Everyone Is Trans | Ian Harvie | TEDxDirigo

In this talk, Ian leads us through a provocative exercise, exposing deeply interconnected vulnerabilities around our self-conceptions of gender as they relate to our sexuality. We all have things we would change about ourselves if we could, don't we? And many of those things correspond to desires to feel more feminine or masculine, don't they? What happens when we allow ourselves to really see the motivations behind such desires? Ian invites us into a mental/emotional space that has the capacity to reveal, surprise, comfort, and unite.

A native Mainer now living in Los Angeles, Ian was the first transgender (female-to-male) standup comic in the country. He began his career in the Portland, Maine, comedy scene more than 13 years ago and has been breaking new ground ever since. You may have seen him co-starring as “Dale” on the Golden Globe and People's Choice Award-winning TV series TRANSPARENT; on Comedy Central's The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore; or on CNN's Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin. In 2014, with friend and executive producer Margaret Cho, Ian unveiled his first standup comedy special, IAN HARVIE SUPERHERO, which was filmed live at Portland State Company. The film screened at over 25 film festivals worldwide and won several awards. Ian's unique approach queers the traditionally macho, sex-obsessed world of standup in ways you won't believe, proving that laughter cuts across all gender identities and ultimately unites us all.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx