Digital Transgender Archive

Interview with Zeam Porter

Zeam Porter identifies as a black polyamorous transmasculine genderqueer demiboy and was assigned female at birth. His gender is very fluid but also grounded in being trans masculine. They prefer he/him and they/them pronouns. He doesn’t identify as a Christian but has Christian roots. He was born in Rochester, Minnesota at the Mayo Clinic in 1997 and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They describe themselves as “the queer, kind of goofy, really clumsy child in the family.” They were bullied a lot in sixth grade since everyone knew they were a dyke before they did. They came out shortly after that as bisexual, then identified with being a stud, and then as a stem, and then as queer. When he got into basketball he felt more connected to his family who enjoyed basketball. The more masculine Porter presented, the more conscious he is of his aggressive and protective side. He’s noticed that he’s treated more roughly when he’s perceived as a black woman in stores or elsewhere, but when he’s perceived to be a black man people are more hands-off and threated by his aggressive side than before. During sophomore year of high school, he battled mental illness, depression, and paranoia since he believed he was going to hell for his sexuality. Porter began going to the GSA at his school where he found out about trans identity. After that he began researching online, particularly on Tumblr, and reaching out to the community more through activism. He went to a program called, “An Evening Out,” where queer and trans kids get together to make dinner, play basketball, do crafts, and other activities. While working with OutFront and the national GSA Network, they asked him to testify in front of the high school league on Prop 9 at a Minnesota State Senate hearing committee. After the bill was passed, Porter was asked to be on the Governor’s Task Force. He won an award from OutFront Minnesota as the Youth Advocate of the Year and the Courage Award as well. He’s also been involved with the Black Lives Matter movement, Standing Rock, and other movements for social justice. He enjoys writing poetry. He is now a freshman in college at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. They are planning to get top surgery soon and would also like to get plastic surgery done to have pectorals, an Adam’s apple, and various other masculine features.