Beyond the Fashion Runway w/ Arisce Wanzer

Imagine navigating the high-stakes world of modeling, transitioning into a comedy sensation, and standing as a pillar of activism—all while living unapologetically as your true self. 

That's precisely the whirlwind life of our guest Arisce Wanzer, whose journey from aspiring Victoria's Secret angel to becoming a beacon of inspiration is as awe-inspiring as it is entertaining.  

Shane Ivan Nash and Blossom C. Brown wrestle with the complex tapestry of experiences within the trans community, where  Arisce illuminates the conversation with her unique perspective on 'passing privilege', the nuanced lack of male privilege pre-transition, and the importance of unity in our collective fight against marginalization.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

So, my dear, I want to know how the hell.

Speaker 2: 0:03

did you get where the hell you are? I've wanted to be a model since I was 14. Like I was watching the Victoria's Secret fashion show, we were like, oh my God, I'm wearing panties and wings. I'm having the best time ever and I thought I want panties and wings, You're also a comedian too.

Speaker 2: 0:16

This is something else, Shane, I didn't know about Miss Arise that she's a comedian, he had a show at the comedy store and it was an all-queer show and someone had dropped out and he said hey, I have a show in two days. Someone dropped out. Do you think you could do eight minutes?

Speaker 3: 0:31

He's a musician and a comedian and I was just like that's up to you and you know he's a non-Black person. No tea, no shade.

Speaker 1: 0:39

The smoke shop and she goes what do you think of him? And I go. We'll talk about it later. This is the Transparency Podcast Show. Welcome to the Transparency Podcast. My name is Shane Ivan Nash and this is Blossom C Brown.

Speaker 3: 0:58

That's right, your favorite trans liberal.

Speaker 1: 1:05

I was in the streets last night protesting for Next Benedict and it's important to start this episode because this is the first episode that I'm recording since Next's loss. Please get educated in that and reach out, find out how you can support. We've got a lot of different folks reaching and we have also Ryan Casada's page if you want to look and find out more about how you can support Next, but let's get into this episode. I want to introduce and find out more about how you can support next, but let's get into this episode. I want to introduce someone who is literally like probably somebody you've seen everywhere and you want to know the tea from and you want to know how she got there, how she's living the life she is.

Speaker 1: 1:38

She's a goddess right, like she's in playboy, like, like it's like the fantasy of living life, like it's if this was a video game. She's winning. And I want to introduce you to a reese. A reese how you doing we love you how'd you like that intro?

Speaker 2: 1:58

I'm not winning the video game come on now.

Speaker 1: 2:01

How are you doing today?

Speaker 2: 2:02

x. Anyway, um, I'm good, I'm good, we are out in beautiful long beach today yes, we are, we all drove long beach in the am.

Speaker 1: 2:13

Yes so, my dear, I want to know how the hell did you get, where the hell you are? Because, like, it's a story and where, like, there are so many people that I meet that say they've seen a photo of you and they're inspired by the work that you do because, yes, you're gorgeous, but you've got brains too, and most folks don't know how much I've seen you, even in these hosting gigs, and how witty and smart you are and funny you are. So, like, how do you do it all? Like, like, how do you wake up every day and literally say, like these other bitches can't even match?

Speaker 3: 2:52

Like, how do you do it? And in that order by the way, hello, okay.

Speaker 2: 3:01

Okay.

Speaker 1: 3:02

Well, let me get hydrated for this.

Speaker 2: 3:04

Yeah, I was going to say well, I don't take any slices of humble pie, so I accept all of that. No, I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding.

Speaker 1: 3:10

Good.

Speaker 2: 3:11

No, it's funny. You said they were inspired. When they see my pictures and the body of work, I was like that I've had done. That's right. I thought you were going to be shitty that was the one I was looking for.

Speaker 1: 3:27

Listen, we almost have the buttons, y'all. We are almost learning and mapping it.

Speaker 3: 3:31

We get better every episode. Y'all we're learning.

Speaker 2: 3:34

But well, my short answer would be that I didn't get here alone, because I think, with capitalism always being touted at us, it's like this individualistic mentality of I got here on my own, I pulled myself up by my bootstraps Absolutely motherfucking. Not I need, oh am I allowed to cuss on here.

Speaker 1: 3:56

Yes, oh, because that was a lot yeah because that was a hard dive right into it Okay excuse me, no, please cuss.

Speaker 2: 4:07

Oh then I don't apologize, anyway. So I didn't get here alone, like I had the support of my family. I've had the support of so many friends over the years. I've just made a lot of really risky decisions, like I had to take a lot of risks Risky. Yeah like, because I wanted to be a model since I was 14. Like I was watching the Victoria's Secret fashion show. We used to watch it with our family because so you?

Speaker 1: 4:29

wanted wings from like day one.

Speaker 2: 4:31

I really did. It looked like so much fun. It just looks like it looked like so much fun. All these women looked happy walking down the runway just like, oh my God, I'm wearing panties and wings, I'm having the best time ever and I thought I want panties and wings. You know, that looks really fun.

Speaker 1: 4:49

You definitely achieved that I got ears. You did, but I did get panties.

Speaker 2: 4:53

I got the panties y'all.

Speaker 3: 4:58

But um, she got the panties y'all. That is not me laughing.

Speaker 2: 5:03

I was like is that Vincent Price? The kids have no idea who that is. But yeah, I remember I saw the show because the show had successfully replaced the spectacle. That was like the Miss USA pageant or Miss America pageant on TV that you'd watch with your family every Thanksgiving. It was now is the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and so, yeah, we'd sit and we'd watch and it was so much fun. It had all this great music and the glitter on the runway and everyone's so beautiful and it was just this big celebration and I thought I want to be a part of that. That looks like so much fun. And then, after that, started my love affair with fashion and so I started reading Harper's Bazaar front to back. V. I started reading Harper's Bazaar front to back. Vogue was awful. Couldn't read that front to back, Sorry, I'd still get Vogue, but it was almost not readable.

Speaker 1: 5:49

But Anna Wintour's still higher yeah no, I'm sorry, Anna.

