I have been called untrustworthy for being an addict; I have been called unreliable for having been homeless; I have been called delusional for being transgender; I have been told I can only be of a lower level of intelligence since I was born and raised in the Deep South; and I have been called a dirty wop by my own (non-Italian) family. All these experiences, and so many more, have only served to strengthen my resolve towards reaching the summit of any mountain that towers before me.

Recovering from opioid addiction taught me how to acknowledge and heal my own traumas; climbing out of homelessness showed me the extent in which hope can carry dedication; being transgender led to the development of a healthy pride in who I am; and being raised throughout North Carolina, Virginia, and Mississippi, by my warring family, has showed me the ease to which humans can be swept away in ignorant storms and how to follow the truth toward more peaceful waters. Healing is my craft, for myself, and for others. But the first step is always to acknowledge the problem...

My work first and foremost attempts to dismantle the idea that being cis is in any way more normal than being trans, and to expose systemic failures on all sides – particularly those of more liberal agendas who believe themselves outside of the oppression they perpetuate. I also seek to destigmatize honest reflection and break the myth of “normal” by creating narratives that give voice to the all-too-often ignored, ridiculed, and stepped on sides of humanity.

Within ink I caress my breast apart
By any means truthful to nature,
Carving out that which makes me whole
To spill my heART into the revealing light
Of a willing stranger’s attention.