Sharing your story — especially the vulnerable parts — is tough for anyone to do. Now, imagine being on stage and telling a room full of people. That’s exactly what a group of local teens did this week at Milwaukee’s First Stage Theater. The event was Ex-Fabula’s Teen StorySlam: Celebrating queer pride and joy.
Here are excerpts of the stories from some of the night’s participants. They have been edited for length and clarity.
Time, 17, they/them: My story is a kind of glimpse into my gender identity, and [feeling] less comfortable with being seen as something, and now I'm wanting to be seen as something else, and the conflicts that arise.
“It came to a boiling point where a little hybrid couldn't take it anymore. He lashed out against mother dragon telling her that he was no longer her son, and that person was long gone. And they had been for a while. And she didn't understand. And mother dragon couldn't accept them at that current moment. And it broke the little hybrid so desperately, [because] all they wanted was their mother's support and their mother's love.”
Zander, 17, he/she/they: I'm going to tell my story of how I've come along with my gender identity and how I show my truth and my passions through my outfits and my fashion choices.
“[In] sixth grade, I found a pretty little app called Pinterest, and I found out I could get whatever inspo I wanted off of that. So I tried out a lot of different styles: scene, grunge, goblin, whatever you can think of, I probably tried it out.”
Wendy, 16, he/him: I’m a storyteller, and I'm going to be basically explaining the story of how I figured out I was trans.
“I would sit in my room and I would lay awake and I would think…about how much I hated myself. And see, my name hasn't always been Wendy. I also know that Wendy is not a boy's name. I really don't care. But when I chose it, I wasn't thinking I'm going to be a boy from here on out. I was thinking, “oh my God, I've got to get out of here.” I've known what a trans person was, but I didn't think it would apply to me ever. But when I was in freshman year, I finally figured it out, and here I am.”
