Loved you on Always Open! I noticed that a lot of the questions were directed towards trans and lgbt* topics, and I was wondering if you prefer that, or if you'd have preferred having questions that weren't so specific? On the one hand I believe it's incredibly important to have someone who IS trans talking about these issues or situations, as they have a hands on knowledge, but I was also thinking that you shouldn't be narrowed down to just those questions. What do you prefer? (1/2)
I think I get a lot because Iām a semi-prominent figure for a section of the internet and definitely in the RT community as far as LGBTQA+ representation.Ā Ā
And Iām fine with that!
Iāve had a lot of people come to me at RTX, in my inbox, on twitter, the website, etc and ask me questions, raise concerns about things theyāve seen/heard in content, and I do my best to answer those questions and bring up any major concerns to my superiors/co-workers when I can.
I definitely think that we, as a company (and of course as a society), can do better to be more inclusive and change ourselves to be better.Ā Iām a firm believer that anyone can change, not to judge someone on their past, and to give everyone an opportunity at redemption.
There are definitely times where it can be a bit tiresome, mostly in the aspect ofĀ āthis is the only thing people will talk to you aboutā, which is unfortunate.Ā People arnāt just one-dimensional and arnāt simply a label, people are complex, they have tons of likes/dislikes and generally have a lot to offer.Ā But it seems like, in most cases of representation, people are boiled down to a tropeĀ or a token, which sucks.
As an example, Iāll use myself.Ā Often times Iām boiled down to justĀ āpartsā of me,both in a professional and personal environment, to very surface level stuff.
I see myself boiled down to āKdin is a Video Editor, Transgender, and Works At Rooster Teethā
Butā¦Iām more than just that?Ā Video editing came about as a skill I learned on my own, Iām entirely self taught, itās not something Iām truly passionate about at all.Ā I love creating content, Iāve spent the last 15 years of my life working in the Video Game industry (writing, editing, reviews, QA, game development, etc), I want to share my passions of the gaming and animation industry and editing videos was just a very small skill I learned to help do that.Yes, Iām trans, and itās been a long journey coming to this point and being okay with how I view myself, but being seen asĀ āOh! Itās that trans person!ā is definitely hurtful in a different way.Ā In a way, itās almost as bad as being not inclusive at all.Ā Ā āHere we have Kdin, our trans person, they do trans thingsā.Ā Itās pretty disrespectful to my journey and path to accepting and redeeming myself.
āWorks at Rooster Teethā is a weird one, we have a large online presence, but half the time Iām either seen asĀ āI work hereā orĀ āI thought they leftā and either way, thatās all that ends up being said about me.Ā Again, a bit insulting to my entire career path and aspirations for my future.
Yes! I love the questions, and if I can help, I will.Ā I do listen to what everyone says and I will do my best to represent the LGBTQA+ community as best I can in the company and even if that means some people donāt like what I have to say?Ā Wellā¦thatās okay I suppose.
BUT, I donāt think anyone should ever be boiled down to justĀ āthe tropesā they represent.
Geez, this reply got pretty heavy.Ā Sorry!Ā But again, thank you for your question!Ā It was absolutely lovely to go in depth a bit and explain some things!
Hope you have a lovely day! <3
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