PinkNews.co.uk: Genderqueer performer CN Lester, who identifies as neither male nor female, talks to Paris Lees about sexual harassment, operatic androgyny and a mutual fear of going blind.
What harassment do you face?
I don’t take hormones, so the majority of people perceive me as a woman, but obviously a woman who is transgressing gender norms. So the street harassment I get tends to be sexual aggression from cis [non-trans] guys, like “Hey baby, how about one up the arse?” or “Suck on this darling.” Or trying to grope you in the street. Then it gets mixed in with the transphobia, when they’re not entirely sure if I’m female or male, that adds to that aggression and it just turns into “f**ing freak” or “faggot”. I think one guy even came out with “You f**king pervert.” I thought wow: you have no idea what I do in bed.
This interview with courageous openly trans performer CN Lester is one of the few examples of a non-binary identified trans person talking publicly about their experiences. Kudos to Pink News for publishing this on their mainstream LGBT news website.
I’d hope that everyone will read this and think long and hard about CN’s experiences in public places, in the world of classical music and in the gay community.
Practical Androgyny 