Name: A powerful poem about what it feels like to be transgender
Uploaded: 2015-06-12T15:14:30Z
Duration: 4 min 11 s
Description: "I was the mystery of an anatomy, a question asked but not answered," says poet Lee Mokobe, a TED Fellow, in this gripping and poetic exploration of identity and transition. It's a thoughtful reflection on bodies, and the meanings poured into them.

Lee Mokobe: A powerful poem about what it feels like to be transgender

A powerful poem about what it feels like to be transgender

"I was the mystery of an anatomy, a question asked but not answered," says poet Lee Mokobe, a TED Fellow, in this gripping and poetic exploration of identity and transition. It's a thoughtful reflection on bodies, and the meanings poured into them.

Navigating gender identity can mean feeling like a mystery even to oneself, and facing misunderstanding from family, faith, and society. Vivid memories of prayer, playgrounds, and harsh labels show how early shame and exclusion take root. The poem exposes the real dangers transgender youth face, from isolation to violence and the haunting reality that traffic claims more trans children than parents do. It calls for seeing trans lives as fully human, worthy of love, not as headlines, hashtags, or tragedies.