Speaker 2: 5:53

Like I've been featured in Vogue seven times, I'm not scared of her. What you gonna do, take them off, I don't care. Anyway, it already happened, girl. Anyway, but can't erase me, but yeah, and I. So Vogue was. You know, it's geared not towards, it wasn't towards me as an audience, whereas Teen Vogue was amazing. Teen Vogue I loved. I loved Cosmo.

Speaker 1: 6:14

I used to be a girl, so watch, come on now. Yeah, I did read it as a child. It was pressed on me so I flipped through the pages. Come on now.

Speaker 2: 6:26

Yeah, those that stuff inspired me to be in fashion. I loved fashion, I loved clothes. Um, I loved, uh, what modeling looked like, because I didn't know what it was. And so I entered a modeling competition. Um, I got found by one agency and it was john casablanca. So I was 15 or something, yeah, and I think I was 15. Damn at 15? Yeah. And then, but I couldn't do anything with them, like I could just do their little model, like lesson, classes, stuff or whatever. I didn't start working until I was 17 because I couldn't. No one could drive me up there. Like my mom had a real job, I had two older sisters with things to do and one was like off to college, yeah, and I couldn't drive yet. So I was like, okay, so I had to just wait till I could drive and then I could drive myself to the auditions and castings and things like that. And then I was in your local Penny Savers, I was in your mall fashion shows, walking for American Eagle and Abercrombie.

Speaker 1: 7:22

Listen, Lady Gaga started in malls.

Speaker 2: 7:24

Yeah, exactly, I also started in malls. Everyone used to start in malls, kids, we didn't have TikTok, you had to work in the mall At some point. It's true, I walked for Ralph Lauren in the mall Saks, name it. Yeah, all these, but it's just mall fashion shows. These were not big televised events. But yeah, you got to start somewhere, kids, and you got to take the stairs to success. There is no elevator.

Speaker 3: 7:49

That's true, and I have some questions. Hold on, yeah, do tell.

Speaker 1: 7:53

Hold on, let me get some water. We were marching in the streets last night doing protesting.

Speaker 3: 7:56

We had a busy time, yeah it was like a four-hour thing listen.

Speaker 3: 8:01

So you know I had to do a little Wikipedia team try to get a little scoop on you. But I remember you were on the hit TV show Stray and I used to actually watch it on Oxygen y'all. It was a really, really good show. She was on it Isis King, dominique Jackson, late Ashley, my friend Cecilio Like it was really, really dope. How did you end up on that show and did that show teach you anything about anything that you didn't know about modeling?

Speaker 2: 9:03

Yeah, that show didn't teach me anything about modeling. I'd already been a model for 12 years by the time that show came out. But and I was the only one who'd ever been signed to a major agency on the show. And so, fun fact about the show and Cecilia has said this in many interviews the show was built around me Because I was actually.

Speaker 2: 9:27

I was writing for Original Plumbing Magazine, which is a trans mask magazine, and I was their Carrie Bradshaw, and so I just wrote all my dating stories and I wrote for them for a few years and Cecilia reached out to me because he had done a documentary called what's the Tea that I think is available on Amazon Prime now. Okay, and he said I love your articles, Will you do my first interview? And so I did his first interview for the movie and it was called Tart and it was on Fairfax and Third is where we had it. And we were there for like four hours at this bottomless brunch, just wasted. I'd gotten all the notes I needed to get. And he said why aren't you modeling? And I said, oh, I'd quit. Like at that point I'd quit, I'd moved to LA to quit modeling and just write and I just wanted to work at Starbucks and date surfers. That was my only goal.

Speaker 3: 10:10

It's a good goal. We love surfers, by the way. Y'all we really do.

Speaker 2: 10:13

Yeah, they're gonna be a high as a kite the whole relationship, but do have fun anyway. I'm just keeping it real, allegedly, allegedly anyway, but uh, yeah, no but um stop getting flashbacks I know I was like god anyway, like not great.

Speaker 2: 10:36

but so he said what if I can get you signed to my friend's agency in I think it was Thailand, yeah, and because he had an all trans division, and I was like sure, and I just thought he was lying like everyone in Hollywood. I was like he's gonna smoke up my ass. I'm like this guy is lying to me. And so I just said, sure, whatever, why not? And so, cause I'm sleeping on a couch in Burbank, like I had two suitcases to my name when I moved out here, like I had given up everything from my life in New York.

Speaker 2: 11:06

And, um, a couple of weeks later he was, he'd reached out. He goes hey, so you're on their website, you're signed with them. He's like they're going to send over a contract. You're not just automatically signed. And I did. And I was like that's cool. And he said we're going to do a show about this. Would you want to be a part of it? He's like I think it's a great idea, because if there's one of you, there's got to be more of you. So I want to find an American version of this and I started scouting girls and, um, I didn't say their name, so I can tell you what happened. They tried to cut cecilio from the deal when the show looked like it was gonna happen. After he put all of his money, they tried to cut cc. Yeah, and so we not cc yes, so it wasn't even.

Speaker 2: 11:48

It wasn't even strut yet it was called models like us. And so cc used his money to get us up to and I was on the bus, honey, I took the bus to San Francisco. No, that was the first time. The second time I drove up with this girl, angel, and we shot the pilot episode like a real episode of the show, just like models like us. And Dominique Jackson was there, this girl, claudia was there, laith was not in it, isis was not in it and it was a bunch of different girls that did not cut the show, but I was there and we shot that and they started pitching it all over LA.

Speaker 2: 12:24

And then the agency tried to cut Cecilio from the deal and Cecilio said this was my idea, I paid for it, he goes, I did the work, I got the connections, I found the models. He said if I start my own agency, will you come with me? I wanted to ask you first and I said let's do it. And then he drove to Sacramento, to the Better Business Bureau or whatever started. Slay Models that day drove all the way to Sacramento, yeah, and yeah was calling me. He's like what do you think about this name? What do you think about this name? What do you think about this name? What do you think about this name? And he came up with slay on his own. I don't know how he came up with it, but, um, because I'm not taking credit for that, but he, um, he goes. All right, we're an agency, let's get started. And so we just diverted from them the way cc works.

Speaker 1: 13:04

Yeah, he hires me for the dj stuff. He's just like I don't know what to show up yeah, he doesn't tell me shit.

