My work as an actor spans over two decades and covers the gender spectrum. I’ve appeared in the films Elena Undone, The Owls, Halloween, Lasso, and on television in RuPaul’s Drag U. Working alongside lesbian film pioneers like Cheryl Duyne and Guinevere Turner allowed me to give visibility and voice to Black queerness in the arts and I’ve received critical acclaim for my gender-bending live and film performances. In 2019 I had the momentous opportunity to become the first Transgender man to perform Othello, as a cisgender character. I’ve always loved the power of storytelling. I learned how to interpret story as an actor and that sparked my passion for how to find the story. Eight years ago, I marked my directorial debut with Hero Mars, a beautifully cinematic and thought-provoking award-winning short film that tackles the limitations of gender conformity and gender stereotypes’. I also wrote, produced and starred in the film. I am currently working on my next film. It is an epic tale titled Worthy Of Survival.

As a Black transgender man, having served eleven years in the U.S. military followed by eight years in corporate America, I was there at the beginning when both systems began to recognize the need for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. I started my working life as a Black queer female hiding my sexuality from the military so I could serve my country. However, my need to live my truth ultimately compelled me to leave the service. I then joined the corporate world and blended in as an androgynous female. I was frequently assumed to be male, and I allowed that to be the case. My experience in both of these settings inspired me to enter my current occupation, as a DEI facilitator, storyteller, speaker and coach. Not only have I observed the unmet needs, I have directly experienced firsthand the lack of support for women; gay, lesbian, transgender and non-binary individuals; and people of color in the workplace. In fact, based on my own intersectional identities, I experienced this exponentially. Because I clearly recognize these disparities I cannot unsee or ignore them. In response, I have dedicated my life towards closing those gaps for future generations. As a Black transgender man, I have a very unique lens having walked in the world as a cisgender woman who was often seen an engaged with as a cisgender black man. My lived experiences provide me rare and vital insights that enable me to demonstrate that we are all more alike than we are different. I believe that to truly build equity in the workplace, it is crucial to create opportunities that call to employees full humanity and not just singular traits that are needed to fill quotas. When I build a team of professional I embrace and support their full identities as a major part of my mission. Albert Einstein said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” The stories I create and the characters I breathe life into help spread awareness to help catalyze progress and positive social transformation in society. When I think of designing a workshop, storytelling and coaching, I think of art and creativity and both require imagination. The human experience is ongoing and it continues to evolve as we go through our own life experience. We leave our stories behind and it is with the collection of these stories that I find the bonds that will best establish unity and individual freedom. The result is outstanding!