I always assumed that my otherness was a curse - that I would be held back by my Asian and queer identities.
Interpretation
The speaker initially viewed their unique identity as a limitation but later reflects on its significance.
Eugene Lee Yang expresses how his identities as an Asian and queer individual were initially perceived as obstacles in his life. Through this quote, he reveals a transformation in his perspective, recognizing that what he once saw as a curse can instead be a source of strength and authenticity. This highlights the importance of embracing one's uniqueness, rather than viewing it as a hindrance.
In practice
In a speech about diversity and inclusion, one might quote this to highlight the value of unique identities.
The truth is, for me, when I was a young black girl who knew I was different, was watching TV, I would always be staring at the TV set looking for myself, and I didn't see me. And when you don't see yourself, you start to think that you don't matter, or you start to think that something is wrong with you.
I don't know what I am if I'm not a woman.
I never learned how to be adequately black. I never learned how to be black at all.
Part of me always felt like the other, the outsider, the observer. My father had two sons with his second wife, who I didn't meet until my late 20s. I was always on the periphery. In Madrid, I was the only Turk in a very international school, so I had to start thinking about identity. All these things affected me.
It was very hard for me, for most of my life, to feel American, or call myself American, and that is a very complicated topic that would require a very long conversation.
I was a mixed black girl existing in a westernized Hawaiian culture where petite Asian women were the ideal, in a white culture where black women were furthest from the standard of beauty, in an American culture where trans women of color were invisible.
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