Speaker 2: 13:09

Yeah, he's like, I trust you, I also just show up.

Speaker 1: 13:12

He's like I've been watching you long enough, like he studied you before he worked with you, in a sense, right.

Speaker 2: 13:17

Yeah, because he'd read all my articles.

Speaker 1: 13:19

Yeah, like he's like I've watched you do things, I know who you are. I don't need to ask you a question. And also it's so nice when I get hired by CC because, like in terms of like client range, pays the most, ask the least questions.

Speaker 2: 13:32

Yes, I love it. I find, with all clients, whoever pays the most is the best to work with. It's the people who pay you dust that are just like. They have all the demands in the world, all the requirements in the world. They have all the questions. I'm like, oh, shut up. Yeah, anyway, that's how Slay Models got started and I've been there years, wow wow, that's incredible.

Speaker 3: 13:54

You're also a comedian too. This is something else, shane. I didn't know about miss aries that she's a comedian wait whenever I would see her at the events or whatever, I thought she was wikipedia I didn't know you were a comedian how the hell have I known you that?

Speaker 1: 14:07

long.

Speaker 2: 14:07

I didn't know you were a comedian uh, I did stand up for like five years. What, yeah, okay what?

Speaker 1: 14:13

yeah, so like how the hell did you get into that?

Speaker 2: 14:16

uh, funny enough again all about who you know. That's why I didn't do this on my own. Uh, my friend, uh, mike michael. He had a show at the comedy store, okay, and it was an all queer show and someone had dropped out. And he said hey, I have a show in two days. Someone dropped out Do you think you could do eight minutes? And I said at the comedy store. So my first shot was at the comedy store. Wow.

Speaker 3: 14:42

Yeah, and I said yeah.

Speaker 2: 14:44

I can do eight minutes. And I remember calling my mom. I said, mom, I'm going to do stand-up comedy and I've never done it before and they're just did it. Every time he asked, which was every month he had that show and then I started doing it at everywhere, like, literally like everywhere. I just I don't think I've done the Laugh Factory. I think that's the only one I haven't done.

Speaker 1: 15:07

So the Laugh Factory needs to hire you now?

Speaker 2: 15:10

No, no, we can make it happen, we can manifest it. I would need to do a whole new set, and I have some jokes that I've worked on, but I haven't done stand-up in a while, because stand-up does not pay well, fun fact.

Speaker 3: 15:24

I heard about that.

Speaker 2: 15:25

Yeah it does not pay well, and I'm still pretty.

Speaker 3: 15:28

I used to date a comedian the one that I was dealing with, that I was dealing with.

Speaker 1: 15:34

That I was dealing with no fair, I'm going to tell y'all something.

Speaker 3: 15:36

So I was dating a comedian.

Speaker 1: 15:39

Don't say the name, make sure to say allegedly. I was saying allegedly.

Speaker 3: 15:43

But he told me to take my wig off.

Speaker 1: 15:47

Oh my God, Would she call me and told me that I was like what in the?

Speaker 3: 15:51

caucasity is going on here. He said he wanted to see the natural me. And why? What in the caucasity is going on here? He said he wanted to see the natural me. And that's up to you. And you know he's a non-black person no tea, no shade.

Speaker 1: 16:00

But and then she had me meet the guy right and we're in the smoke shop and she goes what do you think of him? And I go. We'll talk about it later.

Speaker 2: 16:21

Yeah, I kid you not, we did, we did. You should have played Solange's Don't Touch my Hair. That means verbally as well, like don't touch my hair.

Speaker 3: 16:29

I'll never forget that, but it was just crazy.

Speaker 1: 16:32

That was a moment girl, you knew I was just like deuces. I'll leave you at the club.

Speaker 3: 16:37

Like I was, like yeah, like he's a musician and a comedian and I was just like, yeah, no, this ain't gonna work for me, this ain't gonna work for me.

Speaker 2: 16:44

That is so invasive. It is Like invasive as hell. No, I know, I think whatever you want to reveal to someone, you do it in your own time.

Speaker 3: 16:55

Yes.

Speaker 2: 16:56

And to ask someone to reveal themselves like reveal yourself, it's like well what don't you believe, especially to say to a trans person.

Speaker 1: 17:06

like there's so many layers of intersectionality, take them breasts off.

Speaker 3: 17:09

Yeah, which I cannot. These are all mine. Same I do. These are all mine.

Speaker 1: 17:16

Same I do, yeah, I always wondered if we could make like a donation situation. You know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 17:24

That's not my six-time plan, that's your favorite one.

Speaker 3: 17:28

I was like we are flabbergasted. Today, my inner child is just like. Let me go to that one in particular.

Speaker 2: 17:32

Yeah, we got to find another number, yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:37

What else is on there? So, to get into another topic, just switch gears, let's do it.

Speaker 1: 17:40

So there was a situation that kind of happened to uh, you know, an influencer that I know, lathe ashley and he was really trying to have a conversation, I feel that kind of went south for him and he was really trying to talk about the struggles and the plight of trans man, but I feel like he didn't quite have the language at the moment and it fell flat for a lot of folks. And I believe you're really close to him at that time. So, like, what was that experience for you when you saw him kind of go through that and maybe you know advice or or just anything that you could say about that situation, because it's a sensitive subject? But it's a conversation that I feel needs to be had. But we have to have it in a sensitive way where we're not attacking our trans sisters or even being perceived that way, because our liberation is tied. And it's troublesome sometimes when folks don't have the language, because they may have that message in their heart but it's just not coming out of their mouth. The right way.

Speaker 2: 18:34

Yeah, I think in that case, like I'm still close with Leight, like we're friends we live in the same building.

Speaker 1: 18:41

Oh, wow.

Speaker 2: 18:42

He's watching my dog right now.

Speaker 3: 18:43

Nice, awesome. Shout out to Leight Ashley, everyone yes.

Speaker 2: 18:47

But I think in that scenario we get so much infighting within the community and people with with passing privilege and I'll say this from personal experience just in some people's eyes they will fight to misunderstand you because they don't want to see themselves in you or they don't want to hear your point, even if you have one, or they don't want to see you in their shoes, like it's just like um being light-skinned. Some people, some people are like oh, not black enough, can't talk on that subject. Or and no, can I talk about dark?

