I'm the longest working Black person in Korean wrestling – they may have had one or two in the past, but I've been in the scene a very long time. That was very fraught, not just with the queer part, but with the Black part.

To this day, almost every time that I cut my wrestling promos, fans will say I'm rapping despite their being Korean subtitles. I don’t rap and that’s been like a very explicit part of my character. Not because I don't like rap music. I love rap music. I just don't want them to be so quick to put me into this box but unfortunately, that's what a lot of people keep pushing towards.

But there was a good ‘Come to Christ’ moment with one of the companies AKW, where one of the people was like, "What kind of man wears makeup?" And I was like, "I'm not a man, and when I get you in the ring, I'm gonna beat you up."

I got him in the ring, and I beat him up. So it was a nice little complete story circle.

I can't say that I've ever felt maligned for gender, but I've definitely felt stereotyped for race. And as somebody who's working to build bridges and make in-roads, it has been a very eye-opening experience.

As somebody who gets perceived as a Black male, and as somebody who is a Black trans woman, I would really like for us to have our own spaces. So much is tied to race because no one is just a girl or a boy, I truly believe there is a racialized gender.

If I'm trying to decompress from the transphobia and stereotypes imposed around race, usually I will grab either a glass of wine (or a bottle) and unwind by listening to some music, reading, and playing some video games.

Just average things you know, I'm still a normal girl.

[As told to @Ragi Gupta — to be continued]