Tiq Milan and Kim Katrin Milan: A queer vision of love and marriage
تيك ميلان وكيم كاترين ميلان: الحب الذي يجعلنا من نحن عليه
Already a tireless advocate for positive and honest portrayals of LGBTQ people in media, Tiq Milan now evangelizes for the unifying power of love. Full bioKim Katrin Milan - Writer, educator, artist
Through her art and writing, Kim Katrin Milan advocates for queer, trans and feminist issues. Now she’s using her own love story to help bridge communities. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
was on Facebook,
that I knew she was going to be my wife.
amount of time for our courtship;
نتودد فيه لبعضنا البعض؛
the vulnerable truths up front:
الهشّة فينا:
certificate should have stood for "False,"
يجب أن يعني كلمة "مزيف،"
pebbles in my shoes.
I took forward.
عند رغبتي الخاصة؛
a cisgender queer woman.
طبيعية الجنس.
I was assigned at birth
أن أكون وقت ميلادي
the many different ways
restricted by gender
of who I am and how I've loved.
لمن أكون وأحببت.
from the very beginning.
لي منذ البداية.
from institutions and traditions.
من المؤسسات والتقاليد.
to commit to each other
الإلتزام لبعضنا البعض
of the "Golden Rule,"
عن هذه "القاعدة الذهبية،"
the way we want to be treated.
الطريقة التي نحب أن نعامل بها.
the standard for other people,
the way they want to be treated,
التي يحبّون أن يعاملوا بها،
of love that Tiq needed
الذي احتاج إليه (تيك)
about his fears, his insecurities --
عن مخاوفه، واحساسه بعدم الأمان --
kind of love I needed.
الذي كنت بحاجة له.
of their love because I was trans.
لأنّني متحول جنسياً.
transgender people.
and often signed into law.
ما يتم تمريره كقانون.
from internalizing that message,
of community work behind us,
of a family in front of us,
and a bit of an orphan,
حياتي ويتيمة نوعاً ما،
the differences in our strengths
but we don't live marginalized lives.
لا نحيا حياةً مهمّشة.
new ways of existing.
حول خلقنا لطرق تعايش جديدة.
too proud and too freeing.
بالفخر والتحرر الشديد.
was going to be my helper or my rib,
to reign in, control or critique.
أو التحكم فيها أو انتقادها.
sight of her empathy.
about setting each other free.
حول إتاحة الحرية لكلينا.
his mother's incredible legacy.
were able to start from that place,
البدء من ذلك المكان،
that was around figuring out
to grow into the people that we were
لما أصبحنا عليه
committed to each other
concern when I transitioned
precluded me from love and monogamy
في الحب أو الإرتباط
born in the wrong body?
that has to be reframed
أن تعاد صياغته
binary thinking on gender
المقيّد عن الجنس
along the numb keloid scars
الجدريّة المخدرة
all the way out to my outer torso.
وحتى جذعي الخارجي.
reminders of my strength
conventional trajectories
to bless a union for folks like us,
supposed to recognize it.
after meeting online,
من لقائنا عبر الإنترنت،
of City Hall in Manhattan,
في مدينة (مانهاتن)،
in every conceivable way.
reimagined some traditions,
تخطيط بعض التقاليد،
that we worked in,
على بعض القديم منها،
that worked for us.
with wildflowers from Brooklyn --
مليئاً بأزهار برية من (بروكلين) --
and sage to keep us grounded
لإبقائنا ثابتين
sister healer friend of ours.
رائعة لنا بترتيبها.
are not my thing,
my father's bastard child,
an apology, a secret, an imposition.
who chose me first.
and some close friends,
وبعض الأصدقاء المقربين،
as we took our vows.
بينما كنّا نحلف القسم.
photos on Facebook,
بالكامل على (فيسبوك)،
than just a union of two people,
من مجرد اتحاد شخصين،
for the millions of LGBTQ folks
من مجتمع LGBTQ لمثليي الجنس
is antithetical to who they are --
who rarely get to see ourselves
because of our identities,
بسبب هوياتنا،
to be the people that we are.
receptive and shape-shifting.
