https://pace.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=68ffeb9d-d4e9-487a-aa8e-b24901132c78
INTERVIEWEE: Luckie Alexander
INTERVIEWER: Karolina Szczepanik
Karolina Szczepanik:
Hi, my name is Karolina and I’m a student at Pace University in New York and today I’m having an interview with Luckie. Thank you so much for spending time with me and doing this interview. I’m very grateful for that. Let me start with the first question about maybe…let’s start with COVID 19, about your whole experience. You can also start with introducing yourself, where you’re from. And how was COVID 19 for you? How was the whole beginning of 2020 for you? Whatever you remember, you can just tell me the story.
Luckie Alexander:
So…so 2020. So let me backup. My name is Luckie Alexander and I’m from Los Angeles, California. And Covid was interesting because it was kind of like an up and down situation. Even though there was a lot going on with the world, with the whole Covid situation, that was very sad. But my personal space was also being attacked terribly. My kid’s mom, my ex wife, passed away from COVID during COVID and then on the other side, I was working with All Black Lives Matter mural and the organization, Black LGBTQ Advocates for Change. We were working with them, and we did the All Black Lives Matter mural in Hollywood Boulevard, and I got married above it you know, before they made it smaller, I got married above it. And so the whole Covid situation was a lot, because my organization, which is Invisible Men, we did a lot of vaccination clinics for our community. We made sure that people had access to vaccinations that normally they wouldn’t have that kind of access because the trans community is often left out of a lot of those things. Right, and so our events that were vaccine max, we made sure that they got free Covid vaccines, and we made sure that they got a lot of the PPE that they didn’t have the kind of access that everybody else had access to. And so we worked with a lot of different organizations, and if I’m not mistaken, we worked with the Blasian March because there’s quite a few, a couple of our legacies that are also identified as Blasian, that we’re doing a lot of work with those folks too. So I can’t particularly say, remember details, but I know some of our legacies, because they identified that way, then they were doing a lot of work with that as well.
Karolina Szczepanik
Amazing. Yeah, that makes sense for sure. How about your organization, what was the idea of the organization? Because you said that you are…Are you the founder of the organization?
Luckie Alexander
So I’m the founder, and I used to be the ED, but now I passed the torch. But I’m the founder of Invisible Men. And it’s an organization that tells the stories, first and foremost of all kinds of different kinds of trans people. Right. Well, not trans people, but trans masculine, specifically, because trans men and trans masculine people often get left out of different conversations that often include us. You know, like, for example, right now, currently with the new election, we have to worry about…we have to worry about Trump and all of the abortion laws and all of those things. Those affect us because we’re also birth givers. I have given birth to children of my own. You feel what I’m saying? And, and so a lot of those laws affect us, but we’re left out of a lot of those conversations. And, and being invisible is deadly to a lot of things because we don’t get the care that we need because people don’t know that we exist and we’re around and need that kind of care.
Karolina Szczepanik
Absolutely. Absolutely. That makes sense. I’m really, really happy that I’m having an interview with you, because I feel like it’s very interesting for me to also hear about your story. It’s, it’s very unusual story. I’m from Poland, so I feel like it’s.. the topic about transgenders, about the whole movement, Blasian and Black Lives Matter is bigger in America than it is in Poland. So I’m very happy that we can like talk about this, and I can also educate myself, thanks to you. So thank you so much for that.
Luckie Alexander
Can I say something right quick before you go over?
Karolina Szczepanik
Absolutely, absolutely!
Luckie Alexander
So just..just like the All Black Lives Matter movement, The Black lives…there was a Black Lives Matter movement that was everywhere, but what we were lacking was people. People understand that queer people are also black. And our lives also matter because. Because the mural on Hollywood Boulevard, it’s all trans colors. Because the day that George Floyd was unalived, the next day Tony McDade was lost, but he was a trans man that nobody talked about. And all of the other people that were taken from us, were definitely uplifted, and don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that our people were uplifted, but also make sure everybody that was afflicted is taken care of as well. Right? And, this person was taken from us by police the next day.
Karolina Szczepanik
Oh, you didn’t know about that.
Luckie Alexander
Nobody, nobody talked about it because a lot of times there are trans people that are misgendered in media or they’re misnamed or something like that, and people don’t even know that to respect them, respect their trans existence.
Karolina Szczepanik
Yeah.
Luckie Alexander
And so Tony McDade, they took Tony McDade and nobody ever talked about him until we started. Really, like we have to make sure that all queer lives matter.
Karolina Szczepanik
Absolutely. I totally agree with you. I believe in the same thing, that it doesn’t matter what kind of skin color you have, which gender you are, every life matters. I’m very happy we have the same perspective on it. And can you tell me more about George Floyd’s death? And..I’m sorry..what was the name of the person you said that died the day after?
Luckie Alexander
His name was Tony McDade. So, so George Floyd was killed by police. Right. And I can’t remember all the details, but I know that it was something that wasn’t his fault and the police killed him anyway. Right. And then Tony McDade, the next day, was killed by police for something just similar. Right. And it was like, okay..they tried to say he was running, they tried to say all these things, but they couldn’t prove all the things that they were trying to make him a scapegoat for. You know, what was proved that the police killed him and it was wrong, right. And then, there were all of these other folks that were taken from us that were..that we made sure that our hearts and our prayers went out for them. But let’s pray for the people that got missed too, that were still taken by police because that it was wrong in itself for the police to take them the way that they did. And it’s even more dangerous when you leave out people that often get left out.
Karolina Szczepanik
Absolutely, Absolutely. I agree with you. It’s very sad..it’s very sad that people are missing some situations like this, which they shouldn’t, which is really important and I’m very happy you also told me about this because I had no idea that it also happened the next day. And yeah, thank you so much for like telling me this. And what about the march in LA? Because honestly I feel like I remember that I was talking more about the march in New York. What about LA and California? How was it? Was it like a big thing? A lot of people participated?