Speaker 3: 19:25

we can go anywhere. No, no, the answer is no.

Speaker 2: 19:28

Yeah no, I cannot. I mean black issues where they don't want us to speak up and I'm like no, I'm still a black, I still walk the world as a black person.

Speaker 1: 19:35

They do this to Blossom. Yes, it's like she can't be trans and black in the same space.

Speaker 3: 19:40

Oh my God, or can't talk about it in the same space.

Speaker 2: 19:42

The intersectionality that we are not allowed to have, that we are expected to navigate through, perfectly like a maze built for us, when really none of this is built for us.

Speaker 3: 19:52

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 19:53

And we're rejected from all of our communities at some point and, like you're rejected from womanhood, you're rejected from blackness, you're rejected from transness. If you don't do trans exactly how this influencer thinks you should be trans, yeah, and it's just. It's exhausting. Yeah, it's exhausting. And that's where I will defend Laith, because I understood what he meant what he was saying in late, because I understood what he meant what he was saying. But people were fighting to misunderstand him and I don't care if you want to cancel me in saying that Fuck you, you ain't shit and you don't know me. Anyway, yeah, and you don't, and we all have.

Speaker 2: 20:26

And it doesn't matter and I tell people this all the time it doesn't matter what level of fame or passability you get to as a trans person. You are just a trans person to everyone else in the world and you're going to walk the world through that because people are going to fight to misunderstand you, fight to misrepresent you, fight to misgender you Like. If I get misgendered these days, it happens very rarely, but when it does, I know it was on purpose. I'm like you did that on purpose and it was to flex that I'm not like you, yeah, and that I'm never going to acclimate into your world, which I never even wanted to do, by the way. I'm just trying to be the best me I can be. This is not. I'm not in a contest with anybody else, but your bank account.

Speaker 1: 21:07

You want to just get those numbers.

Speaker 2: 21:09

Fuck capitalism. Yeah, I really would like just to have a new way when I really would like us to have a new way.

Speaker 3: 21:14

When it came to Leif, though, in that conversation I felt like he did it the best way he knew how, Because when I listened to it especially the part when he was talking about trans men being socialized female I actually understood that, because there's this nuance and this cognitive dissonance within our trans women and trans men community that talk so much about, you know, trans men having to learn to be the protector and trans women learning to fall back and be more of the nurturer. And those types of conversations are really, really important because they are a part of our lives and a part of our, like, social construct of what being trans is. And it broke my heart to see a lot of backlash, because I was actually one of the ones that defended Faith and I remember, like ISIS and a few other people defended him or whatever, because there were a lot of trans men that were kind of coming out, particularly non-black or non-POC trans men Always the first to attack that had a lot to say about that.

Speaker 1: 22:12

Well, I have a comment to comment right after this.

Speaker 3: 22:14

And I was just like but y'all are kind of missing the point because that's kind of one of the best ways you can explain it and be able to get what they're talking about Now that language to some trans men. Again, I'm not a trans man. We talk about this every episode. Now I can understand it being a little triggering because you know the vocabulary is still forming and we're trying to do our best, but you're not going to be able to please everyone and I didn't think late got that fair justice when that came about. But I can say, as a trans sister, I learned and it did make some kind of impact.

Speaker 2: 22:46

Yeah, and I did have um. On the other hand, I think it's not so far removed from our own experience, because the trans male experience, where it says they're socialized female, that is no different than the way that cisgender women view trans women saying oh, we were socialized as male. You don't know a woman's struggle when really we were femmes. Like I wasn't invited to the like to the reindeer games. I wasn't invited to the boys sleepover I wasn't. I wasn't allowed to play with, like you know, billy and Johnny because they didn't want to the reindeer games. I wasn't invited to the boys' sleepover. I wasn't allowed to play with Billy and Johnny because they didn't want to play with me and I couldn't figure out why. No one wanted to play with me but the girls, and I liked playing with the girls. It was fine.

Speaker 2: 23:25

But you try to fit in as best you can and the more you try to fit in, the more ostracized you are, the more bullied you are, the more called out you are, because they know you're not like them. They know it and that's why when people are like, oh, kids don't know what they are, yes, yes, we do. Yeah, yes, we do. And I'm not saying and again, I'm not saying kids are going to get surgeries because they are not Fully. They're not One. It's not legal.

Speaker 1: 23:55

The percentage is not. I know, y'all know People can't afford it when they're 18 plus, you think these kids are doing it.

Speaker 2: 23:56

It's like one of two kids in history and they make old documentaries about it. Yeah, they're like the government's paying for their sexual reassignment surgery at five. I'm like that has never happened in the history of the world. Stop, no, stop the lies. You're spreading lies and propaganda and fear mongering. Yeah, but they don socially transition at that age when really it wouldn't do anything for the kid if I because I would sleep on the girl's side at nap time, just so I wouldn't be bullied, and the teachers knew that.

Speaker 2: 24:20

And so it's like you clearly saw something was different about me. I was feminine and you should have just leaned into it. Yeah, because look what happened. Nothing changed. Fabulous, nothing changed. Yeah, no, but it didn't get any more masculine y'all. So it's like you're fighting something just because you don't like it, versus it just being in front of your face and you believing what it is Like you know. Stop pretending you don't know. And so, that being said, I think that trans women could empathize with Lay's statement, at least when we are called out for the wrong reasons, like, oh, you guys were men before you had privilege. Pause, I was not. No, oh, you guys were men before you had privilege. Pause, I was not. No, no, no, there was no male privilege anywhere, talk about it. I was treated like a less than yeah, compared to any other male presenting person. Yeah, no, truly Truly. And we all were Like, most of us were, yeah, the only person that wasn't was probably Caitlyn Jenner.

Speaker 2: 25:12

Anyway, you know I have a history with Caitlyn, I know, but I had to say it because that's someone who behaves how a lot of people think that we behaved before, like oh, they're just males using male privilege. And now, just you know, in drag now and I'm like absolutely not, I'm just being myself, I'm the same. I haven't changed at all.

