Episode007: Assigned Sex

Our resident producer, audio engineer and my personal boo, Shaun dug deep to let us in on the making of their documentary Assigned Sex. The 30 minute short presents uncomfortable perspectives from both trans and cisgender people of color with the hopes of starting a necessary conversation to reduce stigma, eliminate bias and increase inclusion. Shaun explores gender and sexuality through the lens of Angel, a 23- year old preacher’s kid assigned male at birth. Religion and hyper-masculinity continue to be a powerful influence on how genderqueer people are treated in the Black community. Shaun and Kyler  reflect on their journeys over the 5 years of making the film and share their lessons and learnings since it ended.

Guests:

Born and raised the daughter of a minister in Cincinnati, Kyler “Angel” O’Neal  moved to NYC after earning a Bachelor of Arts from Xavier University. After a five-year residency in NYC,  Kyler relocated to Los Angeles, CA where she is pursuing singing, writing and acting.

Shaun Dawson  is a documentary filmmaker and app developer passionate about the culture of learning and amplifying the voice of “the other.”