Luckie Alexander
Mhm, so we put.. we put the All Black Lives Matter mural down. The first version was three lanes and it was two blocks. That’s how big the mural was. Right. And so once we laid the mural like I think it was either the next day or a couple days later. And, and I just want to give a quick Trailer Park Industries that was across the street, their production studio. They were the one that donated the paint and they were the one that brought the initial.. the initial idea to make sure we put Black Lives Matter. But we were working with Mitchell Farrell, one of the city council members, we’re working with Mitchell Farrell and the Trans Advisory Board and I was one of the people that was in there and they brought it and they said we want to put Black Lives Matter like everybody else is doing.. like.. NO, we need to make sure that we send a message that is going to come from California. Like all of all people that are black and, and all the people’s…they’re…i mean everybody’s life matters, I understand it, but in that, in that particular moment, then we need to make that really loud and clear, right, that people that have been taken advantage of for…for years and centuries and things, you know, get stepped on….get stepped on…get stepped on. And, and now we’re talking about black people and you are still marginalizing the queer part of the black community. You feel what I’m saying? And so I was like, no…we are going to make sure that everybody and that’s why the all is in the trans colors and that’s why it leads for Tony McDade. But the matter is in the rainbow colors. You know what I’m saying…it is in all of the queer rainbow and then the ‘lives’ are in the non-binary colors, because we’re going to make sure that we capture all of the different lives that lab that sit in the black diaspora. Like, like everybody that’s black, regardless of if you’re a CIS or you’re straight or you’re gay or you’re trans or you’re pansexual, all the things… we need to make sure all of those people matter, not just CIS people.
Karolina Szczepanik
Absolutely. I totally agree with you. And it’s…it’s true. I feel like during events like this, it’s very important to show that obviously you’re focusing, during events like this, that you want to remind people that Black Lives Matter, but you also want to remind that doesn’t matter who you are, how you look, what is your gender…all of the lives matter. So I feel like…I see it as a really beautiful event because you guys remind everybody that the system is just not good. The system, I feel like especially in America, racism and all of the things…it is very visible. Even for me, a person that didn’t grow up in America, I see that a lot of things should be like…changed here.
Luckie Alexander
It was really important for me to say that all Black Lives Matter specifically because we haven’t mattered for a long time to a lot. And there’s a sense of privilege that our white counterparts have and they get to enjoy that we don’t get to enjoy. You see what I’m saying? And so that’s why it’s really important that we say it loud and clear…but the march that was two days, two days after we put the, the three blocks…one down, the three lane…one down. When we put that one down, the march was ginormous. It was huge. They said, I was looking at the, the, the TV, the news on the TV, and they said it was like 40,000 people.
Karolina Szczepanik
That’s a lot.
Luckie Alexander
So there was like, everybody is understanding…we all matter.
Karolina Szczepanik
That’s beautiful. I’m very happy that many people participated in such an important event like this. And I think I remember, correct me if I’m wrong, that the street where you guys started the whole march, I think they call it after Black Lives Matter street. I think I saw it on social media that they called the whole street ‘Black Lives Matter’.
Luckie Alexander
I can’t remember that part…I don’t remember. But because the mural is on Hollywood Boulevard…so I don’t know if they changed the Hollywood Boulevard’s name, but the march started two blocks back and, I’m not sure if they changed it permanently to that name, but that might be what they called it right then. But I’m…again, I don’t remember. And, you know, the accident took a lot of memory from me…so, you know.
Karolina Szczepanik
No, I totally understand. It’s…maybe I’m also wrong, because I just saw it on social media and It was like four years ago, so I don’t really remember exactly if they changed it now, but…what about the atmosphere during events like this? Is it more like…obviously it brings people together, but do you feel it’s…do you feel like it’s more like a sad moment or it’s more like an exciting moment for people to share it, or do you feel it’s like a lot of people being angry? What is the atmosphere inside of it?
Luckie Alexander
I think inside of those events, it’s a little bit of all of that. Everybody’s…everybody’s coming for their own reasons and they’re showing up for their own…they have their own motivation as to why they’re being there. Because my motivation for making the mural was Tony McDade, and he was a trans guy, right? And so there might be people because they are mad that trans people are being killed or they’re mad because black people are being killed or they’re mad because queer people. It’s…everybody has their own reasons. Everybody has their own motivations as to why they would show up. Or they might even analyze, then show up and say ‘I want to… I want to help protect people, or I want to help”. Make sure that you get to the end, because that was a lot of people that were there and was like ‘I just I want to be an ally’. And I want to make sure that you’re okay and make sure that you get from where you are to where you go. You feel what I’m saying? So there’s a lot of different…a lot of different motivations and feelings in this space. And it’s one of those places where you can turn and you can see somebody that’s really angry about what’s happened, and then you can turn and see a hug over here. And then…and then you can turn and…and you can see motivation and then you can see somebody being protective over here. But it’s all. It’s all different kinds of vibes. It’s all the different reasons why people are There. At the end of the day, I think we’re all there to be together. You know what I’m saying? Regardless of what the reason is, we have the commonality that we’re all there because we want to protect each other.
Karolina Szczepanik
It’s beautiful to see people being so motivated and people having the same goal to show people that all lives matter, as you said…it’s a beautiful thing. And I’m very happy that you guys…that people like you exist and you guys are organizing it. And speaking of organizing events like this, what…how to construct a question… What motivated you to start it? I know what motivates you, but when was the moment where you were like, YES, I want to focus on it. I want to help them with organizing events like this?
Luckie Alexander
Well, for the march.
Karolina Szczepanik
Yeah, mhm.
Luckie Alexander
So…to be honest, it’s one thing that led to another and then another. Somebody came with another idea and then somebody came with another idea. It’s never like – oh, I want to start… and this is where we want to land. It was like – okay, this is getting bigger. And then, and then this is getting bigger. Oh, and we can definitely…we can get a lot of it for me was visibility. How do we make sure that people know that we’re not…we’re not just a one off kind of person. Like, like you just see five of those people in the world. This is just regular everyday people. You see what I’m saying? And, and I think the motivation is always like – okay, what can we do better with what we got? You feel what I’m saying? You know, there’s a movement here called All Lives Matter versus Black Lives Matter. The All Lives Matter are the police that are killing the black people. You feel what I’m saying? And they’re saying that it’s racist. So I don’t want to…I don’t want to say All Lives Matter, but All Lives Matter in that particular context. But in this context when we’re talking about people being killed and because they were all black people, you know what I’m saying? We’re trying to stop them from killing black people. So all black lives matter, you know, and we understand that all lives matter. But this is the, this is the people that are getting beat up, getting killed. These are the people in this realm, like our counterparts don’t have to worry about that as often as we have to worry about it. You see what I’m saying? Like, I walk out of my house and I have to worry and watch what I do because I’m a black guy. I don’t want people to think that I’m a threat because they already assume that I’m a threat. You feel what I’m saying? And so that’s why we get picked on more, because people assume things about black people. But if a white guy… if he walks out his door, he doesn’t have to worry about people thinking that he’s a threat. You know what I’m saying? Not as a whole. And I can’t…yes. So if there’s a white guy versus me walking out of my door, you know what I’m saying? There’s more that I have to worry about just walking out the door versus the things that…that he worries about is like…oh, I just want to go get some coffee. And I’m like, oh, I just. I want to make sure that I don’t walk over here or I don’t walk a certain kind of way or I don’t talk to a certain kind of people in a certain kind of way because I don’t want them to think that I’m a threat. You feel me? And so as black people, we have different things that we have to worry about when. When we walk out of the door as opposed to our counterparts that don’t have those things to worry about because the people that think we’re the threat, you feel what I’m saying? And so…and so, it’s all lives that definitely do matter. People like…all the babies and all the people that are being…being polite to people…don’t… Everybody’s life matters, but…but Black Lives Matter was created because…because we were the ones that are being beat on. You see what I’m saying? So…so that’s it. So I just…. just wanted to….I just wanted to put that in there because it just… I just need you to know.