Speaker 3: 25:33

Yeah, I feel like a lot of people that are conservative, even trans people who are conservative. They take the risk of medical procedures, put fear in it, they fear monger it and amplify it because ultimately, what happens is there is reputable research, there are doctors who have been doing the work, been studying this stuff for years, putting the information out there in the research, and then you have people and I am going to drop name drop because it's an opinion show you have people like Buck Angel that take risk of certain medical situations, fear monger it and amplify it into a platform. And then you have these followers.

Speaker 1: 26:17

Word found out how to make that YouTube money.

Speaker 3: 26:18

Yeah, Somebody needs to make that to make your quick YouTube money or whatever. But then you're developing an audience of other trans and I'm not going to say I'm not going to put non-binary people in it. You're developing an audience of other trans people that fortify it because you've allowed them the permission to come in and to amplify you. I think that's despicable and it's disgusting, but that's what's happening in our trans community and I don't mind disagreeing with other people, but sometimes I can't afford it with my trans identity. I can't afford it. So it's just.

Speaker 3: 26:53

It's just been really, really interesting and I love what you talked about. You know race earlier because, as someone who's Afro-Native and a lot of people don't realize this I'm Black and Native American. I'm Cherokee and Choctaw. You know I'm a part of a group that's left out. You know I'm from Mississippi. There's Indian reservations down there.

Speaker 3: 27:14

But trying to talk about that part of my ancestry is so challenging because, like you said, if you don't look a certain way, if I don't look indigenous in a way that is satisfiable, I'm nothing. And I experienced that last night up there. And to talk about part of my ancestry that I've turned a blind eye to when moving to California because I didn't feel like I would fit in there and, you know, going home and crying and shedding tears about it. It was just like it was, so it woke me up to my truth in such a way, and so I'm really glad that you brought that up, because it is really important, because we're trying to figure out where we fit in these spaces and, because of colorism and all of the other isms that are put into place, we just can't always do that.

Speaker 1: 28:04

I just want to say you know, hearing both of your stories and knowing Leigh's story, because I can relate to Leigh's story and especially something that Leigh doesn't have to deal with is, I look like an 80s villain. I look like an 80s villain. I look like every white supremacist that's out there creating all the issues.

Speaker 2: 28:21

I mean, I know what I look like and I'm like damn it complete with police glasses, right?

Speaker 1: 28:25

you know you're about to get one and it's this weird thing that, like I grew up like being this outcast pretty much my entire life, especially being as big as I was I mean, it was bigger than the boys so I was bullied by the boys and the girls and you know, I didn't have, I was very lone wolf in that situation and from what I've learned to know about him and had a few conversations, it seems like that's kind of been the same thing and it seems to be the trend with a lot of trans masc individuals, because there's like this complex layer of like misogyny that plays into these roles that affect trans women and trans men.

Speaker 1: 29:06

And it's like you wake up in this, this body, as a child and you have these expectations put on you that are already secondary in on earth.

Speaker 1: 29:17

I mean, women, we have to admit, are genuinely always treated less than men and that is ingrained into you as a child. And to have that ingrained into you simultaneously while not having any support or access with the privileges that allegedly come with a cis person, but then having the ideology that you have all that access just because you pass it, sucks a lot of the time, because I find myself in these spaces where it's like, like you said, folks who just are looking for that pocket. To misunderstand you, or I call it looking for your neck. You know they're always looking for and that's why I have to be very careful when I'm in community, when I'm in space. But at the same time, as a white individual, I'm still highly appreciative of my community calling me out and calling me in in the ways that I have, because in the 15 years of activism who I was then, I didn't have the collegiate language to know where I was or what I was saying.

Speaker 1: 30:16

And I don't even know if Leif necessarily I mean he may now, but when he was saying it in that moment I don't think he had the language because there's been no investment in trans mask folks Like that trickled down, like that. Folks don't seem to understand is, if women are treated like shit, how do you think trans masc guys are treated Because that Reaganomics of that oppression. We're not a sexual commodity even so, we are just pure violence only and people hate women. So it's almost like an excuse to hurt women and trans masc folks and non-binary folks or really anybody. That's AFAB and it's this excuse for society to just attack these folks. Because I relate daily to lesbians, still as a trans masc, because they're afraid to go to the bathroom. When they go to the bathroom they're getting attacked just because they're being perceived as trans masculine and they get jumped and that's what happened in this whole.

Speaker 1: 31:14

Next situation. I mean I know next was non-binary, but if I was trans today and young and 16 and still finding myself, I probably would be identifying as non-binary first because it'd be a little safer and I would probably lean into my masculinity later as I was older and a lot of trans guys do that. They come out as non-binary first and some folks stay non-binary, it's whatever. But I see even myself in that next situation because from a very early age the bathroom was always a problem because I was getting bullied by both the girls and the boys, so I just held it and I didn't go at school. And what I'm hearing in your stories and I hear in Leith's story and my story, and just really both sides of it, it's like two sides to the same coin of the same feeling, of the same pain, and I feel like we all just need to acknowledge that and give that space for each other, like it's not an oppression.

Speaker 2: 32:09

Olympics. Yeah, that's why I abhor any kind of infighting within the community, because it only provides them with divide and conquer. Because if we're not a united front and none of us should have to be perfect to be able to be supported so if I say something out of line, it doesn't mean that you can just condemn everything good that I've done for the community, like that doesn't make any sense. And guess who doesn't think like that? All right, republicans, they have idiots say the wrong thing all the time and they stand right behind them and they win it every time. Fucking us, yeah, like can we cut the shit?

Speaker 1: 32:46

stop the infighting tell this to blossom all the time, like I. One of the biggest problems, I think, with our community is this idea that we have to be morally perfect in order for us to all get behind that one person. None of us are and no one can meet this imaginary expectations of what this magical, you know liberated activist is supposed to be, because everybody's got something they need to put in and it gets us nowhere. And that's where we kind of are politically right now. That's kind of why we have the presidential choices we have right now is because we've made no progress and I feel like we're all just circle jerking with our egos.

