Yance Ford Quotes

When I first appeared in the media, it was rare to see trans people on TV, and young trans kids were unheard of.

A lot of parents never speak to their transgender kids again; that's not the case in my family.

I am not a spokesperson for the trans community, I am not. The media kind of projects me as being the spokesperson, but from my standpoint, I am not. I am a spokesperson for my story, and that's all I can tell.

It seems only fitting that we have a trans superhero for trans kids to look up to. I wish there was a trans superhero when I was little.

Respectable transwomen were not as visible and very unclear in how they defined themselves. I had no one to look up to, pre-transition.

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

It's tough advocating for trans visibility and not being pigeonholed as just a trans actress.

As a visible and outspoken trans woman myself, I know that it's rare not to have your trans-ness lead the way for you in public spaces.

There are only so many 'series regular' trans roles on TV.

I think it's really important to understand that every trans story is not the same, and we are as varied as any other group of people.

I don't want the same trans story to be told over and over again. I don't want people to get stuck on this very western idea of what it means to be transgender.

I am a huge fan of the transgender community.

Society doesn't tell you that you can be trans.

I am very close to a number of actresses who are trans and hungry for parts.

I think accurately presenting a trans character means not presenting them as perfect - I think there's been a pressure to do this with trans characters. They can have no flaws because they must represent the entire trans community.

Time and time again, we have seen a growing alliance of allies who are willing to stand with trans people, who are educating themselves on trans identity and trans equality, and who understand that our lives are worth celebrating and that our cause matters.

We don't agree with Caitlyn Jenner deciding she is the spokesperson for trans people.

I have a bunch of transgender friends, but they're all spread out across the country.

When we say 'trans is beautiful' or 'being trans is the best,' that is a truth we created for ourselves that's clearly not true in every signal we get from the world around us.

For me, I know I am a trans activist and I try my best to stand up when the time is right, but at the same time, I don't always want to be considered transgender around my friends and people at my daughter's school. I just want to be considered a woman.

As someone who's visible, I feel it's part of my responsibility to have a voice for trans people because the fight is not necessarily on television. The fight is every day.

I think it is necessary to educate folks on trans issues and to make them aware of trans identities and normalise it, because it is normal. But when you're shielded from something, and it's actively censored, it takes a negative connotation.

Now that we've seen broader representation of trans identities, I think it's safer to explore the fault in these trans characters and make them entirely human and three dimensional.

It is revolutionary for any trans person to choose to be seen and visible in a world that tells us we should not exist.

Usually, when you are an ethnic person or a trans person, in your average, everyday, unsophisticated television show, you are there for that reason. And they clearly justify and overexplain why. You very rarely see a transgender actor playing the part of a grocery-store clerk without having to say, 'Oh, look at that trans person.'