Karolina Szczepanik
Yeah, it’s very true what you’re saying. I believe that more people should participate and, including me, I participated in one two marches, one in Poland and one in Berlin, when it comes to Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter, and it was honestly one of the most beautiful moments for me because I could see that people were…were mad. People were mad that there’s too many people, too many white policemen that are looking at people from a really bad perspective. They look at people seeing their skin colors instead of looking at the inside, not only what is outside. And it’s just…it’s just very sad. It’s just very sad. And I’m happy you’re sharing with me. And speaking of the events like this, did you participate in any events outside of California, or were you mostly focusing on the events or marches like this in California?
Luckie Alexander
Well, for… yes, in California because I had done a different march in D.C. But that was a Trans visibility march that I helped put together. But that was, I believe, two years before that. And so like I’m definitely, definitely one of those people that is about the visibility of what is the visibility of our people. And, let’s make people understand that we’ve been here and we’ve always been here. You know, whether it’s the Black Lives Matter or the trans visibility march, we’ve always been a people. We just, we just need you to understand. We’ve been here and this is how you treat us and this is what we need. And these are the things that… this is how our life works. Right? And, and we just need you to help us and stop being on us. Right…and so this Visibility around these marches is very important for me.
Karolina Szczepanik
What about Blasian March? Because I remember you told me that you participated or you were helping with organizing the Blasian March. Can you tell me something more about this, like how it started?
Luckie Alexander
That’s where a lot of… a lot of is still murky for me. But I know that one of our legacies, one of our organizers within, one of our participants within my organization identifies as Blasian and was doing a lot of work with them. But I can’t remember what my part was. And I know we did a lot of work, but I can’t remember a lot of what my part that I played with them was.
Karolina Szczepanik
Absolutely, no problem. No problem at all. And…what do you think is the most effective way to build stronger connections between people that participate in marches or events like this?
Luckie Alexander
Yes… so I think the way that we build stronger connections. One, one, if we go like the, the literal way where we just, we just do a lot of networking, right? But I also think about networking and connecting with people. I think also if we start here and we start to, to look at the world in a 360 kind of way, right? Like I know that this situation might be how I feel about it. That’s okay. Like how I feel about it. But what are the different things that these other folks might be coming into the situation with, right? And this might be my experience, but what’s actually happened may be something different for other people because two people may be going to the movies and they might have seen the same movie, but their experience of the movie is going to be different because these people are going to have different experiences even though they experience the same thing. You feel what I’m saying? So I think if you, if you looked at all the different ways that we can do something or we can experience or what other people might be experiencing and just sit back and wonder like, okay, how are you doing today? You know what I’m saying? What kind of day are you having? And not just looking at it from your own experience, but really connecting with people and really talking to people and really understanding where they’re coming from. Like you want them to understand where you’re coming from? Yeah. And I think that it’s where people start making those connections with each other and they’re able to be like, okay, I understand how I feel and I also understand how you feel. And here we might meet in the middle or there might be some compromise somewhere that we can fit both of what we’re going through or both of our experiences in the same cup. You feel what I’m saying? So I think if like the networking, Yes…is duh, right. Like network, network. Make, make sure that you reach out to organizations that might do this kind of work or make sure that you reach out to folks or leaders or all the people. Make sure you do that kind of networking and figure out what’s what people are doing this kind of work and link in with those people that are like minded. Right. But also I think in the background if you just stop and wonder, okay, what is, what is your experience? Let’s sit down and talk about that. Let’s talk about what your experience is and let’s talk about. Well, this is the experience that I’m having in the same situation. So I see how you see it now. You see how I see it. And now we can figure out how to move forward because we can take both of our ideas and move forward and then let’s find this person. Oh now this person has this experience and I have this experience and you have, and we can build and build a big and bigger and bigger and understand everybody at the same time. Because we started with each other at the beginning.
Karolina Szczepanik
I feel like networking is very important as you said, but it’s more important to connect people, as you said, and to think about people more. Networking, especially nowadays, is very important. But a lot of people, I feel like forget that networking is something that helps you but without good connection, without remembering about people, networking is never going to be enough. So I see where you’re coming from.
Luckie Alexander
Right? Because right now we’re in everything, everything is on the computer. Even this conversation, we’re on the computer which is fantastic because we still can connect across states. Right? That’s fantastic. But if everybody is on social media and they’re on the computer, then we forget that there are real people behind all of those words that, and all of those pictures that are on, that are on the social media. Right. And, and that’s one moment when you see a picture of a person that’s one moment of their life. Just, just I was cute for one moment. You feel me…saying and you don’t know what happened after the take the picture or you don’t know what was going on before the tick to picture. But you get to see one moment of their life, really find out who that person is. Not just on social media, even. Even if y’all are texting back and forth. Even sometimes that gets a little. A little weird because. Because you can text and you can put all the emojis in there, but how they read it, how they hear it may not be how you said it on your side.
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly. This is so true. Especially since nowadays we are using social media and the whole technology is like our lives pretty much. A lot of people forget that we are still humans. Even though I see you online, I see you on my computer screen, but you still have to remember that behind the scenes there is still a real person with real feelings.
Luckie Alexander
Right. You feel me? And so it’s. It’s social media and inner Internet networking. That’s all fantastic because you can reach a lot of people in a short amount of time. And it’s. It’s a lot less energy. But the energy that you put into people and the energy that you put into…into really making friends, into really understanding people goes a lot longer than some clicks. You hear me? It’s…it was like, oh, I can… I can send an automatic reply, but those are not my words.
Karolina Szczepanik
Yeah.
Luckie Alexander
You know what I’m saying? Or you could just pick up the phone and be like, oh, okay, I feel you. Thank you. Bye. You know what I’m saying? And now you’ve heard my voice. And there’s more of a connection than an automatic reply. So if people. If people would stop and realize that there’s. There’s people that you can connect with behind all of those words and really talk to people and connect with people. And I know some people, I think that. Oh, I don’t have time for that. Oh, it’s just… It takes too much time for that. But in the long run, you’re going to need people, period. People need people.
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly.
