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Bullying and attacks against LGBT Q kids are up across the country
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Experts say it's coming from politics with laws going after trans
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kids and adults. Well,
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today we have Artist Lathe Ashley to talk about his experience.
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how are you? Thank you for having yourself.
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I'm doing well. I'm you know,
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trying to do the best I can with like what like
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Mariah Carey said with what I got.
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There you go. Same on this end.
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So we wanted to talk to you about what's going on
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The Washington Post found that hate crimes against LGBT Q
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have quadrupled in high schools.
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Does this sound familiar?
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It's not surprising at all.
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If you look at you mentioned politics,
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if you look at what a lot of politicians are saying about
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the trans community, of course,
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it's going to incite violence.
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I think that parents want the best for their Children.
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But when they're constantly being bombarded with a negative commentary about
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trans people in the trans community and the safety of their Children
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which is, which was what they're saying is a,
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it's going to incite violence,
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it's going to make it so that our visibility is,
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it becomes kind of a catch 22 where we're told,
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for example, if I'm doing an interview or if I'm being
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called to do something for the trans community,
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for example, for trans visibility,
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that's at the end of this month,
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you're told you, you're brave,
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you're resilient for being visible for being who I am.
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But we've always been here.
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It's our erasure that's made us have to be visible in
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the first place and then it causes,
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it's kind of a ripple effect.
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It causes trans people being more visible to lead to violence against
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us with no institutional support and nothing to protect us.
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Have, have you felt that getting worse recently?
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I mean, look at all the bills that are
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they're attempting to pass over 400 anti trans bills which again initially
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started with protecting the kids.
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But it's now moved into blocking trans adults from accessing health
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care. So it was always about moving an already marginalized group
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further into invisibility if you will to ostracize us to keep us
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from existing within the social realm.
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What do you think it will take to for things to get
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better? I have no idea,
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to be honest. I mean,
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the internet has done so much for us.
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We're able to have this conversation right now.
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We're able to post our ideas and our thoughts on social media
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I don't think that social media is going to be the thing
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that brings people together.
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I think that having real personal conversations is the only
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way where people can see each other's humanity.
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And I know we've been throwing those words around,
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throwing around humanity, dignity,
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nuance, empathy togetherness.
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And I don't think a lot of people actually understand what
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those words mean. because it may start that way,
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but I don't think anyone is really listening to each other and
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what ends up happening is bickering again,
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online violence, anger resentment,
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and that's what we're seeing now manifest in real life.
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And I mean, what would you say to the kids in
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school? Dealing with the bullying?
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I don't know if you want me to say what I would
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say to them. I mean,
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look, I'm Dominican,
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my mother taught me like to stand up for myself and I
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know that everyone is different and I know that depending on where
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you are in the world,
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you're not going to have the same resources or the or the
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ability to do so especially in a school like next
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Benedict's school where as we saw that no support and even the
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the politicians there saying that we there was no remorse,
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there was no empathy for this child's life that was lost
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oh we have to get rid of this gross thing that's happening
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in our society. So I don't have the answers.
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I just hope that people really open their eyes and see that
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these are, these are people,
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they have families that care about them.
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Is there anything your mom would tell you to tell these bullies
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Like I'm Dominican as well.
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So you already know my mom,
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my mom was mama said,
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knock you out. But a again,
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again, not everyone has the capacity to do to do to
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I'm speaking, this is what for myself.
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I didn't stand for bullying.
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In fact, anyone would try to bully me.
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I would stand up my stand up to myself and they would
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back off and I would usually be the one defending any
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other kids that were getting,
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that were getting bullied for being different.
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I've always, I don't like injustice.
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I don't like when a group attacks a smaller minority or
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a group that's, or a person and an individual that's,
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that doesn't have a way to defend themselves.
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I don't like injustice on a macro level.
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It kind of, it can weigh on you and it makes
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you, you wonder how do we get here and how do
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we move forward? I think ultimately,
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if there's going to be any change,
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we have to move past the binary systems that we live in
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and really take time to listen and get to know one another
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ultimately, what I'm saying is to care about people and try
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to have an understanding that's like bigger,
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see the bigger picture.
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here people put blinders on and they're like,
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these are my beliefs and I'm not changing my beliefs and I'm
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just like, everything is changeable.
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Things are constantly changing.
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They say change is the only constant.
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So when you discover something new,
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it's ok to change your mind and you're going to continue to
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discover something new because that is life.
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I wish for the best.
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I want people to be able to live and be themselves to
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make, you can make mistakes and then learn from them.
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that's the beauty of being here and being alive.
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I agree 100%. We just want to thank you so much
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for your time for speaking with us.
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I know you're exhausted.
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So it really means I wish I almost was like,
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I rolled out of bed.
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I have to get cute for this and I'm like,
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You look great, you look great.
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is there anything big coming up?
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And where can people follow you?
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So you can follow me on,
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you know, all social media platforms at Lathe underscore Ashley.
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and things coming up.
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I don't know if I'm supposed to talk about this yet,
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but I'm going to say it anyway.
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the project that I'm working on here in Atlanta is called,
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there, we're filming season three right now.
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So I'm one of the new cast members,
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which is really exciting.
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It's,, it's kind of kind of witches in,
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in Atlanta, in the Atlanta area and kind of how they
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it's almost, I hate to say this but it's like they
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say it's like a black charmed.
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I, I don't want to give too much away.
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It's on, it's on the all black network and,
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yeah, the cast has been amazing.
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The crew has been so cool.
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It's been a lot of work,
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but I think it will be,
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it will be worth it.
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Oh, yeah, I'm so excited for that.
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That's awesome. That's so cool.
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Congrats on that. LA,
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appreciate it. Thank you so much.
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We appreciate it again.
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Take care, take care,
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