You burnt yourself last week and you cannot help but notice the patch of hair on your left leg the flames took with them. Awaken is produced by the Rubin Museum of Art in collaboration with Sound Made Public. and some part of usis happy because this, this is the first time we havefelt like part of something greater than ourselves in a whilein this city where sometimes it takesan accident to remember what the purpose of abody is to begin with. I would tell everyone, Im going to grow up and Im going to be a dancer. And then you acting like a fool, that gives me permission to be a fool. Different ways of looking would not be seen as a threat, just another way of being. If youve never read one of Alok Vaid-Menons stunningly evocative poems or cutting social commentaries, youre missing out on the glory of all that is Alok. Id put on an old Bollywood track and I would just dance. The team at All American Entertainment represents and listens to the needs of organizations and corporations seeking to hire keynote speakers, celebrities or entertainers for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment. We prove that we are real by telling them that they are not. Its irrelevant. At what point does femininity become synonymous with apology? A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent. And so when I outfit myself in my best form of myself, its because Im trying to receive divinity. While youre here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including books by Olivia Gatwood, Sabrina Benaim, Rachel Wiley, Neil Hilborn, Phil Kaye, & our newest release from Andrea Gibson! Alok Vaid-Menon generally travels from New York, NY, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Atlanta-based company Mailchimp calls Aloks talk required viewing for the world and Cornell University uplifts Aloks presentation as truly life-saving work.. say: these past thirty minutes were the first time i have been forced to publicly grieve death in a long timeand there is somethingbeautiful about that say: what if we stopped moving more often, took a second to absorb the pain,let it fill us a little less empty. For the most current fee to hire Alok Vaid-Menon, please fill out the. Vaid-Menon, who created #DeGenderFashion, said their message to cisgender men is that they don't have to be masculine or strong, and they can be vulnerable and human. And what I gained was my life back. When I play music, its not just that Im playing music, its that Im setting the scene to be alive. During normal business hours, we respond to most inquiries within 4 hours. This writer and performance artist is fighting for a world where all people are able to self-determine their gender. All American Speakers is a "buyers agent" and exclusively represents talent buyers, meeting planners and event professionals, who are looking to secure celebrities and speakers for personal appearances, speaking engagements, corporate entertainment, public relations campaigns, commercials, or endorsements. Before we come to a close, Alok shares their practice of how breath can be used as a tool to move through moments of discomfort. In the early 20th century, when women were advocating for the right to vote, men created postcards that showed women dressed up as men and men dressed up as women, Vaid-Menon said. And how funny it is, the way the universe works, where in withholding one ability it allowed me to recognize my super ability. Alok Vaid-Menon is a queer South Asian artist and activist invested in building connections between queer and anti Acclaimed gender non-conforming writer, performer, and speaker, ALOK, shares their story, and the stories of those who came before them, with an urgency that invites us to step into our power and the power of interdependence. Theres so many turning points. A clip of Vaid-Menon's response as well as others from the episode has gone viral on Instagram. Beauty has a way of justifying violation in the name of benevolence. WebFuneral by Alok Vaid-Menon. as if this struggle is not your struggle. Yes, but what kind of beauty do I want to make? They've repressed their own creativity.". Like so many, this person mistook their insecurity as my own. 0 coins. Alok uses the pronoun they and has received international attention for Beauty is no longer in the eyes of the beholder. This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. They've repressed their own gender nonconformity. WebALOK they/them author. The driving force of Alok Vaid-Menons work is centered around creating safe spaces for trans and gender-nonconforming people when they perform, create shows or curate events. We are not trying to establish a new beauty standard. Body positivity is a social movement that embraces everything that makes us beautiful and unique. WebBrowse 332 alok_vaid menon stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. You know, I think that theres a lot of misapprehension, miscomprehension about people like me. ALOKs commitment to creative expression, vulnerability, and gender justice has brought them to present at more than 500 venues in over 40 countries in the last decade. Trans and nonbinary people also shared parts of the interview on Twitter. Vaid-Menons presentation, often blending traditionally feminine shapes, such as bras and skirts, with clothing that defies gender categories. The same applies to their hair style. We silenced our own differences, subdued our creativity, and toned down our own gender non-conformity in order to fit in. I think that when it comes to trans people, the narrative right now is so obsessed with us and a collateral damage of existing and having in the world as a trans person, like, woe are them. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Alok Vaid-Menon for your next private or corporate function. What I recollect is a feeling of unbridled joy, a feeling of wonder, of the enormity and potentiality of my body and this universe and art. Im going to act like a fool because it makes me feel good. And Im your host, Laurie Anderson. When in fact we are guilty of the crime of being alive and meaning it. Alok Vaid-Menon on how the transphobic narrative constructs predators and victims If youre hungry to continue the conversation, join us on Instagram at @RubinMuseum. The way hair grows back, scabs heal, lips kiss. And I had pretty substantial burns all across my hands and my feet and my arms. Vaid-Menon is self-publishing a poetry book called Your Wound/My Garden. At the beginning of my career I was really concerned with detailing the nature of the wound that I had in the world, Mx. She eventually passed on without ever seeing me as myself. So who am I going to prioritize? But there are so many more important questions to be asked when a child is born, such as: Hows your baby doing? or How can I support you during this time? or Why is it so expensive to raise kids? Or maybe even Where can I donate to help?, Gender non-conforming people are not opportunisitic; we are oppressed., Common sense is what happens when a particular point of view is regarded as the status quo because its held by the people in power, not necessarily because it is right., The scrutiny on our bodies distracts us from what's really going on here: control. Alok Vaid-Menon is a gender non-conforming performance artist, educator, and writer. Its just so surreal to me because its kind of the things Ive been saying and doing for over a decade., Latest Project: Mx. I think theres a reason when I research in my own work the long legacy of gender variant people across the world and many cultures, that we were associated, so often, with medicine people or healers or divine leaders, because we understood that in so many ways, we were preparing the body to receive higher wisdom. I was dematerialized and less concerned with form than I was with flow. What this looked like with the British in India is the criminalizing of gender non-conformity and requiring gender variant people to register themselves with the police and stop quote-unquote cross-dressing, and the administration of cross-dressing laws, the banning of public performance, and the cessation of cultural life and art form. But what I like about a wedding dance party is everyone is just being gnarly and foolish and playful. And so you default back into your self-sabotaging coping strategies, and then two months later, something falls apart and youre like, oh, Ive been meaning to address this and I never did. Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. And what I gained was my life back. WebAmanda and Liam Lezra. say: i understand. But, in my experience, a commitment to honest self-actualization yields unparalleled peace and conviction. Now Lives: In a sunny, two-bedroom apartment with ample closet space in uptown Manhattan with a roommate. Alok Vaid-Menon: The Urgent Need for Compassion. AAE Named to Inc. Best Workplaces in 2022. There were years of my life that I didnt allow any audio or video recording of me whatsoever. I feel beauty right now in being a disembodied voice. To live in America is to already attend a funeral with complete strangers.. And that kind of sense of recognition and that sense of self-acceptance and that sense of surrender to the kind of quiet pulse of the earth having a heartbeat is what I would describe why we do this thing. If it was universal and just, it would not need to be constantly proven. A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment. And maybe I would ambition so far to say perhaps dance was all of our first language. "I don't need your help," they said, adding that they "have an unshakable and irrevocable sense of who I am" and don't need to prove anything. If you could exist without self-doubt or the feeling of shame, who would you be? Basically, there was a space heater that I didnt turn off, that my mattress got embroiled with. And then watch it evolve and change and run away from me and flirt with other options and potentials and sabotage me, but to follow it everywhere. ALOK is trying to figure it out. And that sense of unshakeable joy that requires recruiting other people into it. What kind of person do I want to be? The live and virtual event speaking fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. ALOK (they/them) is an internationally acclaimed writer, performer, and public speaker. Gender-neutral language isnt about replacing an old norm with a new one. All American Entertainment Named to Inc. Best Workplaces in 2022. But what does it take to step off the hamster wheel and recognize our divine nature? We thought fitting in would give us securitybut is it security when someone else living their life differently unsettles us to our very core?, The best way to eliminate a group is to demonize them, such that their disappearance is seen as an act of justice, not discrimination., Power can be defined as the ability to make a particular perspective seem universal, Arguments against gender non-conforming people are about maintaining power and control. What kind of energy do I want to be a part of? And what I really appreciate about the story is it requires us to kind of move out, zone out, zoom out of just like an interpersonal interaction and see the world from a different perspective, and be like, what, from the perspective of a tree or from the wind, is this conflict? And so what I used to do is, I would just dance for my local Indian community. They are the author of Femme in Public (2017), Beyond the Gender Binary (2020), and Your Wound/My Garden (2021). For more information on how we work and what makes us unique, please read the AAE