#DotGayQAndA with PersephoneRose.gay
“First of all, fuck the professional, streamlined-portfolio-targeted-audience-SEO-sponsor-friendly-begging-for-work bullshit, I pay internet rent for this space out of my own pocket, and I'll be damned if I don't make it my own.”
So begins the refreshingly no-BS bio of creator, storyteller, actor, and proud non-binary trans womxn PersephoneRose.gay. We reached out to her for a #DotGayQAndA, so read on to learn all about Persephone!
Q: Help us get to know you: describe yourself in 3 hashtags!
A: #Actor #Writer #Survivor
Q: You've said that your gender identity is very important to you. How has your gender identity shaped your personal and professional experience?
A: I came out of the closet the minute I learned the word "transgender."
It was 2005, I was 13 years old, and Jennifer Finney-Boylan's memoir She's Not There: A Life In Two Genders had just blown my mind. Up until that point, I'd been thoroughly convinced I was the only "boy" in the world who spent every day desperately wishing I could be a girl. And ever since that day, I have had to fight to justify my existence to a binary society unwilling to acknowledge it.
I've been harassed, beaten, gaslit, punished, scolded, ridiculed, denied housing, and faced workplace and medical discrimination. I was told society had no place for me, and I wouldn't ever be loved. At my weakest, I didn't care if I lived or died. If the shit that people — including my parents —told me was true, what difference did it make if the person I wanted to be couldn't even exist?
It took a lot of painful soul-searching and professional help from a brilliant doctor and an incredible therapist for me to get to where I am today. I've crawled back from rock bottom to heights I never imagined possible, and I will NEVER go back.
Q: You clearly know your worth and how to set professional boundaries! What is your advice to fellow LGBTQ people who may be struggling to advocate for themselves professionally, especially in creative fields?
A: Never let a job destroy your soul. No amount of money is worth your passion. Never forget that you are CREATOR. You literally bring to the world something that NO ONE ELSE can, from sources no one else can touch.
Nothing material can remotely approach what you are worth, so share your gifts where they will be appreciated, not just to the highest bidder.
Q: Why is it important to help create a safer internet for LGBTQ people?
A: People underestimate the power of the internet. It has minimized the barriers between peoples while offering limitless potential for collaboration and technological advancement.
But on the flip side, it's just as easy for misinformation, propaganda, and hate to fester. Cyberbullying, hacks, and doxxing are no joke.
We need to make sure that everyone, especially marginalized folx, have a place not just to grow and get together, but to thrive.
Q: Why is it important to you to be visibly LGBTQ, both online and IRL?
A: I try to be the visibility I needed when I was at my worst. If my story can help even one person realize they aren't alone, that they don't have to be or do anything they don't want to, then everything I've gone through will have been worth it.
Thank you Persephone for participating in our #DotGayQAndA! To learn more, and to book Persephone for one of her many talents, visit PersephoneRose.gay!
Crisis Resources: If you are in crisis, please contact the following resources:
The Trevor Project's 24/7/365 Lifeline at 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386) or TrevorChat, their online instant messaging option, or TrevorText, a text-based support option. If you are looking for peer support, you can visit TrevorSpace from anywhere in the world.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or access Free Chat Online. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free and confidential emotional support to people in emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States. The Lifeline is comprised of a national network of over 150 local crisis centers, combining custom local care and resources with national standards and best practices.
Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860
Do you live outside the United States? If so, check out The Trevor Project's list of international resources here.
For additional resources and information, please visit GLAAD.