ARHS students share poems at Trans Health event with internationally-acclaimed writer/performer Alok
On May 6, during Northampton’s Pride weekend, internationally renowned Indian transgender performance artist, writer, and activist Alok Vaid-Menon gave a show in Florence, Mass. at the Bombyx Center for Equity as a fundraiser for Trans Health. The Tranhealth Birthday Benefit was organized to help expand access to gender-affirming care. Tickets cost $50 and up. Doors opened at 5:30 p.m. and the event began at 6:30 p.m.
But probably just as exciting was that ARHS juniors CJ Candelaria deJesus (who identifies as nonbinary) and Ayo Baptiste (who is also trans) were featured as youth poets who opened for Vaid Menon in front of that huge crowd.
They were invited to the event when English department head Sara Barber Just was asked by a Trans Health employee and emcee for the event, Em Ayres (one of her former students), for trans youth who might be willing to perform. Barber-Just submitted both of their names. Baptiste and deJesus submitted poems for review and were selected. DeJesus said they chose to attend this event because they are “part of the LGBTQ community and I wanted to support LGBTQ people as best as I could.”
Plus, they added, “Trans Health seemed like a pretty good organization.”
For a couple of teenagers, this event was pretty nerve-wracking. At first, only a few dozen people were seated at the event. However, as time went on more and more people started to show. The house was packed, a sold-out show, with seating all the way up into the balconies.
They read their poems first, followed by an opening speaker from Trans Health. Then Alok put on an incredible show that was equal parts stand-up comedy, dramatic lecture, and performance art. To learn more about Alok, their Instagram is worth exploring. The event ended with closing remarks from one of the founders and CEOs of Trans Health, Dallas Ducar.
“It was very fun to see the show and meet such an interesting group of people,” said deJesus.
Both ARHS students decided to write new poems specifically for the event. Baptiste’s poem, “I am Happy,” was all about the path to finding self-love as a trans woman. “The poem itself is an allegorical approach to the more metaphysical and psychological ups and downs of being a trans person,” she said. “I explored the way we express our attitudes towards ourselves in comparison to how others express their attitudes towards us. I thought about the differences between how we see ourselves and how outside parties see us.”
Although de Jesus’s and Baptiste’s poems were short, they both said they held a lot of power.
Being a part of this event brought out a lot of emotions for Baptiste. “I felt proud of myself, confident, and hopeful for the future, ” she said. “There were all these people supporting not only me but also the trans cause in general. It was so nice to see.”
The event was followed by a dance party with hors-d’oeuvres next door to the Bombyx Center for Equity.
In the end, both ARHS students said that they would be more than happy to do something like this again. “I am really thankful for this opportunity and thankful that Ms. Barber-Just encouraged me to do it,” said Baptiste. “If similar opportunities are given to students in the future, they should take it.”
