TED《为什么我必须站出来》英文演讲稿

Geena Rocero: Why I must come out

The world makes you something that you

?

re not, but you know inside what you are,

and that question burns in your heart: How will you become that? I may be somewhat

unique in this, but I am not alone, not alone at all. So when I became a fashion model,

I felt that

I?

d finally achieved the dream that

I?

d always wanted since I was a young

child. My outside self finally matched my inner truth, my inner self. For complicated

reasons which

I?

ll get to later, when I look at this picture, at that time I felt like, Geena,

you

?

ve done it, you

?

ve made it, you have arrived. But this past October, I realized that

I?

m only just beginning.

All of us are put in boxes by our family, by our religion, by our society, our moment

in history, even our own bodies. Some people have the courage to break free, not to

accept the limitations imposed by the color of their skin or by the beliefs of those that

surround

them.

Those

people

are

always

the

threat

to

the

status

quo,

to

what

is

considered

acceptable.

In

my

case,

for

the

last

nine

years,

some

of

my

neighbors,

some

of

my

friends,

colleagues,

even

my

agent,

did

not

know

about

my

history.

I

think, in mystery, this is called the reveal. Here is mine.

I was assigned boy at birth based on the appearance of my genitalia. I remember when

I was five

years old in

Philippines walking around our house, I would always wear

this t-shirt on my head. And my mom asked me,

”

How come you always wear that

t-shirt on your head?

”

I said,

”

Mom, this is my hair.

I?

m a girl.

”

I knew then how to

self-identify.

Gender has always been considered a fact, immutable, but we now know it

?

s actually

more fluid, complex and mysterious. Because of my success, I never had the courage

to share my story, not because I thought what I am is wrong, but because of how the

world treats those of us who wish to break free. Every day, I was so grateful because I

am a woman. I have a mom and dad and family who accepted me for who I am. Many

are not so fortunate.

There

?

s a long tradition in Asian culture that celebrates the fluid mystery of gender.

There is a Buddhist goddess of compassion. There is a Hindu goddess, hijra goddess.

So when I was eight

years old, I was at a fiesta in the Philippines celebrating these

mysteries.

I

was

in

front

of

the

stage,

and

I

remember,

out

comes

this

beautiful

woman right in front of me, and I remember that moment something hit me: That is

the kind of women I would like to be.

So when I was 15 years old, still dressing as a boy, I met this woman named T.L. She

is a transgender beauty pageant manager. That night she asked me,

”

How come you

are not joining the beauty pageant?

”

She convinced me that if I joined that she would

take

care

of

the

registration

fee

and

the

garments,

and

that

night,

I

won

best

in

swimsuit

and

best

in

long

gown

and

placed

second

runner

up

among

40-plus

candidates. That moment changed my life.

All of a sudden,

I was introduced to the

world of beauty pageants. Not a lot of people could say that your first job is a pageant

queen for transgender women, but

I?

ll take it.

So from 15 to 17 years old, I joined the most prestigious pageant to the pageant where

it

?

s at the back of the truck, literally, or sometimes it would be a pavement next to a

rice field, and when it rains

—

it rains a lot in the Philippines

—

the organizers would

have to move it inside someone

?

s house. I also experiences the goodness of strangers,

especially

when

we

would

travel

in

remote

provinces

in

the

Philippines.

But

most

importantly, I met some of my best friends in that community.

In 2001, my mom, who had moved to San Francisco, called me and told me that my

green

card

petition

came

through,

that

I

could

now

move

to

the

United

States.

I

resisted it. I told my mom,

”

Mom,

I?

m having fun.

I?

m here with my friends. I love

traveling, being a beauty pageant queen.

”

But then two weeks later she called me, she

said,

“

Did

you

know

that

if

you

move

to

the

United

States

you

could

change

your

name and gender marker?

”

That was all I need to hear.

My mom also told me to put two E

?

s in the spelling of my name. She also came with