Luckie Alexander
You have to make real friends. Go have a coffee, you know, go have some dinner or watch a movie or laugh about something. You know what I’m saying? Or just have a. Like, I have fun facts all day. I could tell you fun facts, right? If. If that’s all you did was 30 seconds out of the day. Okay. At least you connected with that person.
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly.
Luckie Alexander
And it makes a big difference.
Karolina Szczepanik
That is so true. But do you feel like, maybe it’s just my personal perspective, but me personally, I feel like since COVID started and since everything started being more like on zoom or online, I realized that people Start having a problem to connect in real life. Like, it started being… because they got used to using Zoom or using online meetings. Whenever I meet some of these people in person, I realize that they just don’t feel as comfortable as they felt during the Zoom meeting. Do you feel the same? That people just start losing this. This way of, like, connecting in person?
Luckie Alexander
So… so that’s why… I do, I do. And that’s why I say, just pick up the phone. You know what I’m saying? If you say, if you say hello, you know what I’m saying? And you’re not looking at each other, you’re not seeing if… If the other person’s comfortable or whatever people do on Zoom, right? And if you just pick up the phone and be like, how was your day today? And you’re not talking about work and you’re not focusing on anything but who this person is as a person, you know what I’m saying? Then… then picking up the phone, as archaic as it is, it’s fantastic. This is the way that people were communicating before there was no Internet, you know what I’m saying? It’s ancient things, but if it’s… it’s sometimes just picking up the phone or just the context of the conversation, sometimes, if, like, talking to my daughter all the time on the video chat, you know what I’m saying? And then I can see… I can see her getting excited. I could see her… hey, dad, and I can see all of that. That’s something that I can feel because this is my kid, right? And even if you’re on the video chat or if you’re on this, then it’s something. It’s something that at least you have this connection with, you know, these words, there’s no context behind them. There’s no, there’s no. You know, I might have been. I might have just hit the. Hit the. Hit the automatic response because I was having a bad day and I just didn’t want to think about it, you know? But the automatic response was like, have a great day. You feel what I’m saying? So I think the zoom, I think. I think anytime you get to. You get to. To lock eyes with another person, you know what I’m saying? Regardless of what that looks like or hear another person, you know what I’m saying? I think, I think that’s better than just words. On the Internet. I think that’s just… It’s Better than… than clicks and, you know, all of that. But I think also now that we’re not covet is still a thing. But. But I think now that people are starting to get more and more comfortable being in spaces with each other, you know what I’m saying? Try being in space with somebody else just six feet the distance, you know, and y’all have. Have lunch or y’all have a chuckle or whatever that looks like. But I think it’s important for people to see each other and see that there are real people out there and there are real people that you can interact with. And. And this is why. This is important for this other person or this is why. Because then it makes you. Makes you. Makes you feel differently. You know, it’s like if you, if you never met… If you never met a green person in your life, right? But come to find out there’s green people somewhere and they’re. They live and they have kids, right? And… and I’m like, well, I’ve never met a green person, so I’m not that invested, right? And then I met a green person, and I was like, oh, my God, that is the most fantastic green person I’ve ever met. And were only chopping it up on the phone or we… they were across the pond or we were chatting, you know. It changes how you feel about people.
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly. It changes a lot.
Luckie Alexander
Right? It makes you understand people, and it makes people… people… you know what I’m saying? And this, I think covet messed that up for a lot of people. Covet. Covet disconnected people from people and started this whole thing. This whole social media craze. I mean, like, it went crazy, right? And people are just like, oh, I’m just gonna put it on social media. But what you’re not understanding and what people widely are not understanding, that is one picture of a person’s life that’s like just the five seconds that clicked. You don’t know anything about anything else about the person.
Karolina Szczepanik
I agree. I agree. I totally agree.
Luckie Alexander
So call and message or something. If this is a person that on your phone is a friend, but y’all have never talked like you never heard each other or saw each other, then that’s not really a friend. That’s just somebody you send words to on your phone.
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly. I agree with you. Covid really messed up our lives. I feel like, especially like my generation, young generation, I’m 22 right now. So when COVID started, I was pretty much 17, 18, and I can see that a lot of my friends and a lot of people my age that I like… tried to communicate with. They don’t really know how to talk in person. They don’t really. It’s just more comfortable for them to respond back by, like, sending the message or post on Instagram because this is just easier for them because when coffee started, they were, like, in the moment where they were changing a lot, and they just change to people that it’s easier for them to communicate by using social media or sending a message. So I feel you. I understand where you’re coming from. I’m still, like, for me, it’s still easier to communicate in person or even call somebody. When I moved from Poland to America, it was really hard for me to keep in touch with my friends because I realized I cannot just grab coffee with them. I cannot just hang out with them. I have to actually call them because sending messages… It’s hard to build a friendship or, like, communicate by only sending messages. It’s just very hard. It’s just very hard. So I totally agree with you, and I’m happy that you also mentioned your daughter, that you guys, like, call each other. So I’m very happy for you. And speaking of your daughter, do you feel like… if I can ask, how old is your daughter?
Luckie Alexander
So my youngest… my youngest kid is 8, so I’m actually twice your age, so I’m already grandpa.
Karolina Szczepanik
Ooo..
Luckie Alexander
I have three grandbabies, and I have four kids, and so my oldest is 25, and then I got one that’s 23 and then 22 and then 8.. So my youngest is the one that calls me on the video chat.
Karolina Szczepanik
That’s so beautiful. I’m so happy for you.
Luckie Alexander
Yeah. One, two, three… the number three is the one that I gave birth to.
Karolina Szczepanik
That’s so beautiful. I’m very happy for you. What about your kids? Are they also very involved when it comes to All Lives Matter or Black Lives Matter movements?
Luckie Alexander
No… no, the kids… the kids are kids. You know, they’re… they’re doing because they’re still young, and they were really young at that time, you know, and they were more concerned about their mom during the Black Lives Matter movement because she passed away in the middle of the COVID So all the kids were more focused on it,. in that way.
Karolina Szczepanik
Absolutely.
Luckie Alexander
And so… and so I just… I just let them just grow up and do whatever it is… you’re going to be, you know, because I, I don’t want them… You know, you have those, those folks that raise their kids to do exactly what they did, and then the kids are like, oh, you know, and it’s like as a person, I know that if I had it, if I had just done what my parents told me to do, I would not be me. I would not be trans. I would not be the person that I’m… I’m right now. Right… So as a parent, I know I have to get out of their way and just let them figure out the people that they’re going to be.
Karolina Szczepanik
That’s true. That is true.
Luckie Alexander
Let them… let them be people like… dad is here if you need me… but I’m going to let you be a person.
