“ I mostly have to think about identity when it's imposed on me. When people on the street send slurs my way. When forms require me to pick a gender. ”
“ I truly believe American Sign Language is important because from the beginning, when a child is born, if they learn ASL, they have full access to information. ”
Their StoryDeaf sound artist whose work explores sound as a social and political construct rather than something she lacks access to. She performed an American Sign Language interpretation of the national anthem at Super Bowl LIV in 2020.Her TED talk 'The Enchanting Music of Sign Language' is a good primary-source starting point.See Their Full Story
Their StoryMexican painter known for vivid self-portraits drawing on her heritage, politics and body. Childhood polio and a near-fatal bus accident left her with lifelong pain, which became central subject matter rather than something hidden.Her letters and paintings are firmer ground than the quotes attributed to her.See Their Full Story
Their StoryDeaf sound artist whose work explores sound as a social and political construct rather than something she lacks access to. She performed an American Sign Language interpretation of the national anthem at Super Bowl LIV in 2020.Her TED talk 'The Enchanting Music of Sign Language' is a good primary-source starting point.See Their Full Story
“ As a deaf person living in a world of sound, it's as if I was living in a foreign country, blindly following its rules, customs, behaviors, and norms without ever questioning them. ”
Their StoryDeaf sound artist whose work explores sound as a social and political construct rather than something she lacks access to. She performed an American Sign Language interpretation of the national anthem at Super Bowl LIV in 2020.Her TED talk 'The Enchanting Music of Sign Language' is a good primary-source starting point.See Their Full Story
“ Your sexuality and your gender identity are one part of who you are. But it's so important that you focus on who you are and what you want for yourself. ”
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
ContextBaker, an entertainer who became a civil-rights figure and wartime Resistance agent, on a life given to performance.Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
Their StoryMissouri-born entertainer who became one of France's most celebrated performers, taking Paris by storm in the 1920s. During the Second World War she worked with the French Resistance, smuggling coded messages hidden in her sheet music, and was later awarded the Croix de guerre. In 1963 she stood on the podium at the March on Washington as the only official female speaker.Her memoirs and the biography by Jean-Claude Baker are the fullest primary sources.See Their Full Story
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
ContextKochiyama, a Japanese-American activist, on solidarity and interdependence across movements.Read More: Asian Voices
Their StoryJapanese-American activist interned with her family during the Second World War, who went on to organise alongside Malcolm X and across the Black, Asian-American and Puerto Rican independence movements for the rest of her life. She died in 2014.Interviews and archival footage from her later life are the clearest primary sources.See Their Full Story
ContextHarrison, a Principal Consultant at Thoughtworks, on the reality of living through a period when their rights are publicly contested.Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
ContextHarrison, a Principal Consultant at Thoughtworks, on why real inclusion means questioning the structures themselves, not just adding seats to an unchanged table.Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
ContextSchallert-Wygal, a Thoughtworks employee in the US, on why equality has to account for more than one axis of identity at once.Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
