THEATER
Grabbing a Chance to Tell Their Story
Samy Nour Younes celebrates nuance in trans folks’ narratives
BY CHRISTOPHER MURRAY
In a TED Residency Talk last
December, actor and trans
activist Samy Nour Younes
said, “Trans people are not
new. Gender variance is older than
you think and trans people are
part of that legacy.”
The talk, “A Short History of
Trans People’s Long Fight For
Equality,” quickly gained more
than a million and a half views.
Younes reviewed the global cultural
history of gender variation
worldwide and the unique identities
of those were often considered
shamans and valued within their
communities as well as those elsewhere
who were at risk of police action,
jail, or being confi ned to an
asylum for their gender nonconformity.
“So whenever people ask me
why trans people are suddenly everywhere,
I just want to tell them
that we’ve been here,” Younes said.
“These stories have to told.”
Now, Younes is telling their own
story in a new show onstage at
The Tank on December 16. They
describe the show, “everyday.,” as
a “solo cabaret” that utilizes parts
of diary entries and recordings
from the fi rst year of their transition,
stories from adolescence, and
songs from musical theater.
Gay City News spoke to Younes
about the upcoming show and the
power of culture and art in moving
the gender identity social justice
movement forward.
CHRISTOPHER MURRAY:
What is the show about?
SAMY NOUR YOUNES: On the
surface level, the show is autobiographical.
It’s a coming out story.
It’s a survival story. The show covers
the fi rst 23 years of my life, and
not much after. Once you scratch
that surface, we’re exploring issues
of healing, of growing, and
of forgiveness. But if I’m doing my
job right, I’m also examining how
and why we tell coming out stories.
Right now, I’m only speaking about
coming out as a trans man. I didn’t
come out as gay until a few years
Samy Nour Younes in his 2018 TED Residency Talk “A Short History of Trans People’s Long Fight For
Equality.”
later — I mean, it’s complicated,
and I came out several times, but
coming out specifi cally as a gay
trans man happened later — and
that part just didn’t make it in.
MURRAY: Will it be hard to go
back and reach into what must
have been a very intense time in
your life and then to present some
of that in front of an audience?
YOUNES: When it comes to
trans coming out stories in the
media, specifi cally those that
are written by non-trans people,
they’re so often fraught with trauma.
It’s not that there’s no truth in
that — many trans people face violence
and rejection, among other
things, when they come out — but
I just fi nd that a lot of these media
narratives are focused on how
much the trans character suffers.
TED TALKS
If showing cis people just how
much pain we can possibly be in
was enough to activate them into
supporting the trans people in
their life, they would have done it
by now. As it stands, a lot of those
narratives feel gratuitously sad,
like trauma porn.
With the rise of trans writers,
directors, script consultants, etc.,
we’re seeing more nuanced stories,
and fully-realized characters,
which is such a relief. I’d like to see
more of that, but I think there’s
also a thing that a lot of trans
people do when we’re among our
community, and that is the sharing
of past trauma. It’s important
to emphasize, again, that this happens
when we’re in spaces for just
us. We’re in the presence of people
who understand. We’re not there
to relish in each other’s suffering;
we’re there to hold space for each
other, shoulder the burden, and
heal together. And it’s a bonding
moment, too.
Sometimes, the closer you become
with other trans people, you
start to refer to these memories
with a dark, rueful humor. But
that can only come out of knowing
you’re in good company.
MURRAY: How have you developed
your dramatic voice for the
show?
YOUNES: The thing about me
being the one presenting my story
is that, inevitably, it will sound like
the dominant narrative. It isn’t.
Even in my solo show, I can think
of at least 10 different people whose
paths in life intersect with mine.
I’m sure if they had the platform I
was generously given, things would
look and sound a lot different. I am
not trying to dominate the narrative
just by having a narrative. I
hope that comes across, too.
Early on in my transition, I was
accused of “making things about
me,” which felt like a punch to the
gut. Only ever by cis people, by the
way. I’m glad I had trans friends
who understood what I was going
through. I think the big reason it
hurt was because I spent so many
years in life — literally 23 years
— trying to be whatever version of
myself that others would accept. I
really repressed myself just to be
loved by other people. That fucks
you up, having to do that for so
long.
And that fi rst year of a medical
transition involves so many new
experiences, changes, sensations,
emotions, etc. that you simply
need to be allowed to process. So
to be navigating all of this shit for
the fi rst time and being told, “Stop
making it about you,” like... it’s
never been about me. And if what
I need most right now is to live according
to my own needs, to examine
and grow and heal and defi ne
myself, I’m allowed to have that.
MURRAY: You were a working
actor for years in Baltimore. What’s
➤ SAMY NOUR YOUNES, continued on p.27
December 5 - December 1 26 8, 2019 | GayCityNews.com
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