Termite TV - Life Stories

Uh… Okay, I was born in Valley City, North Dakota. Very small town, I have never met my father. I’m an only child. No brothers, no sisters. Theirs nothing like that, my mom raised me, we lived on welfare. Not a very fun time of my life, it was fun cause I was a kid. But ah, not fun, cause we didn’t have any money and I didn’t get to do a lot of the things my friends were doing. I had to grow up quick. My mom had some chemical issues, she just drank a lot, our friends were pretty into drinking, and stuff. So then we moved to Minnesota. Uh, small time in Montasela, my grandmother was dying of cancer, so we wanted to be closer to her. And ah, had a real tough time in Montasela, because it was very conservative and I was sort of a tomboy. Didn’t really fit in, then went through High School and came out senior year of High School as a lesbian. The only lesbian ever to come out in that high school. And had to drop out of school, because threatened me, wanted to beat me up, called me names. My environment was essentially unsafe and I couldn’t do anything about it. Staff didn’t know what to do, nobody knew what to do about it. So I dropped out of high school my senior year, a couple months before I graduated, I lost all my friends and my mom freaked out, told me I have a mental problem and needed counseling and was on my own. And ah, moved into a house full of wonderful people in Saint Paul. Built a community of people, fell in love with a wonderful girl. And then, we broke up and she broke my heart. And had a nice community of friends. Went to Georgia, well actually I did Americore, did activist work, worked at District 202, which is a gay youth center. Then I went to Georgia and worked for Habitat for Humanity for a couple months. And then had problems with my sexuality there, because they didn’t except it. So they decided they were going to pray for me, save my soul. So went to New York and lived with my friends parents for a year, which was absolutely fabulous. Really healthy, really great experience for me. Worked in an inner city school, in NY. Very eye opening experience to... Yea lived with them for a year, then moved back here. Where I feel like things are going pretty well, I’m in school, gotta good job, doing video stuff. I’ve always loved the arts, film, video, I’ve done a lot of theatre. Yea, still never met my dad, don’t have much of a family, my friends have become my family. And developed a real spiritual sense, about the world, people and places. Feel pretty healthy and happy and secure with who I am. My sexuality isn’t that big of an issue and I do all the other things I want to be doing. How much time do I have left? Oh, one and a half minutes, do I say anything else. Don’t know what else to say. Yea, sexuality was a big issue, for a long time. And it’s great to be at a place where my life isn’t defined by my sexual identity. Ya know, when you’re trapped and you’re trying to figure out who you are and you’re free and all of sudden you’re like “I’m gay” and that’s cool. Ya know, I’m also a film maker, I’m also a youth educator, youth worker. I’m also a student. I’m also a woman, you know theirs all these other identities and it’s nice to feel that I can expand my circle, expand my life style beyond my sexual identity. I have gay and straight friends. That’s really nice, to be able to have that now. Feel really comfortable and secure in that, a lot of people have a hard time ever finding that balance. Get trapped in one relation to the next, cause that’s how you’re defined. I don’t know, it’s all good. I have big dreams, I want a ranch, I want do sound stuff. I want a lovely partner and lots of kids. It’s a big dream. Want to go to Australia, study education. That’s it, it’s a good life.