PETER
TENNESSEE| SERIES # 4
My name is Peter Boyd. I identify as trans, and my pronouns are he, him and his. I had a pretty normal childhood- siblings, parents, the whole nine yards. I would say that I definitely always knew that I wasn't like the other boys and girls growing up. I had a yearning to be like one of the boys. Being in Memphis has been helpful to me growing up; compared to the rest of the state, it is a very welcoming and loving town community.
I have dealt with bullying, mostly in high school. I spent a lot of my classes with the same group of kids, so a lot of them had gotten to know me; my transition was easy for them to understand. It was when I was with new kids, in gym class, or during those instances when a substitute teacher would call my birth name, that I felt some pushback. I have memories of kids screaming my birth name at me. I’ve been asked so many invasive questions from people, just because they didn’t know better. I can only hope that they've grown up a bit since then. Most of the time, it was questions from people who didn’t know how to react. I was always giving strangers super-personal information about myself in hopes that they wouldn’t be afraid of me. In gym class, I feared for my safety in the locker rooms.
My parents were very accepting from the beginning, but their biggest concern was my safety. OUTMemphis was my way of bringing them into this community, as well as finding a community for myself. I’m much more comfortable for sure in my own skin, and I'm very fortunate that many of friends are queer (an isolated queer experience can be very hard). Because I’m black, the meetings at the center allow me to meet other queer men and feel safe. There are other black queer men who are going through similar things as me, especially when it comes to transitioning.
I take part in the DTM, the Delta Trans Masculine meetings as much as I can, and I stay for GenQ. The Delta Trans Masculine meetings are a place for trans and non binary men to come and talk together, share experiences about transitioning, different topics that affect us from general HRT, to binding, etc.
GenQ is where a bunch of queer people get together and have a good time. It’s a lot of “here's how I came out and here's where I'm now.” It is a really good way to share experiences with a secure network of queer friends. Speaking up and sharing experiences is one of the most powerful things to do, especially if you are in a safe place to do so. I've made it my priority to do as much as I can to help others. I’m always there to be a listening ear and say, "Well, here's what I did when I was too afraid to come out. Here’s how I got through!”
I love drawing, painting and making videos- I am excited to use my art to contribute positivity in the world. Before OUTMemphis existed, I traveled to LA. I wanted to be in a place that was accepting of my queerness, especially so early in my transition. I found a lot of different queer scene, but felt drawn back to Memphis. I returned with new knowledge of queer healing techniques, friends, and ideas to bring back to my community.
Without OUTMemphis I would feel a little bit more lost. I think that OUTMemphis is great because it gives me a really secure router place. I'm like, "Great.That's where the queer folks are. That's where I'm going. It is my go-to network for everything that I need for support. Without it, Memphis would be less colorful and more sad. They do a great job with community outreach. They facilitate job opportunities, and make sure we’re all seen in the community.
If you want to get involved with OUTMemphis, I would say that donating is really important. We are still in the south, and even though Memphis feels friendly and welcoming, we still have to combat those who aren’t accepting. Unfortunately, we have high rates of queer kids out on the street, who come to OUTMemphis for food and selter. Many of these kids are not allowed in their family homes because they're queer). These rates are much higher for queer people of color. Any dollar that is donated to us will be used to help further establish ourselves. Your money will help us build more, and give back to our communities.
