Alok Vaid Menon ‘I was too much, too feminine, too hairy, too brown. I have been cruel to myself’
almost 3 years in The guardian
Six years ago, the American gender-nonconforming writer was punched by a stranger on a Melbourne tram. Now they’re back in Australia to speak about why they forgive himGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailSix years ago, Alok Vaid-Menon was in Melbourne, feeling tired but elated. The US artist and writer had been up all night putting the finishing touches on a speech about, among other things, “how gender-nonconforming transfeminine people are only permitted to exist on a screen, in a photograph, on a stage.” The speech went well: they earned a standing ovation. Eventually, the late night caught up with Vaid-Menon and they decided to take a tram back to their hotel for a nap.Vaid-Menon was standing in the aisle when the tram suddenly turned a corner and they fell on to a man sitting nearby. Flustered and embarrassed, Vaid-Menon apologised and moved away. A couple of minutes later, the man stood up, walked towards Vaid-Menon and punched them in the face.Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...
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