Speaker 2: 33:22

Exactly, it's a snake swallowing its own tail, because it's just like oh yeah, well, I'm the best. Well, I'm the best, well, I'm the most morally high ground, and it's like well, where are we going? Nowhere, because we can't get any kind of traction politically, because we can't get behind anyone, because they have to be perfect and that's the stupidest shit in the whole world. Also, I wanted to piggyback on your bathroom thing. In school. You flashback a memory. We would have bathroom break time and I would be a nuisance because I wouldn't go during bathroom break time. I would go by myself. I'd always ask for the pass and they'd be like why, why are you always going by yourself? I'm like because I'm not comfortable going with everybody else, because something was up. So that's interesting. I think a lot of us had very similar childhoods where we were trying to find ourselves and trying to figure out where we fit and we knew we didn't fit with all these other people.

Speaker 3: 34:15

Yeah, you know, even when we talk about politics or whatnot, I think part of the problem is, you know, I'm a firm believer and I hate to say this that I think Biden's administration is very tolerant of trans people, but I don't think they're for trans people, and I hate to say that because he is one of the choices. I just feel like the way that they use the trans community is more in a camaraderie kind of way, like oh, let me show you, I'm doing something for trans people.

Speaker 1: 34:48

Let me use your TikTok followers.

Speaker 3: 34:50

Yes, let me use your TikTok followers, let me make all of these false promises that I know I can't keep.

Speaker 1: 34:59

Then when you get in office, there's a whole shift there, and so I do understand. Oh, we got to play both sides, sorry we can't do that. That's going to make the other side mad, and then we can't get this bill passed. But nothing's getting passed.

Speaker 3: 35:06

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 35:06

I got something to say.

Speaker 3: 35:07

And listen, listen. But then it's like when it comes to trans rights in particular, when it comes to trans rights in particular, we don't get that same priority as our gay and lesbian siblings, because the way they ran to protect gay marriage over trans rights Can we actually wake that up and talk about that? Like we are at the bottom of the barrel. But yet y'all love us. They love seeing us on TV, they love us on TikTok, they love us on so many different things. That's why I used to kind of feel sorry for the Pose girls in particular, because it's like y'all have this fan base of people that follow y'all, that love and support y'all. But the minute that y'all talk about trans issues, that's when the lights switch go off.

Speaker 3: 36:01

And I would say, between India Moore and Angelica Ross, I would see a lot of their posts shift more to the trans community, as it should, like they're using their platforms for good. But this was just. I don't know y'all. I just. I really hope that Trump does not get reelected again, but, keeping it 100% real, he may, he just may.

Speaker 1: 36:14

He may. I hate to say it, but I feel like I see the same thing that I see in 2016. It looks the same.

Speaker 2: 36:19

It feels the same it feels, the same, exactly.

Speaker 1: 36:22

It feels like everybody's confident and comfortable, just like they were when Obama was still in his second term, and everybody's docile and there's a lot of distractions going on. Right now the world is imploding in every which way possible and it's it's and again back to that point about our community how we're looking for that moral high ground and in politics, on you know, the left side, we don't get anywhere and we have like I mean, I'm mad at aoc, what happened to that? Like she had so much potential she did corporate dollars.

Speaker 2: 36:55

Yeah, in her pockets, honey. She went to the met gala and never returned. You had a call earlier.

Speaker 1: 37:01

I wanted to hear what that was. You had a comment earlier. I wanted to hear what that yeah, yeah, I don't remember.

Speaker 2: 37:06

Oh no, what are we?

Speaker 1: 37:07

talking about girl. We're talking about everything. Come on now.

Speaker 2: 37:09

No because we're talking about biden.

Speaker 3: 37:14

Oh yes, so what? Here we go. Now we're on.

Speaker 2: 37:17

I couldn't remember what I was going to say because it kept going. But when I saw what could really be done in the face of hate, when people started attacking Asian people because of 2020, and it was the Stop Asian Hate thing and then in no time there was an executive order of like do not harm Asian people, and I'm like where was that for black people with George Floyd?

Speaker 2: 37:41

And where was that for trans people? When we get murdered every two weeks? And I thought I have not heard that kind of condemning of our murder, our hate, and it's not a contest, yay, no, absolutely Stop Asian hate. I think that's crazy. It was crazy, yeah, but because people love to hate other people, I don't get it, but I'm so good at minding my own business, anyway, they just they need to hate somebody. And so where I just saw the power in that, where I thought, wow, you haven't done that for us, no, for us.

Speaker 3: 38:11

No.

Speaker 2: 38:11

Can we get some of that? I would love any of that from you. Know, you our leader, our chosen leader. And so yeah, biden ugh yuck, only because we have to. Anyway.

Speaker 3: 38:25

Oh my gosh, what would you like to see change?

Speaker 2: 38:27

politically. That should be a slogan.

Speaker 3: 38:29

But what would you like to see change politically, though, in your view?

Speaker 2: 38:34

Um, I think there needs to be an age cap on who can be president. I'm sorry. My dad was a pilot until he was 65. And now every 65-year-old pilot has to retire. I don't want an over 65-year-old flying my plane and I don't want an over 65-year-old flying me into the building of a country. I said it. I said it Because you're no longer in touch with what's relevant and whatever laws you place now you don't have to deal with the consequences of because you're going to be dead. You are 80 years old, yeah you're 80 years old.

Speaker 1: 39:15

Girl, we are talking about the president. You can't use that button.

Speaker 2: 39:17

Oh shit, whatever I didn't Controversy, sorry, anyways, but I mean, like you're too old. We're safe here To be making laws in a world that you no longer understand. If you can convert a PDF file, maybe you can be president, but I don't think any of those men can do that, and so I don't think it's just a fact. I'm like you don't know how online works.

Speaker 2: 39:42

you don't know, like the questions they asked mark zuckerberg in his trial like oh my god, the, the tiktok guy. The questions these old white men were asking were so embarrassing really. They were embarrassing because they didn't know what they were talking about you work for china yeah, like, do you work for china? Are you? Are you saving these in zip files? I I was like what the fuck is this Are these real questions?

Speaker 1: 39:59

Do you work for the Communist Party? Like they asked like 17 times Embarrassing, yeah, but no questions about the actual like equipment or any of the safety or anything.

Speaker 2: 40:08

The app, the algorithm, the safeties, like yeah, the 18 and older safety precautions stuff, like I was like it was embarrassing and I was like I don't want these people representing what is a new world that they don't understand and so you're not going to understand trans people and I think if you live through segregation, you also shouldn't be able to run for president. You have a skewed view of the world. Whether you're black or white, you do not understand the world that we live in, where we all grew up integrated. We all grew up saying you know what we should all have, we should all have. And we also grew up in a world where one income in the household could buy you a house and feed your family. Now you need 19 roommates and 16 side hustles and OnlyFans.

Speaker 2: 40:55

Yes, yes, one of those side hustles has to be OnlyFans. Yeah, so I think we live in a world they are not properly navigating because they don't understand anything about that. They're still writing these op-ed pieces of why aren't millennials buying diamonds? I'm like we don't have any fucking money. You idiots. You guys took it all and shut the door behind you. Yeah, 100%. So I think they all need to just get the fuck off the horse, because they're driving us off a cliff.

Speaker 3: 41:23

Yeah, and they're too comfortable on that horse. Yes, they are Because that horse provides so much and it's almost like, like you said, we kind of have to wait till they die out.

Speaker 2: 41:31

Yeah, no, no more career politicians. I don't want to see farmers, I want to see teachers. I want to see educators, I want to see scientists.

Speaker 1: 41:43

Scientists need to be leading us, because they're destroying the planet.

Speaker 2: 41:45

They're actively destroying the planet and we're just watching. Long Beach just down the street was flooded. People are flooded out of their apartments and their homes and they're just ignoring the fact that all these factories are over here causing all this climate change and telling us to recycle individually. This is not an individual thing. This is a world issue and we're not a part of it because none of us.

Speaker 2: 42:09

Everyone keeps putting their head in the sand saying, oh, climate change, this climate change, that we need to get these people out of office, and I don't think that's going to happen with voting. I think there needs to be a revolution and I'm calling for it right now. And I don't think that's going to happen with voting. I think there needs to be a revolution and I'm calling for it right now, and I don't mean January 6th, I mean real change, real revolution, real leaders that want us to do well as a people, because our government no longer is for the people. They gave all this money to Israel, money that would solve homelessness three times, and there are people like you walk past homeless people on the street and it's disgusting. Oh, we don't have the money for programs. Yes, the fuck we do. Here's a gift.

Speaker 2: 42:47

Yes, we do, yeah there's enough money for programs for everyone to get the help they need, to get the housing they need to get the shower, they need to get the paperwork they need to become a citizen. It should be easier to become a citizen than it should to get behind the wheel of a car. I fully believe that. I think we pay so much in taxes. We are overtaxed. We are taxed on every item we buy day to day, our groceries. At the end of the year, taxes is a tax on the money you make at work. The government gets paid before you do.

Speaker 1: 43:18

If I were to pay you money on Venmo or something like that, I'd be taxed for earning the money. Yes, taxed on Venmo, taxed sending it to you.

Speaker 2: 43:25

You would then pay a tax for receiving it and this was all your money, wasn't it?

Speaker 1: 43:28

And then taxed for spending it Like it's yeah, you end up with 30 cents.

Speaker 2: 43:32

It's a crime and other countries are making, because I've been and they're like you guys will get taxed out the ass for nothing. And then they pay all their buddies because all their buddies own big metal and big warship, and so they're getting all their buddies' pockets lined, because rich is never rich enough. They're never rich enough, there's never enough, and so there's a minimum wage. There should be a maximum wage, yeah.

Speaker 1: 43:55

Billionaires shouldn't exist. I don't see the concept. There's no such thing as an ethical billionaire. There's no way you can reach billionaire status without exploiting other humans.

Speaker 2: 44:04

You know there is slavery somewhere down that supply chain and someone doesn't have healthcare, someone doesn't have a safe home in your supply chain, whereas you've got nine houses. Do you think that's fair? You don't do any work, you're not even part of the working class. What does the working class do they provide comfort for billionaires? Why are we insulating billionaires with laws that help them, subsidies from the government that help them and don't help us? This is supposed to be we, the people, for the people. We need to do something now.

Speaker 3: 44:36

But it's never been made for black people.

Speaker 2: 44:38

Oh, never, not once. And people like us Not once.

Speaker 3: 44:40

And people like us, not once. It's never been like that.

Speaker 2: 44:43

Because we also deserve reparations.

Speaker 3: 44:44

Yeah we definitely do. But I sit up here and I listen to that and I'm just like the same way. The Facebook Instagram algorithm is not for black folks like you and I, or whatever. So is the government as well, too, and so I'm sitting up here trying to think to myself what structure needs to be built. It's like we want to see these things right, but the reality of it is, with lack of resources, with lack of understanding, with lack of money and all of these things or whatever, it seems so impossible to achieve it.

Speaker 2: 45:16

And I'm exhausted. I'm here to tell you reparations would solve all of it. Asian people when they got put into camps and I say Asian people because they were looking for Japanese people when they got put in internment camps, they got reparations when they got out and then they were made a model minority after that in the eyes of white people, and so nothing balances the scales like having your own money, and so we've never had our own money because they've always taken from black people, whether it be from Tulsa, oklahoma or just burning down our cities and burning down our homes when we're doing well. And they made it completely legal because none of those white people were ever tried for those crimes. Nope, never, ever, ever.

Speaker 2: 45:54

Out again, told you can pull yourself up by the bootstraps by these people who are getting government subsidies and tax cuts and tax breaks and getting money to buy homes, while we started out with literally nothing. We did not get 40 acres in a mule, we never got our reparations and that would level the playing field and people could not look down on us anymore. It's like no, we got the money that you owed us, because we are owed like a trillion dollars in reparations for all the free labor that we did to build this country. You know, the White House is made by black people. Yeah, yeah, there are Blaze built this country.

Speaker 3: 46:27

Yes.

Speaker 2: 46:27

And it's the second White House, the first one burnt down, yeah. And then they have pictures. There's literal pictures, there's in color pictures. They put them in black and white so it looks older than it is. There's in-color pictures of black people building the White House, so you can go ahead and look those up. Everybody, I'm not lying. Do your research. We are owed reparations yesterday.

Speaker 3: 46:48

And there you have it, and there you have it.