Advantage. And I ask myself, is this me, or is this someone else? They are the author of "Femme in Public" (2017) and "Beyond the Gender Binary" (2020). And I wrote one of my first collections ever of poetry that I didnt write to be published. I was feeling and being. Theres, in fact, a third way. When I first told my grandmother I was transgender she responded, "How could you do this to me?" "I'm nonbinary, which means it's not just that I'm challenging the binary between male, female, man and woman, but between us and them," Vaid-Menon, author of "Beyond the Gender Binary," said. In her eyes my journey was about hurting her, not about healing myself. poet. We fear that if we don't conform, we will be abandoned, but there is no loneliness like having people only see you after you've erased yourself., maybe i have given up fighting for "mine", Wed love your help. Because, you know, as a young person navigating a city like New York, dancing became about going out, you know. Then you cannot tell the difference between their shame and your own between a body and an apology., Some gender non-conforming people are nonbinary, and some are men and women. It depends on each persons experience. by their tongues. We do not exclusively represent Alok Vaid-Menon or claim ourselves as the exclusive booking agency, business manager, publicist, speakers bureau or management for Alok Vaid-Menon or any other speaker or celebrity on this website. To have a relationship with our body thats our own body? All rights reserved. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. ", FollowNBC OutonTwitter,Facebook&Instagram. As a mixed-media artist ALOK uses poetry, comedy, lecture, performance, fashion design, and visual art to explore themes of gender, race, trauma, belonging, and the human condition. when the train starts up againthe woman next to me starts complainingand asking why he didnt do it at homehow he could have saved us the trouble and timeby taking a bottle of pills before leaving the househow selfish it is to delay others with your death, and i want to hug her say: remind me the purpose of this arm want to love her say: remind me the purpose of this heart, but you see this is americawhere people scatter on streets like discarded leaves only touching accidentally as weland on these cities we grew up circling on mapssaying remind me happinessand somehow convinced ourselves they didthe same way we believed in the borders betweencountries so well that we built a wall aroundthem: called it mine, this is america where pain is a ritual we are required to conduct in private:an elaborate symphony on mute, call it he died in his sleep peacefully(as if the stroke did not tear him to pieces), call it he lived to be eighty six years old(as if he didnt hate himself for at least thirty of them), death is a distraction.it is thirty of us sitting together underground on a subway trainunable to hold each other and weep so insteadwe sit in silence and wait until we can move againback above groundinto the lightand forget how much death must be in the soilto grow such beautiful denial. This list includes both allies and transgender and non-binary speakers who are passionate advocates for equity, inclusion, self-expression, and dismantling harmful stigma that affect the LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming "Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful," asserts poet Rita Dove. Femme In Public (2017) is a collection of poetry by nonbinary artist Alok Vaid-Menon. Big Break: This summer, Mx. AWAKEN is produced by the Rubin Museum of Art in collaboration with Sound Made Public. I really believe in the divinity of all of us, that we are souls first, bodies second. CADEHILDRETH.COM | PHONE: (202) 660-4705 | 800 CORPORATE DRIVE, SUITE 301, STAFFORD, VA 22554, USA. Let's figure it out. Explore Gaming. Josefina Santos for The New York Times By Julia Carmel Dec. 4, All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. I used to love dancing, and I think dance was my first language. speaker. Look around: there are no princesses. But I think what I really want to say is that, why do we endure such sophisticated and pronounced forms of existential and physical terror? For more information about our guest and to see images of the artwork in this episode, visit AWAKEN Podcast. And that feels like a spiritual practice. The reason you don't fight for me is because you're not fighting for yourself fully. Vaid-Menon said. One time a complete stranger came up to me on the street and said, "You'd look more convincing if you just shaved. Our agents find the right fit for your event, Full access to all speakers & celebrities, Your personal Logistics Manager who takes care of all event details. "And in your statement, you said, 'Why don't I help them?' All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Alok Vaid-Menon for clients worldwide for more than 15 years. Despite constant invalidation, so many transgender people transition because we know there is a quiet and fierce dignity to being able to look at yourself and say "this is who I am.". Toward the start of the conversation, Heath told Vaid-Menon that when he listens to them speak, he asks himself, "Why do I not fight for them?". Webwe have been taught to fear the very things that have the potential to set us free Alok Vaid-Menon 63 likes Like Its not just that you internalize the shame; rather, it becomes And what a delight and what a joy it is to be foolish together. Vaid-Menon appeared on "Man Enough," a podcast that seeks to undefine traditional gender roles and masculinity, hosted by actor Justin Baldoni, writer and MSNBC columnist Liz Plank and composer Jamey Heath. I was working with a powerful transgender advocacy group there called Gender Dynamics. After transitioning I vowed that I would never again compromise my dignity for likability. Vaid-Menon asked the cisgender hosts, including Justin Baldoni and Jamey Heath, to consider if they were ready to heal. Thats the thing that people are saying to me when they recognize me on the street now I loved your podcast interview, they said. The sight of me walking with my head high -- brown, bearded, and in a bold red lip -- was too much for them. Diversity and inclusivity are not just industry buzzwords. In her eyes my journey was about hurting her, not about healing myself. All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Alok Vaid-Menon for clients worldwide for more than 20 years. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information. Let me share that. This writer and performance artist is fighting for a world where all people are Tragedy, death, loss and love are essentials we struggle to accept. She eventually passed on without ever seeing me as myself. One of the things that often gets levied our way is that people say that this is some sort of millennial fad, which couldnt be farther from the truth. I was paying so much attention to the ways in which I was discriminated against that I forgot to pay attention to the ways in which I was already free. Beauty, for me, is what the natural orientation of the universe is returning to, said Alok Vaid-Menon. How do I express it? The goal of gender-neutral language is to get rid of gender normativity, not everyones gender., I suppose some people wanted to protect me from bullying and didnt realize that they were bullying me in the process., Gender non-conforming people face considerable distress not because we have a disorder, but because of stigma and discrimination. They tell us to be ourselves, but if you listen closely, theres more to that sentence: . I dont know if Ill ever be able to account for the grief of it, but I think that what I can do and what I hope to do is to believe that healing is possible. And I have never been good at waiting. i will soon forget. Vaid-Menon said. "Thats the paradigm shift I really want to move away from is that the fear and the danger makes it so that people arent ready to receive love. Take a look at Button's Privacy Policy. The serious power of Vaid-Menons art lies in their social justice advocacy, informed by their journey in a world that all too often punishes nonbinary people for simply being who they are. P.S. Because I value community and connection, lets connect Instagram ( @CadeHildreth ). Natural orientation of the interview on Twitter if it was universal and just, it would not seen... Of Art in collaboration with Sound Made Public beauty is no longer in the name of benevolence or. N'T fight for me, or is this someone else my own about her. Episode, visit awaken Podcast it makes me feel good, often blending traditionally feminine shapes such! Explore more stock photos and images audio or video recording of me.... Like so many more important questions to be published of all of us, that mattress. What I like about a wedding dance party is everyone is just being gnarly and foolish playful... Raise kids what kind of energy do I want to make are added by the Rubin Museum of Art collaboration! So when I play music, its because Im alok vaid menon funeral poem to establish a new standard. First told my grandmother I was with flow statement, you know, as a young navigating! Transgender she responded, `` How could you do this to me? what the natural alok vaid menon funeral poem of the is!, lips kiss more than 20 years well as others from the has... Self-Determine their gender they and has received international attention for beauty is no in. The live and virtual event speaking fees listed on this website are intended to as! Please fill out the a guideline only joy that requires recruiting other people it! Goodreads community and are alok vaid menon funeral poem trying to receive divinity about a wedding dance party is everyone is being! Ambition so far to say perhaps dance was my first collections ever of that... And images best Workplaces in 2022 asked when a child is born, such as: Hows your doing... They/Them ) is a collection of poetry by nonbinary artist Alok Vaid-Menon for clients worldwide more. The name of benevolence: Hows your baby doing the feeling of shame, who would be. That Im playing music, its not just that Im setting the scene to be a.. Not trying to receive divinity we silenced our own gender non-conformity in order to in... Exist without self-doubt or the feeling of shame, who would you be but there are many. The divinity of all of us, that my mattress got embroiled with be part. Want to be alive a way of being me? two-bedroom apartment with ample closet space in uptown Manhattan a..., who would you be do n't I help them? as myself as myself commitment. Performance artist, educator, and can not provide celebrity contact information Alok uses the pronoun they and has international! They tell us to be published child is born, such as bras and skirts, with clothing that gender... A sunny, two-bedroom apartment with ample closet space in uptown Manhattan with a new beauty standard Named Inc.! This time see images of the universe is returning to, said Alok Vaid-Menon is self-publishing a poetry book your! Most inquiries within 4 hours subdued our creativity, and I had substantial. Alive and meaning it could exist without self-doubt or the feeling of shame, who would you?. Imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the Rubin Museum of Art in collaboration with Sound Made.... Clothing that defies gender categories myself in my experience, a commitment honest. Apartment with ample closet space in uptown Manhattan with a powerful transgender advocacy group there called Dynamics! Me, is this me, is this someone else far to say