Karolina Szczepanik
Yeah, it’s… it’s so true. I feel like a lot of parents, unfortunately, forget that their… Kids need to create their own lives. And you can be supportive as a parent, but you cannot create their own lives by yourself. They have to do it by themselves. And you can just be supportive and just support them in every way you can. But I’m very happy you, like, you see it as a parent because I’m not a parent. I’m not ready yet. But I have a lot of friends whose parents were like, not like this. My parents were always very supportive and they always listen to me, so I’m very grateful for that. But I have a lot of friends who also like gay people or I also have people that change their gender when they’re like 14, 15. And it’s very sad to hear that their parents were not like you. They were just trying to push them to something they didn’t want to. And it really messed up the way they thought… the way they felt. So I’m happy that you like… that, that you, like, have a really healthy relationship with your kids.
Luckie Alexander
It’s really important because they’re, I mean, like, if I, if it were up to me, then all my kids would be in advocates. All my kids, all my kids were advocates would be like, I have a little brood, you know, around. Find out. We have, we have a whole brood of people that will advocate everything for you. You feel me? But, but my kids… My kids are just people. And, and they’re going to be the people that they’re going to be. And so whatever makes them happy is… It may not be the same thing that’s going to make me Happy. As long as they’re not out killing people or hurting people, then be a person.
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly. Exactly. This is… this is very important, what you are saying. I feel like I’m happy that we are also talking about this because I know that our interview…is like COVID 19, Black Lives Matter, but it’s important to connect all of the dots around this because it’s not only about Black Lives Matter and COVID, it’s about the whole stories that creates their own experience. Because everybody’s experience was different during COVID and it’s still different during marches like this, during events like this. So I’m happy we talk about this. It’s very beautiful to hear your personal stories and I’m happy that you’re sharing it with me.
Luckie Alexander
Thank you so much. Thank you so much.
Karolina Szczepanik
What about the… If you don’t mind asking me, have you ever had an unusual or a standout experience or moment during your time when you participated in events like Black Lives Matter or marches like this? Do you remember any standout situations?
Luckie Alexander
I think… I think one of the most… the coolest thing that I saw was during the… once we painted the All Black Lives Matter on the mirror on the street, we came back the next day and because they had broken a lot of the different windows, they had them blocked off with wood. There was wood on all of the windows on both sides of the street. And we had came back the next day, and people had painted different Black Lives Matter stuff. And it was really cool. It wasn’t like that… It wasn’t bad stuff or mean stuff. It was just people… different creatives came out and was like, okay, this. We’re going to paint this, and then we… There were so many different paintings. When we came back the next morning, it was… it was so beautiful. It was… there was like a good block of these different pieces of wood that were on these windows. You know what I’m saying? That had all these different art pieces that people… and it was different artists that came down and they would put a different piece in a different piece and different… I was like, oh, this is so beautiful. It was so incredible.
Karolina Szczepanik
It sounds really beautiful. And like, I don’t know, I feel like it’s incredible that people can actually create art like this, especially during moments like this. Like, I. I believe sometimes when I’m watching this, like people. People are doing it…. I don’t know how to say any English, but people are creating this, like papers with like… how they see marches and during marches they showing it. And sometimes I see so many beautiful, creative arts that people like to create. And it’s like I really want to cry looking at this because it’s just amazing how involved some people are. And like even you saying that people were like making this like windows and all of these things becoming an art, it’s beautiful that people like this exist, that people like this can create things like this in such a beautiful way and show it to people in such a beautiful way.
Luckie Alexander
So it was so… Oh my word. Some of the pieces that were on the buildings that… because they were on wood that would come off right. Some of the pieces ended up somewhere in some museums or something there… Or people would come and take them home or they would like after the march and everything. Like people, art… I think a lot of the artists would take a lot of the art pieces that they created and they take them home and they could, they can keep them. You know what I’m saying? And it was… Oh my God, it was so pretty. It was really pretty because it was so many of them. It was like a whole block. And like, if you take… Imagine like a six foot by, let’s say six foot by six foot square. Like imagine that size on a window and then imagine another one, another window and another one on another window all the way, like a good block. And all of them had different pieces on them.
Karolina Szczepanik
Wow.
Luckie Alexander
And it was just where they came out with this, the spray paints or they came out with the paints or whatever. And then somebody came out and vandalized one of the paintings. And then you saw some of the artists come back out and fix it. They fixed it for their friends.
Karolina Szczepanik
That’s so nice.
Luckie Alexander
So it was like, oh my word, this is incredible. And, and as an artist, I was like, oh, this is so incredible.
Karolina Szczepanik
Oh, that’s so beautiful. I feel like… first of all, I don’t really understand people destroying somebody’s art. Especially during events like this. It’s… It’s so sad and so bad because these people want to share how they feel through the art, through things like this. And it’s really sad and really, really bad that some people just destroy it, Just destroy them. It’s very, it’s very sad. But it’s really beautiful that this artist still comes back and still thinks, I’m very happy that you did it.
Luckie Alexander
On top of every…. This, this wasn’t… It wasn’t… like planned. It wasn’t like, oh, you can get paint right there or you can… They just showed up and started painting. I was like, oh, this is. Oh, this is so fantastic. This is fantastic. And then, and then on the, where the mural is, there’s a sign that the city put up there is dedicated that part of the, of Hollywood Boulevard to all Black Lives Matter.
Karolina Szczepanik
Oh, that’s so beautiful.
Luckie Alexander
It’s a city sign and it’s one on one pole and then if you cross the street, it’s on the other pole from the city.
Karolina Szczepanik
So beautiful. That’s so amazing. What about the Police… Police Department? The policemen during the events like this, do you feel like they were more supportive or they were against you guys, when you were like… trying to show how you feel and everything? Do you remember?
Luckie Alexander
You know… I don’t think, I don’t. I don’t remember getting very much pushback from the police at all. But also… but also we were working with a lot of them, to get a lot of this happening as quickly as it happened. We worked with a lot of government agencies and entities to make sure people were safe. You see what I’m saying? Like, like the police, one of the police people, the police chiefs. I was, I knew, were friends and I knew them and they were part of a lot of the work that we’re doing in the community. I mean, in the political world, because I was on the Trans Advisory Council for LA City at the time, and I knew the police… the police chief at the time, and we were working with all the people to make sure that there was diversity and inclusion. Like all of that stuff was taken care of for this particular group. Like, understand that this particular group is going to be very interesting and it’s going to be very diverse and there’s going to be a lot of different people. And I don’t want y’all to say or do anything that might trigger a person to be not nice. You hear what I’m saying? To be like, this is already a bad situation that we’re, we’re marching for… This is already hard to deal with, you know, and on top of that, we’re dealing with our queer folks and we’re dealing with our trans folks that already get enough pushback in, in the world on a regular basis. And, don’t make this worse. You feel what I’m saying? Like, like trans people already get the short end of the stick on a lot of things. Right? And so, and so this. This was one thing that we worked with. We worked with everybody…everybody to make sure that our people were safe. And we didn’t get very much pushback from the police. I don’t feel like….
