379. Alok Vaid Menon: Self-Expression is The Medicine

THE INTERVIEW

K+L originally spoke to Alok Vaid Menon about two years ago — or, in 2020 terms, a lifetime ago — and it continues to be a relevant and important conversation for us to share. There are few people who have had such a lasting impact, not just from the show but from life. K+L left this conversation feeling more human, more connected, more aware of how they affect others: exactly what our world desperately needs more of right now. Alok also recently released a book, “Beyond the Gender Binary,” which shows that gender is a malleable and creative form of expression only limited by your creativity. So, to celebrate the book and this beautiful, powerful, kind, and heart-centered soul, we wanted to share the conversation again.

We also talk about:

The ins and outs of your passion being your business

Growing up (emotionally repressed) in a small Texas town

Southern “politeness”

Balancing being a strong example for others + being a complex, flawed human

Why it hurts when we turn someone into a metaphor and a symbol

Visibility does not mean safety for women and trans people

Where Alok developed their emotional vocabulary

Gender + shame

Learning not to fear their own gender nonconformity

The psychology of fascism

Why Alok is frustrated by the individualism of self-care

The people who bully us want to be us

Aesthetics as political resistance

Violence against gender non-conforming individuals has escalated over the past few years

What we can all do, every day, to challenge the current paradigm

Find more to love at almost30.com!

Resources:

Get yourself a copy of “Beyond the Gender Binary”

Or donate a copy of the book to an LGBTQ youth

Learn more | alokvmenon.com

Instagram | @alokvmenon

Twitter | @alokvmenon

YouTube | youtube.com/channel/UCG_G2mCoGdNUIOPaPrgorHg

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