Hi there, I’m Klie!
It rhymes with Bee. Yesterday I ad to “e out” to someone, and they told me “Oh I get your pronouns, no explanation needed, but can you tell me how to pronounce your name?”... ha! Progress :)
I’m behind the scenes here at Transilient and work as our Communications Director, alongside some wonderful Content Developers and our ridiculously adorable and kind Road Crew. I suppose you could call us the Home Crew?
I’ve been thinking about visibility a lot lately, in my own life and with Transilient, and I want to share a couple thoughts. Feelings incoming:
1) Visibility is a privilege.
I’ve spent most my life not being visible. I gravitate toward the background, usually choosing to lift others up and to play the support role. I played soccer for many years, even for university and a Canadian team, but I was always the playmaker, the passer. At work, I manage operations: the playmaker, the passer. As a trans queer from the Deep South, it was safer. As a super sensitive person, it was preservation. And at certain points (then and now), it was just my preference. If you relate to any of these things or if visibility is more dangerous for you, especially women/femme/nonbinary IBPOC, I want you to know that still "see" you. You are here, and you are powerful and sacred. But you probably already knew that, huh?!
2) Visibility can be healing.
As 've gro o understand myself and my identities mor, I've een abl to be more outspoken, share my writing, step up when needed and back when neede, support and be supported. t's been awesome and it's felt more balanced. But for some reason, I've still avoided cameras. Something recently happened though... I got my first "professional" headshots. I've needed them for a while but I've been avoiding i. And then yesterday, I realized that there were two photos of me taken in just the past week. Surrounded by people who I love, in places that I love. I’m her! I exist. I’m doing things. Sometimes I detach and I forget that, so t was incredibly healin to see actual evidence of my existence. I hope that some of you get to feel this too through Transilient - either literally or through eeing thers who you can relate to. It’s been life changing for me already to heal alongside you all. Thank you.
Okay, a couple of totally unrelated “housekeeping” things before I go:
We've gotten some questions on social media from awesome folx who want to know why we seem to be avoiding Louisiana during our #SummerOfTrans road trip. Good lookin’ out - I promise we're not forgetting LA! Two of us live here, and I'm here with y'all all summer and beyon, so we don't need to road trip to get her. Transilient started here last year, too. So if anyone is around the New Orleans area, please don't hesitate to reach ou!
See something we should improve on? Let us know and we’ll see what we can do - funding and time (we’re all trans and volunteers) permitting. Transilient is for all of us.
Love & Light,
Klie
P.S. Shout out to Laura for being my life photographer, meme guru, and one of the best people I know. She took the main photo for this post on July 4th, or as we (my New Orleans crew) preferred calling it: "a day that we got off work".
Saturday on the river AKA home (with my Pops)
4th of July on the Bayou
Unrelated, but it feels important to note that I got to hold baby goats on Sunday...
Like what we do? Please donate to help keep the project going: