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Speak For Yourself: The Power Of Trans Voices

Not everyone who is trans wants to change their voice. Some do. Either way, what do the voices - the actual voices - of trans and non-binary people tell you about who they are?

Today, you’ll meet a trans woman whose work adapting her voice led her to help others. Also, hear from a transfemme non-binary yoga teacher who uses Vedic Chanting to feel centered, and to feel closer to their voice. You’ll hear from members of a choir in the bay area that is exclusively for singers who self-identify as transgender, intersex, or gender-queer.

And you’ll get to know Lucia Lucas. She's the first female baritone to perform a principal role on an American operatic stage, and she happens to be trans.

Join the conversation onFacebook,Twitter, and email.

GUESTS:

  • Ama-Rose Wootan teaches vocal feminization and masculinization, and helps run a Discord community called Scinguistics
  • Reuben Zellman is the Founder and Director of New Voices Bay Area choir
  • Lene Kristian Bryngemark and Jasmine Gee are singers in New Voices Bay Area
  • Río Amani is a transfemme nonbinary afro latine puerto rican native living in Denver, who is has been practicing Vedic Chanting for 9 years
  • Lucia Lucas is an American opera singer living and performing in Germany. She is transgender, and the first female baritone to inhabit a principal role on an American operatic stage

Jessica Severin de Martinez and Catie Talarski contributed to this show.

Special thanks to Hilary Weissberg. She’s a Speech-Language Pathologist based in Old Saybrook CT, who suggested we explore this topic.

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Chion Wolf is the host of Audacious with Chion Wolf on Connecticut Public, spotlighting the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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