Quotes from Trace Lysette

Sometimes you feel like the only resource you have is your body or your looks.

In my own personal life, it's been pretty hard navigating love, and so I've found this kind of contentment in loving myself and waiting for the world to catch up.

I think that a lot of times people don't understand the bravery that's involved with the Me Too movement.

Growing up, I never saw images of trans people succeeding.

It's not fun for an actor to be pigeonholed in any way.

I gave up my bread and butter to be an actress.

Trans women, and women in general, have so many constraints placed on our bodies. As women, we are told not to show our bodies, and as trans people, we've been told not to exist.

I think that trans women have endured a lot and they compromise a lot when dealing with cis hetero men.

A lot of my chosen family is black and I say that unabashedly. For anyone who doesn't understand that, they just don't understand me and my generation because especially in the LGBT community, the concept of chosen family is so important and it's a survival tactic.

It felt like home to be working with so many powerful women - Lizzo, Cardi B, Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu. I felt so welcome and loved.

I'm not going to compromise and settle for what I feel is less than I deserve or less than anyone deserves.

As much of a privilege as it is to pass, it's painful. You have to compartmentalize your life. That's awkward. Dating can be horrible.

Trans talent is not even making it into the audition room, and we're not even being afforded the opportunity to tell our own stories. I feel that is problematic.

Anytime you give a trans person an opportunity, especially an opportunity to be ourselves, you are promoting a shift in the way society sees us.

I had a lot of fights in high school.

I always found when I was most focused, that's when I did the best financially.

Trans folk are so often pushed to the margins and not afforded the resources and opportunities that some nontrans people are.

I have lived my life putting work first, pushing myself to overcome obstacles to get the job done.

My body has carried me a long way and has had many evolutions. I honor it, flaws and all.

Drag was not only my introduction to womanhood, but my introduction to entertainment. It was the first time I realized that I could move a crowd.

I got to choreograph a halftime dance with the cheerleading squad, which was all-female, at my high school. And I was the only boy, at the time. We did this whole routine to 'Maria Maria' by Santana, and 'Thong Song' by Sisqo - it was a mix.

You wish that everyone knew what cisgender meant. Everyone has access to Google. You can find out what's appropriate to ask a trans person.

Now that I'm out there and it's known that I'm trans, I think that sometimes might hinder my opportunity in snagging a big cis role.

We have to be intentional with including trans women, all women, all marginalized people. Whether we say 'Me Too' or call ourselves feminists or strive to create a diverse workplace that reflects the world we live in, it's all about being intentional.