I always assumed that my otherness was a curse - that I would be held back by my Asian and queer identities.
Interpretation
The speaker initially viewed their unique identity as a limitation but later reflects on its significance.
Eugene Lee Yang expresses how his identities as an Asian and queer individual were initially perceived as obstacles in his life. Through this quote, he reveals a transformation in his perspective, recognizing that what he once saw as a curse can instead be a source of strength and authenticity. This highlights the importance of embracing one's uniqueness, rather than viewing it as a hindrance.
In practice
In a speech about diversity and inclusion, one might quote this to highlight the value of unique identities.
I always understood my ancestry, like that of so many others in the Gulf Coast, to be a tangle of African slaves, free men of color, French and Spanish immigrants, British colonists, Native Americans - but in what proportion, and what might that proportion tell me about who I thought I was?
For me, having a gender identity that was different from my sex assigned at birth and that wasn't seen by society felt like a constant feeling of homesickness - that unwavering ache in the pit of my stomach.
Part of me always felt like the other, the outsider, the observer. My father had two sons with his second wife, who I didn't meet until my late 20s. I was always on the periphery. In Madrid, I was the only Turk in a very international school, so I had to start thinking about identity. All these things affected me.
I don't really know what feeling Japanese or Haitian or American is supposed to feel like. I just feel like me.
I'm Colombian and nothing will change that.
I now realize that I am a gay man before anything else. Other gays may think they're a Jew first, or black, or a banker, but I'm gay.
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