Karolina Szczepanik
All right, that’s great. That is great because I remember… I don’t want to say which cities exactly, but I remember….. Especially after George Floyd… When did it happen? It was 2022, when he died? I think.
Luckie Alexander
I think. I think that was.
Karolina Szczepanik
Or 2020…George Floyd… I think it was, I think 2020. Because I remember when George Floyd died, so many cities, not only in America, in, like, the whole world pretty much. They were like, very… people were very mad, obviously. And I remember that there were sometimes during events like this, police. Police departments and like, policemen were very aggressive with people. Some were really nice and some even participated in it, but some were very aggressive towards people. And it was really sad…
Luckie Alexander
And a lot of those events were… were Lives Matter people, and All Lives Matter people. Like, there was… there were different campaigns that were happening there. It was different. Not even campaigns, maybe that’s the wrong word. There were different situations that were happening. There were… There was the Black Lives Matter movement that was happening. And then in response, there was the Blue Lives Matter. In response to… and in response to the Black Lives Matter, there was the All Lives Matter that was always in response to Black Lives Matter, and that’s where a lot of folks were getting hurt or they were getting. It was. It was just really bad. It was really bad. And with the, with the march that we… there was… I don’t remember very much of it. The pushback from… I don’t remember very much pushback from the police.
Karolina Szczepanik
Okay! And thank you so much. The answer was great. And I really, I really like the way you’re talking about this. I feel like it’s very… It’s so nice because it’s my first interview with somebody who is very involved in events like this. So it’s really nice to see your perspective and hear it, because I feel like, from my perspective, it is obviously different because I’m not organizing it. If I participate… I just participate, so the whole, like, Organization part is very strange and different for me. So I’m happy to see your perspective on that. And I feel like… I have one more question for you, if you don’t mind… What advice would you give to someone who wants to get involved or support the mission of All Lives Matter or Black Lives Matter or Blasian March or all the events like this?
Luckie Alexander
I would think if… if there are movements that you want to get involved in, regardless of what that movement looks like… I would start with, do your research about why the movement started and see if that’s something that rings the bell for you. If that’s something that you feel you have a passion for, I think then you have the motivation to keep going. It’s not like, oh, I went to this march and then that was it. You said, I’m saying if it’s something that you really care about and you really want to help move the movement, then do the research first and feel if it’s something that resonates with you and your capacity and your heart and what you think is right. Make sure… make sure that it’s not just because somebody else is doing or everybody else is doing it. Don’t jump in because… because, oh, these folks are doing it and they got the highest clicks on social media or any of that. If, if it’s something that you do the research and it’s something that is important to you and that importance is going to make motivation very strong for you, then start there. And then once you figured it out, okay, I want to put time and effort and commitment into it, this is not just for likes and clicks or whatever. This is something that really, really resonates in my heart. Then, then find the people that are doing this kind of movement. Find those, those people that are leading those kinds of movements in those kinds of worlds. Because, because they’re all different kinds of little circles. You know, like we have, we have a lot of different kinds of circles. Like even in a queer community, we have the gay circle, we have the lesbian circle, we have the trans circle, we have the non binary circle. These are all circles that are very focused on those particular populations, but they do really well with all of the other folks that are in that group. But there’s different circles, right? Figure out who those people are in those circles and figure out how to get in touch with those people. And more than likely, if these folks are somebody that’s in the movement and they’re about to move it, then they’re… They’re going to welcome you wanting to be in that space. Yeah, So do your homework first!
Karolina Szczepanik
That’s true. That is so true. Sorry, I just, I feel like it’s really. It’s hard to ask the last question because there’s always like a question that is like questioning the next question. I don’t know how to say it, but… one more thing that I want to ask. You mentioned that you have to do your research, and I totally agree with you. And from my perspective as a person that participated, I could see pretty much a lot of people, that I had a feeling, they participated to call them participants. And it wasn’t really because they were… they just wanted to support some of these people. Where They just wanted… They were just doing this to call themselves participants. Do you feel like there’s a lot of people like this? Or there’s like… there’s more people that are actually participating because that’s how they feel?
Luckie Alexander
Well, I’m saying yes. And both. So there are both of these folks that exist, but I’m almost positive that there are the folks that are in it for just clicks and likes. It was like, oh, I was here. Did you see? I was here and it was fantastic… I was here. You know what I’m saying? And I’m an advocate because I was here and it was like, oh, okay, well, I’m gonna let you think that. But those of us that are doing the work and stressing out every night about how we can make this better. Those folks are the advocates that are doing the things, but even the people that are just in it for clicks and likes, if you’re just in it, just to say you were there, you’re at least given visibility to the movement that you were there.
Karolina Szczepanik
That is true. That is true. Like, I feel like at the end of the day, there’s always like, even though there are people that are just participating just to participate. At the end of the day, I feel like it’s just important to talk about the whole movement.
Luckie Alexander
So they’re, they’re working because if they’re getting clicks and likes, at least it’s putting on the mind of the people that click and like, you know what I’m saying? So they have, they have a. They, they’re advocates in their own kind of way, you know.
Karolina Szczepanik
Yeah, they’re…they’re important in some way too.
Luckie Alexander
Mhm, because…at least…At least, even if you don’t know anything about what you’re, at least you’re putting it on the minds of the people that need to know.
Karolina Szczepanik
That’s so true. Honestly, I feel like, honestly, that’s so true because I have never thought about this in that way, but I agree with you. I feel like I always get mad at people that just participate in events like this… just to call themselves being cool… because they participate or are just participants. And I feel like now, after you answer, I feel like I’m not mad at them anymore. I’m more like, okay, like we need people like this because these people are also going to mention about the event, which is important to just let everybody know that something like this exists. So I’m happy I asked you this question because honestly your answer really changed the way I think now. So I’m happy about that.
Luckie Alexander
And so… so everybody, I think, I feel this is my own personal opinion. I feel that even if you’re doing it for clicks and likes and you’re doing it for all the weird reasons… the end result is going to be that somebody that needs to see it is going to see it at some point.
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly.
Luckie Alexander
Even if… I mean, because there’s 8 billion people in the world and if I just happen to click and see this tik tok of this person and something’s happening and I can help that person, then I can call somebody and be like that person needs some help or how can we help these people? You see what I’m saying? But that’s just because the people were there for clicks and likes.
