For All We Know: Interview With J. Skyler, Transgender & Cultural Activist
- Deanna Floyd
- Jul 22, 2017
- 3 min read
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On your website, you have a quote saying, “Resistance is a Radical Redistribution of Wealth”, what do you mean by this?
It means to think of charity in a different way by giving to people with an immediate need. Which is a lot easier to do thanks to the digital age and social media. For the past year, I’ve really been advocating for people who want to make monetary contributions for causes to redistribute those to individuals in need rather than big corporations. The hashtags “trans crowd funds” and “disability crowd funds” were partially inspired by this idea.
Audre Lorde stated, “When people of colour are expected to educate white people as to their humanity, when women are expected to educate men, lesbians and gay men are expected to educate the heterosexual world, the oppressors maintain their position and evade their responsibility for their own actions.” I read that along with being an activist and author you are also an educator. Do you feel the need to educate the pupil on behalf of intersectionalism or themselves?
I’ve done around a decade of educational work in the college circuit. Most of my volunteer time as an educator has been speaking to pupils directly on LGBTQ issues. So, that’s an area where I’m personally comfortable in and enjoy. Not every person from a marginalized group is going to be comfortable educating other people. For me it’s more of a passion than an obligation. I completely agree that people from marginalized groups are often expected to educate people in positions of privilege without any gratitude or compensation. But educating people on certain topics just comes naturally to me.
What experiences as a nonconsensual Black Woman have shaped your Activism today?
A lot of different experiences. I’ve always been more of a quiet, passive, kind of altruistic person. So, from a very early age I was always helping other people in need. I’ve always been aware of how bigotry worked in the world, though I didn’t yet know how to put it into words.
Being a part of a multi marginalized background has always lead my perspective on how I see the world. So, I’ve always made it a point to stand my ground but to also provide room for people who may have issues that are different than mine but are no less important.
What was journey in loving yourself?
It’s a journey I’m still on. To be honest, I’ve had a lot of self-esteem issues dating back to early childhood. I wasn’t as assertive or self-confident as most people. It takes a lot for me to realize when I’ve done something that’s worthy of praise. I tend to put myself down. I’m more prone to avoid interpersonal conflicts with other people. I’d rather drop it than have a confrontation. Learning to speak assertively when necessary has been a part of my journey and learning to speak up for myself has given me a lot more self-confidence over the years. Though like I’ve said it’s still an ongoing process.
What are your practices for self-care and what do you do for fun?
I’m a big comic book nerd so pretty much anything that’s related to comic books, cartoons, animation, manga, anime, fantasy and sci-fi are the things that are self-care for me. If I’m really having a hard time emotionally, sleep is the best self-care for me. I tend to replay bad situations, memories and/or emotions in my head. Sleeping helps me shut down and recuperate for a little bit. Napping is huge self-care for me.
What advice do you have for people of color who are coming to terms with their sexuality?
I would say understand what it is that makes you happy, rather than what is going to make people around you happy. We tend to shape our lives based on the expectations of others. When you stop, put that aside and make a serious commitment to find out what it is that truly and honestly makes you happy. Find what it is that’s going to give you the backbone to refuse compromise on your happiness. When it comes to you, your happiness is paramount and only you can define what that happiness is.
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