Digital Transgender Archive

Interview with Damion Mendez

Download the full-sized image of Interview with Damion Mendez

Damion Mendez is a Latino trans masculine identified person who mostly grew up in St. Paul, MN. In this oral history, he shares his experiences with transracial adoption, his early realizations of his gender identity; being bullied in school for his gender expression; understanding and growing into a racial identity; being raised in a primarily white family; not having authority over his own body as a teenager, family relationships; masculinity; and transitioning. Mendez also shares his thoughts and experiences on and with medical gatekeeping, bodily autonomy, and access to medical care for transgender folks. He discusses things such as police violence, racial violence within the LGBT community, accessible spaces, and his hopes for the transgender community in the future. Mendez is a transgender health advocate for Family Tree Clinic.

Item Information: