friend again? Yeah, I mean They mean so much to me, you know, they Their impact You know, they taught me how to be a cook. They talked me about my work ethic, right? Is that the science yet? Yeah, yeah And they told me that I'm a person And that really changed and affected and influenced my life. And so You know coming back together and finally meeting again and her, you know trying to learn about trans and And uh where I've come from and and my part in all of that and so In my perspective and seeing each other in a different light And still supporting each other and still loving each other through it and getting back on track together again You know learning about your real identity life's changing But love doesn't change Love does not change And I want people to understand that Love does not change If you love me then you'll love me now Because I am who I am So please love who I am. Yeah Right Did you always love yourself? Was that did you from the very beginning? Did you love who you were? Love myself in my journey. Well, yes I mean I do have Problems in loving myself I have problems loving my trans body But as I move through the journey I find I have more acceptance for myself the more I live in my truth You know the more I you know, I I'm I'm here. I'm there and I'm journeying on this path and and just accepting that, you know, I do But I do I completely love myself now Even though I struggle with different things I still I still I love myself Yes What would you tell other people? Who's potentially maybe you know thinking about top surgery, you know, if this is make sure it's for you Because once you make this decision and you move with it go ahead Absolutely, if you're still hesitant ask others Ask someone who's had the experience that journey of the top surgery ask them the questions How did this feel what came up for you? What was the process? And if you're still not sure That you want it and you want you're not sure that you want to go through the surgery. You're still trans You can use tape. You can use binders. It's fine. There's not pressure. Don't pressure yourself Do your research Do look for the information online and and see from there I Agree 100% that's very powerful what you said Don't feel pressured Don't do your research study And don't pay attention to the noise Just pay attention to the people who are willing to support your decision You know, what are the appropriate ways That someone can support someone who might be you know going through or thinking about top surgery You know part of it is is Support is hearing them out. Um finding and sharing resources and and giving it to them Um You know if they're feeling hesitant if they're feeling anxious go with them to doctor's appointments Drive them If they have anxiety walk them through it I know for me when I went to the doctor when I would go to doctor's appointments I would feel anxious because I didn't have somebody and then I had a friend drive me And I'm I'm so grateful Uh, they came with me to my appointments That way I didn't feel alone Because I'm so used to even growing up to just always being alone And this time I felt so supported You know, it's helpful to have someone go with you To to hear what's being said so that you don't have to be alone Yes I feel that Sometimes we just need somebody To be there at the doctor's appointment somebody we can trust with the information You know somebody you can share your personal life with your personal experience. I mean simply is driving you to Driving you there Some people are like, ah, you're fine. You could do it yourself It doesn't matter how strong you we may look like There are different ways in which we can be supported Asking for help does not mean that you're weak I agree. It does not mean that you're weak The love's there people want to support you People want to love you and for me Yeah, I'm sorry. I just saw the comment. I got distracted there. Excuse me But that's how I was able to find the true meaning of friendship and relationships You know and growth growing from there right on No, go ahead. Come on. Tell me more. Tell me more Yeah, yeah, yeah Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't I didn't mean to interrupt you No, no, no not at all You said that you know the true meaning of friendship When you said that phrase Oh, the true meaning of friendship It's powerful You know some people you may think you're your friends Yeah, yeah, you know, it was more, uh, there's more trust Um more more value more cherish cherish moments seeing that person thriving right and I loved that You know when I went through That journey those people who have watched you walk through that journey like I mean, how do you say it? How how can I say? I mean, how do you describe it? It's so difficult when someone has seen you through that part of the journey And then you have the opportunity to watch their part of the journey. It's different. It's it's amazing It's an amazing feeling really It's amazing You know, when you look at my journey, I see you on your journey. I see you growing. You're seeing me grow. We're growing together. That's incredible You know, some people are kind of superficial with your support Uh, you know, I have to support myself too Yes Yes, and it's the opportunity of supporting one another You know Self-love, you know, when I look at myself sometimes You know, sometimes I'm not cute and my hair is all messed up Hair's out of place But I have to say, wait a minute. Hold on. I'm not ugly I'm beautiful Do you do that? Or do you do something completely different You know, um Yeah, can you can you repeat that question again for me, please? Yeah, so for myself, you know, sometimes I wake up I look at myself in the mirror And I feel unattractive But I have to tell myself I am beautiful And I may have to do it three times. I'm beautiful. I'm beautiful. I'm beautiful What do you do, you know for self-love? Yeah, you know, I do look in the mirror and I do tell I write it on the mirror. I actually write it on the mirror It says you are blessed Yes On the mirror And then uh, you are beautiful, you know, it's on my mirror in the bathroom And I write that out And it's in my room I write it out in my room You got this You are the reason why You are alive today You know, I have those phrases those mantras and and it helps me keep moving Because sometimes you know for someone who struggles with depression You need that You need those words of affirmation You need that you need that for yourself You know, if you can't do it for yourself How is someone else going to do it for you? Yes You know because someone else can support it But you got to do it for yourself first and then they'll they'll support it Thank you You know, I too struggled with depression You know, I have different challenges today But depression can lead to you know, self-harming Luckily I had a dance that saved my life There it is You know when when you're struggling and life is a struggle You know that can lead to some people hurting themselves. Yeah Yes So those who are watching the show There are a high percentage of people When people are High percentage of people who do not accept their their selves their identities. They harm themselves Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm You know When we don't accept who they are We are adding to that harm we're adding potentially leading them to harm themselves You know, we think oh that person will just be fine Every lion needs their community. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm The king the lion king Needs their community Mm-hmm Beautifully said. Yes, beautifully said You know, I don't want to take too much of your time But you are a powerful human I want to give the audience time to ask some questions We okay with that? Yes, I'm ready audience people So go ahead and type your questions in the chat box This is your time to talk with Armani You know, we shared our truth If you're on youtube or facebook Either either platform go ahead and uh use the chat box comment box I got a message And somebody wants to know how did you ultimately make that decision to move forward with top surgery? You know ultimately, um, it was because I really struggled with my body Especially that part of my body And so I started to do research. I looked things up I spoke with People who had experienced top surgery themselves and they really educated and shared Uh, shared things and and resources and told me to look certain things up and the more I I read about it The more I realized I wanted to go ahead and do it. It took me a year It took me a year to go through it all the way from beginning to end But it's one of the best decisions I've ever made So question is is what resources are there to support the deaf trans community? Deaf queer deaf trans community Well, like I had mentioned earlier the deaf queer resource center Real trans talk is also there for and that's not specifically just for the deaf community. It's in general for uh deaf and hearing Trans and non-binary folks So real trans talk, but they have really been supportive in the deaf community So be sure, you know to check out, uh, what Amani said, uh deaf queer resource center You can follow them and learn more about it. I'm on facebook i g or twitter at deaf queer They have so much information. They have Transcriptions, uh, that supports the deaf blind community. So go there go go go go go go go go Don't leave yourself out of the support loop Right there. Yes. That's it. I think the question is is where is the place beautiful? Well, it's inside yourself. That's where the place is beautiful I agree. I agree You know, like like Amani mentioned, uh looking in the mirror having those affirmations uh meditation And and digging into me. Well, how do you protect the beauty inside? And what does that mean? beauty or beautiful Nothing beauty and beautiful is that you are living your authentic self inside You know, you are yourself no matter what anyone tells you Whether they say you are whether they say you're not you are beautiful Question is is I've heard that insurance sometimes doesn't support top surgery. Is that true? Yes, that is true That's why you have to make sure your insurance will cover it The top surgery you have to find certain doctors you have to navigate Which insurance accepts what I had to go through all of those steps That's right what No, people don't realize It's not just simply a surgery You have it's healthcare Right. Mm-hmm You know, it's not me Right. It's not it's what I need And like you said, you're making the best decision for your life So I have a Question that relates You know, what's your path for the future? You're going to be educating people advocating for people You know, I know you had experience that you hadn't had that education or that support before but but now you've kind of Retrieved that information. So what are you going to do? Yeah, I mean, yes advocating for people teaching people educating people because some people Just don't have any ideas. Some people are, you know, maybe trans. They don't know You know, they're just going through life and and and not sure about their identity Uh, you know, I'm here for them Because I I went through my journey You know, and I'm I'm what they call late bloomer, right? I was late to the game I I found out that I was trans translator in life Someone said, you know, are you trans and I said no no no no and And then it took me until you know, here I am in my 30s and here I am in that process But you know, it's never too late to start this journey as a trans person. It's not That brings me to my next question Are you proud of the word? trans Or do you not prefer that word trans transgender? You know, some people, you know are, you know, it's kind of mixed. Do all people use the word trans or transgender? You know, I haven't met someone who wasn't proud of their identity as a trans person I mean, I am proud of being trans. Um, I haven't met someone yet Um, because a lot of the people that I do meet are very proud and very out and very, you know, loud about it Very enthusiastic about their truth and living in their truth, right? You know, but if you ask me again later, I would tell you I'm maybe maybe Yes Gotcha Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years? Oh You know, I think uh continuing to live my truth and trying to I am looking at changing my career and and I want to start working in uh and focusing on holistic medicine Uh Why holistic medicine? Because I you know, I feel like I've gone through a lot of trauma And I've gone through a lot of healing of that trauma and I want to help others find uh and work through their trauma and and heal It's important both are important You have to work through the trauma you have to to work through it and and strive to heal You know, and as I've been currently, you know working through my trauma and healing that's That's so important. That's number one in life You know, having that deaf experience Uh, do you feel like you get that attention that you're that you're looking forward to they dismiss you? I feel like it's very Ignored we need deaf folks and holistic health. There are a lot of hearing healers But where are the deaf voices? Where's the deaf representation? You know, those are things that I've been thinking about is that Yes, I agree I think you're a perfect role model for the people If you haven't gone if you haven't gone through what you've gone through It's hard to connect with people You know, you know, and you know like us the BIPOC folk like us You know, is it easy to find? BIPOC holistic individuals Or they're sporadic You know, it's more like sporadic. It's more like sporadic. It's very few and far between I think we need more BIPOC healers and we do we need more And uh Yeah Question is yes holistic medicine When you say medicine you mean natural remedies Like what do you mind? What is holistic medicine? What is that? Yeah, like natural medicine natural modalities. So you're looking at massage. You're looking at chiropractic services um Just healing work There's reiki. There's So many different modalities for me. It's more more feeling like wanting to get more into massage Do you mean things like holistic medicine in in reference to uh healing and Living your truth You know, I'm not living a static life, but helping that medicine kind of recover You know, like the interpreters, you know, you get you get those strains in the in the top shoulders And you're like, ah, I got any I need I got I need some medicine, you know Exactly. Yeah, you know, and then looking at like how to pair up the CBD with that, you know, I don't Things that don't have thc in them, but you know looking at uh, like teas There are different herbs that one can take in and incorporate things that you can use to relax You know, I uh, I would I want the herbs. I want to study herbs that relate to massage So not just doing massage itself, but also how you incorporate other modalities and herbs I like that. They just think that it's just massage only. No, there's other correlations to massage and modalities You know, like, you know, what's your favorite tea? Oh, right now, um, my favorite tea is lavender. It really helps me be Be calm. Um, I love lavender. Um, because I'm actually allergic to the smell of lavender But I can ingest it and it does keep me calm and And mellow and and it allows me I've really gotten into a lot of teas I mean, I'm not well versed in teas yet, but you know, I want to I want to be able to know like the different types of teas you would use to match a person's my needs So the question is a CBD. Do you mind elaborating on that? Uh, yeah CBD to use, uh, you a lot of people use it to relax. It's not intended for Um I have I'm I have lost My mind's gone blank here With CBD people use it to sorry my dog just barked Okay, uh with CBD it helps to relax the body And it's it's a medicine you it's a medicine you can smoke it It's yeah, I'm sorry. I'm at a loss Oh, that's right. That's okay Yeah, like you said, the CBD helps relax kind of release Kind of reduces anxiety Uh, alleviates depression Uh trauma So CBD is cannibid cannaboid Thank you. Yes The the c the CBD full word. I mean, it's a heavy word and I got to research in myself I don't want to mistake and I don't know at all. Thank you. No, I appreciate that. My mind literally went blank. Thank you So there's several different names for CBD there's uh cannabis but Listen, we're not doctors So please, you know speak to your provider Uh, uh You know to assess your needs Right CBD stands for cannaboyle Corrects from the interpreter Uh, this is uh, it says a little support natural herbs teas massages are nice That's sweet Oh, yep cannaboyle question is How do you feel when you when you see a black mother Drag her black son Who's a child? out of a presence of uh, disney princess Is that toxic? Or protective for a black mom to do that to her son Do you know what do you know what? This question is in reference to Is this a a present presence? Oh the presence Princess. Oh, okay out of the princess out of the presence of a disney princess Oh when the like the son is kind of coaxing up to the disney princess, but uh, the mother pulled the son away you know, I Oh that hurt my heart I think that's toxic Because this son this black son wants to be involved Let him I don't I don't view it as protective But I know that some parents have different opinions and some Have different ways that they parent their child or their kids But I think that that example is extremely toxic Be who you are no matter who you want to be and whatever you want to participate in this is your identity It it doesn't matter You know your gender your presentation Be involved and engage in your passion Yes I'm gonna clarify for the audience. So what happened was is that a black mother bought her bought Brought her black son to disney world disneyland and her son saw a disney princess dress And was like I wanted to be a princess too and in The mother dragged the son away But you know, we gotta love We gotta we gotta allow people to love themselves It's you know It's so it's you know, I think there was just miseducation We got to educate ourselves. That's our child You know, what are they doing? Why are they doing that? Love them, right? Audience we're running out of time Our money is busy people Thank you Uh unfortunately I you know, I just wanted to focus on talking to my friend Armani. Therefore we had to suspend the game You know, I think this the conversation was important But it'll be back And we you know, we'll have Armani back and we'll play the game with Armani So again, uh, check out deaf queer resources Uh deaf queer resource center is not the only uh Resource now you can find them at at deaf queer You can reach out to Armani Where well on our social media at Armani smiles on instagram Armani's instagram instagram is at ar m a n i s m i l e s That's right. That's right Armani is here to support all of you out there Armani You have any last words that you would like to tell? Keep living your truth You know, no one can take that from you You know, that's what's beautiful That's beautiful Armani Thank you so much For coming today You're my first returning guest You know, for me, I feel blessed to be in this space It'll be part of your journey, you know, just to be cool and just be there with you So thank you for coming educating us And we always have to continue the conversation It seems people are still learning more, right? I know you just mentioned like you were talking about what your experience today at your job interview, you know And Yeah, and they accepted you That that person had a similar experience where their child used the same pronouns So thank you so much for educating us. You inspired us You educated the community and everyone out there Thank you for being vulnerable Thank you for allowing me in your space I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you for asking me to come back and I was so happy to be back. Thank you. Yes. Yes I'm still not satisfied. I want some more. I want some more But thank you All right How do y'all feel y'all feel that did you feel Armani's warmth her spirit? Did you get you feel that it's now my final thought, you know before the show started this evening I'm not feeling good And I woke up she figured out what I was going to do. I was feeling weak Didn't know what I was going to do, but I felt I needed to be here I needed people to hear from Armani to feel her wealth her warmth to see her her bravery To see hopefully that her story can resonate with you the correction interpreters are there just like Armani supporting their identity you know if you can support them in turn you support yourself and that's love and when Armani got that that love and that support from the community and that's living your truth and having someone respond to that truth with love that's friendship whoo it's not enough to just listen not with our eyes but with our soul you know follow Armani social media I want you all to feel supported Armani has an amazing spirit I'm human I make mistakes and I try to fix those mistakes and so I don't run from mistakes and I learn how to try to support we're about to be open-minded we can all learn from each other because we are human I hope you all feel inspired today I know I do so you see you see that hashtag def woe well right here you can follow Armani at her at their social media at Armani smiles uh here's this def queer resource center at def queer I feel incredibly inspired I mean I you know I gotta I gotta stop I can go all day all night but we ain't got time for that so peace love I'm out where's my banner at hey thank you thank you for watching def