I think for me the biggest thing is I tend to pass as a young boy, you know? And that’s like a complicated thing because you don’t really know if people are being condescending to you because they think you’re a young boy or if you’re gender queer or what it is. I would just say that it’s hard to live in a body that’s different from everyone else — or, not everyone else but a lot of other people. Sometimes I walk down the street and I feel a sense that I’m still a freak and I think it’s something that I’ll always deal with because of my history and feeling oppressed for many reasons. One thing I’ve thought about a lot recently is promoting confidence. I feel like as a teenager I didn’t have that and I wish I could help other young queer kids and gender-queers and women learn how to feel good about themselves. I always come back to that as the reason I may still effected by what people say to me, you know?
JD Samson on playing Occupy Wall Street and representing for the queer community
