A Talk With Trinity (and Angelica Ross)
In this video from May 10, 2016, Angelica Ross reaches out to Trinity, a 12 year old trans child who was originally highlighted along with her mother in a Trans United Fund video entitled “Meet My Child: Parents of Transgender Kids Speak Out”.
After the release of that video, Trinity began to receive cruel comments over the internet. Angelica reached out to provide words of comfort and encouragement to Trinity (and Trinity's mother) through a recorded video chat.
Angelica acknowledges the weight of the idea of “strength” brought to trans people by the general populace regularly, and reminds Trinity that it’s alright to be vulnerable:
...I was at a party with all these celebrities a couple weeks ago and everyone kept telling me, “Angelica, you’re so strong! We love the work you’re doing because you’re so strong!” But the reality is, that I’m not strong all the time. And at that party, I actually was crying... because I just had a moment where I didn't feel that strong and it’s ok to not feel that strong all the time because you're a human being.
Angelica also offered a spiritual reflection for Trinity, by acknowledging the presence of Divinity on a deep level within us:
I’m going to give you a little, sort of like, an advanced lesson...and basically this is just to realize that with you being trans, you are really special. Like, you are actually a part of a really, really, really special people...and the reason why we're really really special is because we’re listening to God, and we’re listening to a very, very, deep voice on the inside of us. You know, they always talk about how God is in everything and is in everybody, but not everybody has a really close relationship with the God in them and is really connected, but trans people have to be connected to that on the inside because they are showing the world who they are from the inside out.
Angelica finishes with a final word of wisdom for Trinity on standing in your truth and letting your experience teach others:
...There’s this saying that says, ‘the truth needs no defense’. So you don’t need to defend your truth; you just need to be who you are and let the lesson happen. The lesson that people are going to get --what you are teaching -- is just by them experiencing being in your presence. What is that like? What is it like to be in the presence of a young, happy, trans girl? And you’re gonna teach them, just through your actions.
While Angelica doesn't reference the specifics of her Buddhist practice in the video, she provides a wonderful example of how spiritual awareness can have an impact in the community.
Watch A Talk With Trinity (and Angelica Ross) on YouTube