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly.
Luckie Alexander
You know what I’m saying? And, and they know how the algorithms work and all of that stuff. So they’re very useful. But, not very heartfelt. Sometimes I feel, you know, they might be, they might, they may not even know what they’re doing, you know, but they’re very, very thankful. I’m thankful that they’re, that those kinds of folks are there. Yeah. You know, they are being there because it’s… it’s like if they weren’t there, we wouldn’t have known what happened with George Floyd.
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly.
Luckie Alexander
We wouldn’t… we wouldn’t know a lot of things if there weren’t cameras that were there and somebody uploaded it and we wouldn’t know, you know what I’m saying? And so, and so I think I’m going to retract my statement. Those might be advocates for sure because… because if nobody had a camera, there’s a lot of things we wouldn’t, we wouldn’t know. And if the people didn’t put it on the, on the Facebook or the social media for clicks and like a lot of people wouldn’t have movements.
Karolina Szczepanik
That is true. And that is true. People like this are also important. People like this, like, especially nowadays where social media is like the most important platform. Plus like all of these platforms are very important to inform people what’s going on. I feel like this before is just important. As you said, they are just…just a big part of movements like this.
Luckie Alexander
Yes. And especially right now with, with social media being what it is and the power that social media has gained. Right. These folks…these folks, they’re advocates in their own kind of ways because they show people what we wouldn’t. Especially now…they can show people all over the world what’s going on. You know what I’m saying? Like, okay, I was here, okay, but something, I was at the… I was at the All Black Lives Matter march, right? And they’re just clicking to say that they were there. But do you know how many people in how many countries get to see what’s going on because they need clicks and likes.
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly.
Luckie Alexander
So, so I… I definitely. I have to retract the whole statement. I appreciate people that like clicks and likes because they’re helpful for a lot of things, especially people needing visibility!
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly.
Luckie Alexander
They’re given that visibility to something that we don’t have the technology for 50 years ago.
Karolina Szczepanik
That’s so true. That is so true. And I feel like all of this, clicks, likes, sharing, it’s just there’s a lot of places where people are not educated enough or people just don’t have money to pay for their education. And I feel like there’s just… everybody is pretty much using social media nowadays or phones and I feel like this is like a really great opportunity for people that cannot educate themselves in any other way to just educate themselves and see that movements like this are around the world and…nobody knows, like maybe these people will participate because they saw it on somebody’s account on social media. So that’s very… I agree with you.
Luckie Alexander
A lot of, a lot of things like…specifically, the Blasian March, was one of those, one of those. Those spaces where people didn’t understand Blasian people and they didn’t understand where they sat in the world. And even though I had quite a few close friends that I identify with in the same kind of way, and even Rohan and these folks, I didn’t understand, like, what kind of things that you go through because we’re both black, so we should both go through the same kind of things. But no, your. Your mixture gives a different context to the way that people are receiving you.
Karolina Szczepanik
That’s true.
Luckie Alexander
And, and I had to learn that through, through Blasian March and through a lot of other people because I understood and I had to learn how to be a black man. Right. And through my transition, but how white guys were treated because I wanted to be treated just as good. Right. And, I knew that I was always a threat. Because transitioning didn’t give me the, oh… I’m going to give you a handbook on how to be a black guy. You know, Like, I had to realize that coming, like, the more that my face started to look like my face, I had to realize that people, that I threatened people, you know what I’m saying, Just by walking in the room or just by standing in the elevator. Right. And it’s a lot of times that the ladies clutch their purse and all the things. Right. It’s really weird. And it is something that I had to learn as my transition got. You know, as I got through the transition and with my Blasian siblings, it was something that I had to learn…that we’re not. We’re… we’re similar but not the same. There are other things that you have to go through that maybe I don’t have to go through, and they’re not fair. Right? And so I had to get to know my people. Like, that’s again, when we go back to understanding who other people are and why. Why the things that they’re going through are important not only for them, but for all people. Right?
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly.
Luckie Alexander
And so, and so that’s kind of how we ended up like, full circle, you know what I’m saying? Like, ended up like. I know that there’s quite a bit that I’ve done with Blasian March. I just… I just don’t remember…It just took it. But, but it’s… I know that, that was one of the things that I really appreciated about Blasian March. It was really fantastic that we could make sure that people understood that. And with social media then other people understood it and other people got to be like maybe I should introduce…maybe I should educate myself, you know. And it was like, okay… the social media was educating, let’s educate! Let’s educate and make people understand. And so that’s why I think social media is not so bad somewhere.
Karolina Szczepanik
Yeah, it’s not so bad. I feel like it’s very, like…it’s not the best thing for a lot of reasons. But it’s also a great thing for so many reasons. but if we look at this, there’s never a thing that only has a good impact on people. There’s always, there’s always going to be some people that’s going to… there’s going to be a bad impact on or good impact on.
Luckie Alexander
So I know that we had folks and I know that I did a lot with the Blasian March, but I can’t remember. And I never questioned, never questioned them having a separate march. I don’t…because if you feel some kind of way I got your back. Like, I understand because we’re one of the most left out demographics. Right?
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly.
Luckie Alexander
And so, and so I understood and it just… I wish that I could remember more details but it was, it was something that I know now after everything that’s happened is when I think of Rohan and Blasian March, I get smiles in my heart and I’m like…I remember you and I just can’t remember everything, you know. But I know that we have different experiences.
Karolina Szczepanik
Yeah, exactly. I feel like it’s the most beautiful part of things like this that everybody has a different experience. And personally, I’ve never heard about Blasian March before. Now I’m taking the class Black Lives Matter and COVID -19, as I told you. And this… during this class, I actually heard about Blasian March for the first time because I thought…at first I thought that, like, I know they’re Blasian people, but I have never really thought about this as a additional march because I know they also participate in Black Lives Matter movement, but they also have their own, like, march for Black Asian. And it’s very nice to, like, hear that you also work with them and that you also remember as much as you can the whole experience as a really, like, good experience. I’m very happy for you.
Luckie Alexander
It was really good. But as… I think… I think because there were so many things that came out of The Black Lives Matter movement, I think because so many different things, so many different sets, people were like, oh, yeah, you all not going to leave us out? And were like, oh, yeah, we’re still here. Every. Everybody that’s in… it has black in there. All of us. We’re all here. It’s fantastic. You know, and so it’s just like, I think… I think that folks don’t want to be left out no more.
Karolina Szczepanik
Yeah.