Speaker 2: 46:50

Run me my money.

Speaker 3: 46:52

Ooh, there's one for that one.

Speaker 1: 46:56

They big bitch. I love them, I love them. I'm bored oh my god, I just I can't thank you enough for having like a deep conversation today and really getting into it. And you know, before we go, I just want to give us, you know, a light topic of you know you're married now. I knew we were yes, we're excited you knew, come on. I prepped you because, like, I'm married and like a lot of trans folks especially in la.

Speaker 1: 47:22

They're poly girls, so like what we're doing. We're the minority, so like what is it like to? Be a trad wife um. How are you doing?

Speaker 2: 47:33

rad wife. Oh my god, with me, with like a rugby shirt on, I feel like I can see it though I'm like you guys want some cookies, honey, hi.

Speaker 1: 47:43

I can't wait to come over for Christmas.

Speaker 2: 47:45

Yes, well, yeah, I'm married now. I'm married now. We have known each other. We're going on four years this year Beautiful, which is crazy. But yeah, we got married in November. Kept it a secret because we hadn't told our families yet, but you know, we came out and told them right before Christmas, and then we decided to tell social media in January.

Speaker 3: 48:11

Yeah, the pictures were beautiful, by the way. Thank you so much. Very beautiful.

Speaker 2: 48:16

Remy, he took those on film. Yeah, those are film. Wow, yeah, and you can catch. Remy he took those on film. Yeah, those are film, wow, yeah. And you can catch Remy he on Crazy Rich Asians. That is a Shout out to Remy he. He's a great actor, but he's a great photographer as well.

Speaker 1: 48:27

Okay, okay, I didn't know that. Yeah, right, so my favorite question is Okay. What was the song that you both danced to?

Speaker 3: 48:38

What's your song?

Speaker 1: 48:39

oh, because mine's tiny dancer that's, that's a thing for me. Oh see, wait, what tiny dancer elton john how's that go?

Speaker 3: 48:45

hold me close. Yeah, no, you never heard the britney remix. No, how's it go?

Speaker 2: 48:54

I'm a tiny dancer no no hold me closer, oh Tiny.

Speaker 3: 48:57

Dancer. No, it's Hold Me Closer, no.

Speaker 1: 49:00

Hold Me Closer. Oh, oh, damn. Okay, let me get my own. It's because when we met she was really into dance, so it's a thing, okay, anyways, what's your?

Speaker 2: 49:06

song. Oh well, I'm not going to say what was actually playing, because it was not our choice and we both talked about it.

Speaker 1: 49:12

It was okay, didn't get it played right.

Speaker 2: 49:17

That's why, okay, we were in Australia. Oh, never mind, I wouldn't have made it. I wouldn't have made it.

Speaker 1: 49:23

Oh, wow.

Speaker 2: 49:23

I was on a 14-hour flight to come to the DJ.

Speaker 1: 49:25

No, I'm good, I'm good, I'm good.

Speaker 2: 49:27

So how did they mess up? So it was a live band there, because we met all his friends there, because we told them that, oh, I was leaving the next day, so he just wanted everyone to meet me, look, there we go.

Speaker 1: 49:41

Yes.

Speaker 2: 49:41

Hello, yes, my husband John. Hi John, I love you so much.

Speaker 1: 49:45

Okay, Are you not giving trad wife though?

Speaker 2: 49:50

I'm trying not to fall down the stairs. Beautiful, I am trying not to fall down the stairs.

Speaker 3: 49:55

This is a lot of steps. It's giving movie scene tease thank you.

Speaker 2: 49:57

Yeah, it was very 1950s. It was the fantasy. It really was. And that is a custom Marco Marco dress. Damn, thank you. Yeah, she's gorgeous. We love that, yes, but it was a lovely affair. But Ed Sheeran, what one of the Ed Sheeran songs came out? I don't remember which one it was, but we both looked at each other because we were expected to dance at this point and we, you know, held each other in our arms and I said not Ed Sheeran, honey.

Speaker 2: 50:26

And he was like no this is fucking terrible and we were like, okay, grit through it, but our song is actually, I'd say, running Red Lights by the Avalanches and Rivers Cuomo. That's what we would have did, and so we did that. When I posted that for Valentine's Day that's what I put as the song I was like we're not doing that other thing because it was they didn't ask. They were like, oh, let's get a bride, is it the?

Speaker 1: 50:50

one where it's like darling you.

Speaker 2: 50:53

I don't remember, because I really don't like it If I was a DJ and I was going to be.

Speaker 1: 50:56

Ed Sheeran? I wouldn't know.

Speaker 3: 50:58

It's that soft.

Speaker 1: 51:00

I know that was not for you. He's the worst. I don't care. If you can hear me Imagine I did Kylie.

Speaker 2: 51:08

Minogue for you. Oh, depends on which one It'd be so good, you know I wouldn't mind. Yeah, I love Kylie and she's an Aussie Right Well true, an Aussie Right?

Speaker 1: 51:16

Well, true, I mean, that actually would have been really relative to the space. Yeah Well, I think this is wrap for the day. I think we got to a great end point. Where the hell can we find you, in case the folks that are watching have no idea where to find you?

Speaker 2: 51:27

What's your social? I am at aristocrat on all platforms because my name is Arise and you can also find me at playboycom slash Arise because I am the first black trans American Playboy, bunny yeah.

Speaker 1: 51:39

That is, we're getting a black couch moment. Yeah, I love it. Anyways, folks, thank you so much for joining today. Please follow Areece and let that roll.

Speaker 3: 51:54

I know that was a long break. All right, I thought you were going to go straight for the ending. I know right, I thought I was. Allegedly I thought you were going to go straight for the ending. I know right, I thought I was.

Speaker 1: 52:01

Allegedly, we're still learning how to do this. Anyways, this was an amazing episode. Please watch it in full. Find out more information about Areece and the conversations we had here today. It's really important for us to get these messages out and Blossom. Do you have anything to close us?

Speaker 3: 52:16

out with Drink Austin. Do you have anything to close us out with? Drink water? Moisturize and stop the hate. Okay, Wait, oh wait, Bruh, what is?

Speaker 2: 52:32

going on. Any sound will do yeah.