When I was a high school freshman in Honolulu, I would sit with my girlfriends on the bleachers of the school amphitheater… — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
To say that I loved school would be an understatement. It was my oasis, my sanctuary. — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
Throughout elementary and middle school, I was used to hearing other words: Smart. Studious. Well-spoken. Well-read. They became pillars of my self-confidence,… — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
By the time I was a sophomore in high school, it had become routine for me to be sent home for wearing… — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
On my road to self-discovery, only certain terms were available - I didn't use 'trans' or 'transgender' until junior high school, but… — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
Like many teens, I struggled with my body and looks, but my despair was amplified by the expectations of cisnormativity and the gender binary… — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
Throughout the day, I like to spritz my face with a rose water for extra moisture. — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
In the evening, I use a cleansing oil - coconut oil also works - to remove makeup. — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
“she cleaned, scrubbing to the staticky rhythm of Hawaiian music playing from her silver clock radio.” — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
Hawaii was so integral to my journey. I was just there at the right time. — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
I was a mixed black girl existing in a westernized Hawaiian culture where petite Asian women were the ideal, in a white culture where… — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
Trans folk, especially of color, should not be obligated to help cis folk play catch-up on our experiences. The effort can detract from our… — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
I grew up at a time in Hawaii where there were trans women around, so there were visible role models for me. At the… — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
We have to take care of our people. That's our work now. And it's going to be a lot harder than it would have… — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
“The misconception of equating ease of life with “passing” must be dismantled in our culture. The work begins by each of us recognizing that… — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
This pervasive idea that trans women deserve violence needs to be abolished. It’s a socially sanctioned practice of blaming the victim. We must begin… — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
“The crux of our conflict lay in the fact that we each couldn't be who we wanted the other to be.” — Janet Mock Copy Share Image