Luckie Alexander
You know, they live lifes, and they should have… they should have things that… they should be cared for in the same kind of way. That our counterparts are cared for. You know, they should have health insurance, and they should have all the prep and all the things. Everybody should have all the things. You know, let’s make sure your health is cool. Let’s make sure everybody can eat, make sure everybody has a house. And let’s take care of people and let’s get you a job. And then, you know, let’s make sure you get an education and…you know what I’m saying? I feel like everybody does that. That you were born and woke up, for one, that’s not your fault how you got here, you know?
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly. Exactly.
Luckie Alexander
However you got here, that’s not your fault, but you’re here now, and it’s fantastic, right? And two, let’s make sure that we care for each other, because at the very end of every day, guess what? Your blood is red. Like, my blood is red.
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly.
Luckie Alexander
So we have… we… you and I in particular have something in common. We’re people.
Karolina Szczepanik
Exactly. We’re all people. We’re all people. And we all, We. We all are different at some points, obviously. But I feel like as you said, at the end of the day, we all are the same because we all are people in a different way. But we still are all human beings. We all breathe in the same way, we all have red blood, we all walk, move in a similar way. It’s just so true… It’s just so true. I agree with you. It is just important to remember that we all are humans.
Luckie Alexander
Let me. Let me take you. Let me take it all the way. All the way scientifical, right? Fun fact. There’s only one gene. There’s one gene in our DNA that makes us black or white or purple or green or tall or lady or man or the one gene, this one difference of the rest of our DNA is exactly the same.
Karolina Szczepanik
That’s crazy.
Luckie Alexander
One gene makes us different people. One part of our DNA, only one. The rest of our DNA is exactly the same.
Karolina Szczepanik
That’s insane. That is crazy, how we are built…the way we’re built, the way we function is so similar, but so different at the same time. And the all biological point of view. And as you said, there’s one gene that actually makes us be different and the rest is the same. Which is crazy.
Luckie Alexander
We look,if we look at the DNA and the DNA, if you ever write out human DNA on paper, right, in regular font, it would take up. It would take up from here halfway to the moon if you stack all those papers up, right? But…but if you look at the DNA, there’s only one difference between your DNA and my DNA. Only one that makes us. Makes us black or. Or tall or short or one. The rest of us are exactly the same.
Karolina Szczepanik
Crazy. That is crazy. I have to read about this more because I didn’t even know. I’ve never been really good in biology and all these things. But it’s very interesting to hear because I didn’t even know that. There are so many similar things when it comes to DNA, when it comes to people.
Luckie Alexander
So like physics, I was physics on the side. I was just like, oh, I just want to know, right? And so that was. That was one thing that I was like, are you serious? There’s one…one gene, one gene that is so small we can’t even see it. That makes us all different.
Karolina Szczepanik
That is crazy. I’m definitely gonna read about this. I don’t want to say anything else about this because honestly, I have no idea. But now I know that I should read about this. It’s really interesting.
Luckie Alexander
Okay, please look that up because. Because when I found out, I was like, are you serious? That means… we’re all the same except for one gene.
Karolina Szczepanik
Literally…literally…so interesting. Is there anything else you would like to mention? Anything else I didn’t ask earlier or any like, final thoughts?
Luckie Alexander
That’s going to your class, right?
Karolina Szczepanik
Yes.
Luckie Alexander
So I would just… I would just want to say that if there are folks in your class that would like to be in the advocacy world, like, if you’re gonna go into. To be an advocate and you’re not in it for clicks and likes and you’re willing to do the work and you make that commitment, don’t walk away midway because that’s unfair to the people that you’re helping. Right? And just make the commitment and stick with it and follow it through. And for those folks that are there for clicks and likes, make sure you take the right pictures.
Karolina Szczepanik
That’s important. That’s very important.
Luckie Alexander
You know, take the right pictures. But. But I think. I think the last thing I’m gonna give you is another fun fact. Here’s a fun fact. So, there was Lawrence Michael Dylan who was the very first trans man to have the very first sexual re- identification surgery. And he became a doctor to assist the first trans woman’s surgery, and her name was Roberta Cowell.
Karolina Szczepanik
That’s so interesting. When was it? Do you remember, like around what year?
Luckie Alexander
In the 1930s.
Karolina Szczepanik
Wow.
Luckie Alexander
And his name is either Michael Lawrence or Lawrence Michael Dylan, but his last name is Dylan. And Roberta Cowell was the first to have sexual reassignment surgery. And helped her with that.
Karolina Szczepanik
That’s so impressive. I’m definitely going to search about this because, honestly I didn’t know it was that long ago. It was like almost a hundred years ago pretty much.
Luckie Alexander
And trans people have existed way longer than that.
Karolina Szczepanik
Yeah, exactly.
Luckie Alexander
I wrote a whole book about it.
Karolina Szczepanik
Really?
Luckie Alexander
Yeah, I wrote two books. And so one is called “Who Rewrote History” And I did that about all the places in history where trans guys were. Were not elevated or not told. Not the story wasn’t told for trans guys. And Michael Lawrence Dillon was one of my inspirations to make those things apparent to a lot of people. And so if you want, you can go on Amazon. And then I wrote a different book called “in between”. That is art and it’s poetry. That book took, like, three years for me to write, because in the in between means this is all the art that I put together in between all the other jobs.
Karolina Szczepanik
Oh, that’s so beautiful. I’m very happy you wrote a book about this because I feel like there’s a lot of people that should read it, including me, because I feel like I don’t really have, like, a big knowledge about how it works for transgender people. And also, like I feel like a book from a transgender perspective is a very important thing because nobody can tell your story. You are the only person that can tell your own story. And your story is very unique because there’s not that many people with a story like yours. So I’m. I’m definitely going to search for it. I’m definitely going to read it because it’s very interesting. Honestly, I’m very interested right now.
Luckie Alexander
Awesome. Awesome. So you can find them on Amazon, if you want..
Karolina Szczepanik
Your name is Lucky, yes?
Luckie Alexander
Yes, Luckie Alexander.
Karolina Szczepanik
Okay. Amazing. I’m definitely going to search it and I’m definitely going to look for it. Thank you so much. I really appreciate the whole interview with you and I hope you express everything you wanted to and I hope you enjoyed our interview, because I really enjoyed it and I’m very, very grateful that you managed to also have an interview with me, because of the accident. And it was a great interview. I’m really happy, and from my perspective, it went really well. And thank you so much for spending time and letting me do this interview with you.
Luckie Alexander
Thank you so much. This was so awesome. And I’m so glad that Rohan and Blasian March linked us in.
Karolina Szczepanik
Oh, I’m so happy too! And the interview is for my class, like, as an assignment, but it’s also going to be on our school website, if you don’t mind.
Luckie Alexander
Yes! Can you send me the link?
Karolina Szczepanik
Absolutely, absolutely. I will send you everything!
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