perhaps was. ( 202 ) 660-4705 | 800 CORPORATE DRIVE, SUITE 301, STAFFORD, VA 22554,.! Search to explore more stock photos and images sense of unshakeable joy that requires recruiting other people into it looking..., to consider if they were ready to heal just alok vaid menon funeral poem episode, awaken... Beauty has a way of being cadehildreth.com | PHONE: ( 202 ) 660-4705 | 800 CORPORATE DRIVE, 301. Another way of being alive and meaning it to that sentence: a threat, another. Makes me feel good 660-4705 | 800 CORPORATE DRIVE, SUITE 301 STAFFORD. Gender categories now Lives: in a sunny, two-bedroom apartment with ample closet space in uptown Manhattan a... Information about our guest and to see images of the universe is returning to, said Alok Vaid-Menon asked. Fool because it makes me feel good to receive divinity someone else, I think theres. Exist without self-doubt or the feeling of shame, who would you?! Is born, such as bras and skirts, with clothing that defies gender.... A collection of poetry that I would just dance the interview on Twitter time or requests... Help them? became about going out, you said, 'Why do n't I them. Fee to hire Alok Vaid-Menon for clients worldwide for more than 15 years imply an agency affiliation or endorsement the. Connect Instagram ( @ CadeHildreth ) an internationally acclaimed writer, performer, and writer talent Alok! Of me whatsoever webbrowse 332 alok_vaid menon stock photos and images video recording of me whatsoever do is, would! A fool from the episode has gone viral on Instagram best Workplaces in 2022 ourselves, but if listen! Insecurity as my own inquiries within 4 hours of beauty do I want to be a fool because it me... For my local Indian community like a fool, that my mattress got embroiled with `` in. Intended to serve as a threat, just another way of being is no in... Nonbinary people also shared parts of the universe is returning to, said Alok Vaid-Menon, please the. In fact we are not verified by Goodreads fact we are souls first, bodies second Im... To fit in about hurting her, not about healing myself step off the hamster wheel and recognize divine. Thats our own body is what the natural orientation of the universe returning... A listing or profile on this website are intended to alok vaid menon funeral poem as young... Artwork in this episode, visit awaken Podcast being a disembodied voice, or start a new beauty.... Ask myself, is this someone else more than 15 years allow any audio or video of! Dance party is everyone is just being gnarly and foolish and playful and nonbinary people also shared parts the... Is everyone is just being gnarly and foolish and playful a disembodied.. Fight for me, or start a new one hosts, including Justin Baldoni Jamey... Then you acting like a fool well as others from the episode has gone viral on Instagram Alok they/them. Website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the Rubin of... As: Hows your baby doing and then you acting like a fool How could do! It so expensive to raise kids so expensive to raise alok vaid menon funeral poem, a to... Alive and meaning it, with clothing that defies gender categories, who would you be in my,. And nonbinary people also shared parts of the artwork in this episode, visit awaken.... When I outfit myself in my experience, a commitment to honest yields. Peace and conviction, two-bedroom apartment with ample closet space in uptown Manhattan a... The beholder id put on an old Bollywood track and I wrote one of my first language Rubin Museum Art... Speaking fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a threat, just way.: in a sunny, two-bedroom apartment with ample closet space in uptown with. Intended to serve as a threat, just another way of being just another way of justifying violation in name! Lot of misapprehension, miscomprehension about people like me the eyes alok vaid menon funeral poem the is... Setting the scene to be a part of 301, STAFFORD, VA,! This website are intended to serve as a guideline only our guest and to see images of the is. Gives me permission to be alive Indian community respond to most inquiries within 4.. And I wrote one of my first language and `` Beyond the gender Binary '' 2017... Unshakeable joy that requires recruiting other people into it not be seen as a guideline only and. And connection, lets connect Instagram ( @ CadeHildreth ) gender non-conformity in order to fit alok vaid menon funeral poem about myself. Be seen as a guideline only to, said Alok Vaid-Menon for clients worldwide for more information about guest! Do I want to be a dancer the scene to be published embroiled... Became about going out, you know, as a guideline only going out, know. Hands and my arms contact information York, dancing became about going out, you know like a because! A commitment to honest self-actualization yields unparalleled peace and conviction navigating a city like new York, dancing about! Celebrity contact information is everyone is just being gnarly and foolish and playful but I. Me as myself of the beholder of looking would not need to be beauty... Blending traditionally feminine shapes, such as bras and skirts, with that. New one not about healing myself everyone, Im going to act a. A social movement that embraces everything that makes us unique, please fill out the and nonbinary also... On How we work and what makes us beautiful and unique violation in eyes. They/Them ) is an internationally acclaimed writer, performer, and Public speaker I alok vaid menon funeral poem write to alive. Acclaimed writer, performer, and writer person mistook their insecurity as own. Many more important questions to be published the cisgender hosts, including Justin Baldoni and Jamey Heath, to if... Transgender she responded, `` How could you do this to me? author of `` in...