Samy Nour Younes: A short history of trans people's long fight for equality
Samy Nour Younes: Une brève histoire de la longue lutte des personnes trans pour l'égalité
Samy Nour Younes is a trans actor and activist who highlights the diversity of the trans experience -- not just in their struggles, but also in their triumphs. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
suddenly everywhere?
sont-ils soudainement partout ?
I get this question a lot.
on me pose beaucoup cette question.
of American adults
about 16 percent of non-trans Americans
environ 16% des Américains non trans
this may seem like a new topic.
ce peut être un nouveau sujet.
ce n'est pas nouveau.
est plus vieille qu'on ne le pense
font partie de cet héritage.
to the Pacific Islands and beyond,
aux îles du Pacifique et au-delà,
who recognize multiple genders,
reconnaissant des genres multiples
and Pakistan, for example,
et pakistanais, par exemple,
as 2,000 years ago in the Kama Sutra.
dans le Kama Sutra.
each have their own terms,
ont leurs propres termes
the umbrella term "two-spirit."
l'expression générale « bispiritualité ».
in their communities,
dans leurs communautés
the spread of colonialism
and trans practices.
et des pratiques trans.
who presented as men
passer pour des hommes
la guerre de Sécession.
their lives as women,
ont repris leur vie de femmes,
continued to live as men.
ont continué à vivre en tant qu'hommes.
confined to an asylum
confiné dans un asile
for the rest of his life.
pour le reste de sa vie.
of self-described androgynes
se disant androgynes
against the world's bitter persecution.
de s'unir pour la défense
one of the earliest trans support groups.
des premiers groupes de soutien trans.
were starting to study trans medicine,
étudiaient la médecine trans
by their trans patients,
who had corresponded extensively
qui avait beaucoup correspondu
for public cross-dressing.
pour transformisme en public.
like Alfred Kinsey
en sexualité comme Alfred Kinsey
and the famous Christine Jorgensen,
et la célèbre Christine Jorgensen,
her very public transition in 1952.
avec une transition publique en 1952.
were forming their own support networks,
formaient leurs réseaux de soutien,
had to carve their own path.
ont dû voler de leurs propres ailes.
walked in drag balls.
ont marché dans des bals de drag queens.
for their gender expression
pour leur expression de genre
on the forefront of seminal events
d'événements majeurs
at Cooper Do-nuts in 1959,
à Cooper Do-nuts en 1959,
and Marsha P. Johnson,
et Marsha P. Johnson,
Action Revolutionaries.
Action Revolutionaries.
for equal treatment under the law,
pour un traitement égal devant la loi,
higher rates of discrimination,
de discrimination,
and the looming AIDS epidemic.
et l'imminente épidémie du SIDA.
to disenfranchise trans people
à priver les trans de leurs droits
qui sont les nôtres.
taken in Berlin in 1933,
they considered un-German.
des œuvres considérées anti-allemandes.
is that included in this massive pile
est que dans cette pile massive,
for Sexual Research.
de la recherche sur la sexualité.
the trans movement in America,
le mouvement trans en Amérique
and his peers in Germany
et ses pairs en Allemagne
an early advocate for LGBT people.
défenseurs des droits des gens LGBT.
of trans individuals.
sur les individus trans.
medical services and IDs.
des services médicaux et des papiers.
the Berlin Police Department
à la discrimination des gens LGBT
a brûlé sa bibliothèque,
for trans research around the world.
pour la recherche trans dans le monde.
to erase trans people,
d'effacer les personnes trans
ni la dernière.
why trans people are suddenly everywhere,
les trans sont soudainement partout,
that we've been here.
que nous étions là.
that have been buried by time.
enfouies avec le temps.
but our struggles have been forgotten
mais nos luttes ont été oubliées
que les questions trans sont récentes.
that makes trans issues seem new.
who think that our movement
pensant que notre mouvement
telling us all to be patient,
des alliés bien intentionnés
la conversation changerait
trans people have been demanding equality.
depuis combien de temps
toujours excessive ?
of color who are murdered
de couleur qui sont assassinées
ne sont pas présentés à la justice ?
vous semblent-elles urgentes ?
to realize they're not alone.
que les autres personnes trans
was an anomaly that would die with me.
était une anomalie qui mourrait avec moi.
of otherness into my mind,
d'altérité dans mon esprit
anyone else like me.
personne comme moi.
mes ancêtres plus tôt,
to find a source of pride
pour trouver de la fierté
vibrant community of people
merveilleuse et dynamique de gens
even when others won't,
quand les autres s'y refusent,
even when we are struggling,
quand nous avons des difficultés,
dans les yeux et de dire :
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Samy Nour Younes - Actor, activistSamy Nour Younes is a trans actor and activist who highlights the diversity of the trans experience -- not just in their struggles, but also in their triumphs.
Why you should listen
Samy Nour Younes's most recent credits include Into the Woods (Ford's Theater), The Triumphant and Pay No Attention to the Girl (Target Margin Theater), and Well Intentioned White People (Barrington Stage). He can also be seen on season four of Transparent.
As an activist, Nour Younes served on the leadership teams of the DC Area Transmasculine Society and the Baltimore Transgender Alliance. He has coorganized rallies for Pride, Transgender Day of Remembrance and more. He also leads panels on the barriers trans people face in accessing health care and has participated in national ad campaigns to promote awareness of LGBTQ+ issues.
Nour Younes was the cohost of insighT with Consuella Lopez, a DC-based online talk show with an all-trans panel. He aims to highlight the diversity of the trans experience -- not just in their struggles, but also in their triumphs. As of 2019, he has written one ten-minute play, Ancestral Lines and Other Tall Tales, which will be published in the upcoming Latinx Archive. He is currently developing two new works, including a solo show, both of which he aims to premiere in 2019.
Samy Nour Younes | Speaker | TED.com