وأن نكون منفتحين ومتقبلين ومتحولي الشكل.
source of, our strength.
of that strength.
poet Brandon Wint:
(براندون وينت) الذي قال:
queer like escaping definition.
في الهروب من التعريف.
and limitlessness all at once.
على نحو غير متوقع.
too strange to be conquered.
to imagine what love can look like,
ما قد يبدو عليه الحب،
who are living their authentic selves
يعيشون ذواتهم الأصيلة
that always is present
الحاضر دوماً
حسب رؤاهم الخاصة.
is murdered every 21 hours.
trans murders on record this year
المتحولين جنسياً الذين قتلوا هذا العام
than this rigid dichotomy
من هذا الإنقسام الجامد
complexity on these margins,
في هذه الهوامش،
on these margins.
that we have literally never seen before;
on love and not by blood,
وليس رابطة الدم،
have been shown ourselves.
به عدد قليل منا.
love from our families --
that we trust most.
entirely new languages of love.
لغات حب جديدة.
for us to be our authentic selves
لنكون ذواتنا الأصيلة
is supposed to be.
in love and inclusion
gender, in their skin --
to unlearn these deep-seated biases
هذه التحيّزات عميقة الجذور جانباً
to be self-determined,
world than the one we were born into.
من الذي وجدنا أنفسنا فيه.
that we were here.
into our relationship
to make maps to the future
خرائط للمستقبل
other peoples' experience,
complicate this idea
are supposed to be.
a mirror up to ourselves.
always the best listener,
of our progress as a couple.
these deep-seated, sexist ideas
الراسخة والجنسية
of a woman's experience in the world.
تجربة المرأة في العالم.
to be in allyship with my wife.
طرفاً في علاقة مع زوجتي.
of a lot of things, too.
من الأشياء أيضاً.
we got into a massive fight.
في عراك كبير.
and our lived experiences --
بقيمنا وتجاربنا المعاشة --
puts ourselves entirely on the line.
تماماً في خط المواجهة.
over the course of two days --
together to each other,
to each other and to our marriage.
some of the most passionate parts
الأكثر عاطفية
موضع التساؤل،
with being a man don't define me,
كوني رجلاً، لا تمثلني،
for how it shows up in my life every day.
منّي في الحياة اليومية.
to do all of the emotional labor
when I'd rather clam up and run away.
بينما أصمت أنا وأهرب بعيداً.
instead of facing my own vulnerabilities,
بدلاً من مواجهة نقاط ضعفي،
miscarriage we suffered last year,
الذي عانينا منه العام الماضي،
we get to take the easy way out.
is about reimagining masculinity.
عبارة عن إعادة تخيّل للذكورة.
that isn't measured
by the entitlements afforded to it,
والاستحقاقات الممنوحة لها،
that it can muster,
for my femininity to flourish
أو كيف أتصرف.
of the cleaning than I do.
النظافة أكثر مني.
to get out of the house
شعري وأضع زينتي.
as though it is frivolous or superficial,
شيء تافه أو سطحي،
of gender every single day.
تكبر يوماً بعد يوم.
get dressed in the morning.
ثيابها صباحاً.
and colorful, and tight,
negotiate her decisions
تنطوي على تحدي
to get the least amount of attention,
الأدنى من الإنتباه،
of the vibrant and sexy woman she is.
عن ما تمثله من حيوية وإثارة.
her for her beauty,
beautiful and special and free,
جميلة ومميزة وحرّة،
-(تيك): أحبك.
and trans people
والمتحولين جنسياً
this retelling of history
to not see ourselves there.
is about that representation.
بصوتنا يتعلق بذلك التمثيل.
of our inheritance in this world, too.
إرثنا في هذا العالم أيضاً.
love and institutions.
والحب والمؤسسات.
of gender and sexuality,
الجنس والحياة الجنسية،
is self-determined and not imposed,
قرارً ذاتياً وليس مفروضاً،
is a kaleidoscope of possibility
الألوان للإمكانية
masquerading as science or justice.
