#ryancassata #speaker #transgender #equalrights #lgbtq

Gay” became a code word in the homosexual subculture in the United States as a way to identify other homosexuals without attracting the attention of heterosexuals. (1900 CE–1930)
Source: Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice, Second Edition, Routledge, 2007

Music has the power to unite people.

Music can unite people. No matter how different each person is in the audience - music has the large power to bring people of all different backgrounds together. It’s an incredible thing. I experienced this many times throughout my career. Last Thursday was one of the most powerful moments of unity that I have experienced. I did a speech at The College of New Jersey. About 100+ people came to seeme speak and perform. There were queer people, straight people, trans* people, disabled people, athletes, people from sororities and fraternities, art students, and people from all different ethnicities and backgrounds. Most people sat in their own little clicks. However, when I sang my song “Love ‘Round the World” everyone sang with me. Then when I sang a cover of “All Star” by Smashmouth, every single person in the room sang every single word with me, holding their hands up to make an “L” on their foreheads. Everyone was thrilled to be there singing with each other. There were no mics at this event so everyone was able to be on the same level as well. Everyone was really together. All these different people, from all different backgrounds, all singing together, coming together because of music. We were all united in that moment. The room was fueled with good vibes, love, and unity. It was one of the most powerful things I have ever experienced. Thank you to everyone who made Thursday night so special. I’m so glad that I’m able to bring my music to these events to unite people.

Here’s my LGBTv video this week. Let me know what you think. I focus a bit on the Human Rights Campaign and even call one of the guys working at the store in SF! Hear the conversation in the middle of the video. 

“Sleeping Through” is a song that I wrote for my Dad. It acts as a wake up call, asking him to come around and support my transition. I was feeling significantly depressed because my Dad wasn’t supporting my transition when I was a young teen. My dad constantly “corrected” my brothers and friends when they would call me “he (the pronouns I wished to be called).” The first therapist that my Dad sent me to was a therapist to “switch me back into a lesbian.” Sleeping Through is a song that portrays that story and the emotions I was feeling from 14 - 17 years old. My dad came around after 3 long years. When I performed at Milwaukee Pride Fest in 2011 my dad held up a sign that said “My son is playing on this stage.” My dad now calls me Ryan and uses the right pronouns. He now thinks of me as his son. He’s extremely supportive and I couldn’t be more thankful for that. During the bridge of the song I ask the audience to cheer for my Dad and to all of the supportive parents out there. I am very lucky to have two supportive parents and I hope this song can serve as a wake up call to many parents of trans teens & LGBTQ teens that are far from “coming around.” I am very happy to be able to share my story with many people through the internet and through all of the schools I am given the opportunity to speak at. I am also happy to share my story with parents and allow them to ask me questions. I’m an open book and I know that sharing my story will provide some insight to many parents. I hope that many other trans teens will stand up as well. It makes me incredibly honored to be able to assist parents in coming to terms with their child’s transition. Every child deserves love and support. Every child deserves to be accepted. Thank you to all of the parents that stand by your kids. 
You can find the song here:http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Through/dp/B004JCCHRE

FREE CONFERENCE & MUSIC! #trans #music #speech 
This SATURDAY in MAINE! Open to the public!  

FREE #trans speech & #music event right outside of Boston!!! THIS THURSDAY! 
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC - all ages!  Please spread the word! 

Hands of Hate - Ryan Cassata

CASTING CALL !!! for LA lgbtq youth! 

sharing this for a friend. =] 

so close to 40,000 / itunes / facebook /

The Queer Community Has to Stop Being Transphobic: Realizing My Cisgender Privilege by Todd Clayton

“When I checked in at the airport later that month, I couldn’t get my boarding pass until I clicked either “male” or “female” on the screen. When I went to the bathroom in public, I realized how difficult it would be if the people around me questioned whether or not I was going into the right one. When I showed my ID to get into a bar, I didn’t have to worry about the bouncer accusing me of having a fake. When I went to the doctor, I didn’t have to wonder if my physician would know what to do with my body. Like some dense morning fog, the gender binary seemed to loom everywhere, and I felt burdened like I never had before to fight for the trans* community that I’d been including for years in the acronym with which I identified.”

”When Obama gave his second inaugural address this January, queer people across the country celebrated the fact that the president of the United States had named marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples a civil rights issue. However, I couldn’t help but wonder what my trans* friends were thinking.

President Obama invoked Stonewall, that historic riot that changed the course of queer history in America but failed to mention that the event was sparked, in large part, by courageous transgender women like Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. The two went on to co-found Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries to provide aid to other young, homeless trans* women. Johnson died in New York in 1992, her body found floating in the Hudson River. Even though there was evidence of harassment, the police ruled it a suicide and refused to investigate. The case was not reopened until 2012.“ 

For more on this story click the above link. This is an incredible article that should be shared. I had an awful experience at Long Island’s Gay Pride Festival last summer because of the problems that Todd Clayton is bringing to light in his article. You can read about my experience here. The queer community really needs to join together so we can bring equality. 

Books! Beat Literature, Teen books you should definitely read, music industry books, trans books, etc… 

Clive Davis, celebrated record executive, comes out as bisexual via memoir at 80 years old!

Clive Davis is a 5-time Grammy Award winner. He is a member of the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame! He signed Janis Joplin, Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, and many other great bands. “Davis is credited with bringing Whitney Houston to prominence.”

“Davis, who has been married and divorced twice, has never before publicly addressed his sexuality. In a candid five-page section toward the end of the book, due in stores today, he writes that he first had a sexual encounter with a man during “the era of Studio 54.” “On this night, after imbibing enough alcohol, I was open to responding to his sexual overtures,” writes Davis. Being with a man, he writes, provided “welcome relief. After a period of “soul searching and self-analysis,” Davis separated from his second wife in 1985, and says that he went on to have simultaneous relationships with two women and a man. In 1990, he entered into a “monogamous relationship” with a male doctor, who is not named in the book. Although that relationship ended in 2004, Davis says he has been in a subsequent relationship with another man ever since. Davis writes that his coming out deeply affected his ties with one of his sons, Mitchell: After what Davis calls “one very trying year,” father and son worked out their differences, Davis says.”

You can purchase the memoir, “The Soundtrack of My Life” here: Amazon.com