في شكل العلوم والعدالة.
that exists in the world,
المستشري في العالم،
of people to really change.
على إحداث تغيير حقيقي.
of faith and dedication.
من الإيمان والتفاني.
than I ever thought possible --
من ما توقعت وجوده --
speaking the same language.
to be married to this man;
لأنّني تزوجت من هذا الرجل؛
the possibility of changing minds,
تغيير العقول،
where love belongs to us all.
of self and a community,
والمجتمع،
not to leave anyone behind.
أن لا نترك أحداً خلفنا.
throughout changes to gender
على طول التغيرات في الجنس
in our chat rooms,
الخاصة بنا،
and in our community centers.
each other for the long haul.
البعض لفترة طويلة.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Tiq Milan - Transgender activistAlready a tireless advocate for positive and honest portrayals of LGBTQ people in media, Tiq Milan now evangelizes for the unifying power of love.
Why you should listen
Tiq Milan speaks and writes about intersectional leadership, transgender rights and racial justice. He shares stories of his life and how his transgender experience has informed his views on masculinity, race and the gender binary. A journalist for over a decade, his work has appeared on MIC, Buzzfeed, NBC and CNN. He is also a strategic media consultant, helping organizations and companies create detailed media campaigns that engage diverse audiences in ways that are inclusive and authentic.
Tiq has been most inspired by his years mentoring LGBT youth at the Bronx Community Pride Center and the Hetrick Martin Institute in the New York City. He was able to witness first hand the intersectional lived experiences of gay and trans youth and how it's affected by social systems put in place to help them. He most recently was the senior media strategist and national spokesperson for GLAAD, where he utlilized the media to call attention to the needs of the LGBT community, particularly transgender people of color.
Tiq is currently the co-Founder of Milan Media Arts Productions (MAPS) along with his wife, Kim Katrin Milan. MAPS is a content creation and consulting firm that is dedicated to creating narratives of queer people and their allies. View his published work, features and appearances here.
Tiq Milan | Speaker | TED.com
Kim Katrin Milan - Writer, educator, artist
Through her art and writing, Kim Katrin Milan advocates for queer, trans and feminist issues. Now she’s using her own love story to help bridge communities.
Why you should listen
A daughter of the diaspora -- Afro-Caribbean, Venezuelan Arawak, Indian and Scottish, hailing from Trinidad and living between Toronto and New York -- Kim Katrin Milan is an acclaimed educator, writer and artist.
Kim is the co-founder and Executive Director of The People Project, an initiative to bring forth local and international community development for queer and trans folks of color and their allies through alternative education, art-activism and collaboration. She is also one of the owners of the Glad Day Book Shop, the oldest LGBT bookstore in the world.
As an educator, Kim travels around the world talking to people about justice, equity and human rights. She is dedicated to inclusivity and invested in arousing a sense of curiosity and empathy in her audience. She uniquely weaves together the historical context, statistical analysis, as well as current events.
A public researcher, consultant and human rights educator, Kim has shared hundreds of unique resources and presentations around intersectional issues including race, ability and gender. As a social entrepreneur, she speaks to the opportunities and challenges for women in business and leadership roles. With great openness, she welcomes difficult conversations hosting community dialogues and sharing practical strategies around sexuality and consent, queer and trans allyship. and anti-racism and equity.
Since 2012, Kim has spoken at universities including Princeton, Dartmouth, McGill and Mount Allison. She has opened for cultural scholar Cornel West at UC Davis, delivered the keynote address at HBCU's Morehouse and Spelman's first Pride, and she was a panelist at Amber Rose's first SlutWalk. She has hosted events for the United Nations, acted as the Grand Marshall for Hudson, NY Pride and hosted an session at Dreamforce 2016.
Kim has contributed to Cosmopolitan, MTV, NBC, Larry King Now, Buzzfeed and the CBC, both independently and alongside her husband Tiq Milan. She regularly contributes to TeleSUR English, the Central American news network.
Kim Katrin Milan | Speaker | TED.com