I got an autism diagnosis this spring – which offered me some much-needed clarity into many questions I’ve lived with my whole life.
Why was I so sensitive and easily overstimulated? Why did so many conversations with peers go badly when I was a kid? Why did so many adults in my life seem to think I was too “difficult” to work onstage?
I wrote “Play the Fool” (which will be on the EP I’m in the middle of making) about that weird little girl I was, crying and stimming at concerts, bursting into arias in the middle of art class, and longing to do something that so many other people seemed to think was not possible or wise.
That experience of being different planted the seeds of my investment in social justice, and – when combined with my lived experiences of Jewishness, Latinidad, and femmehood – created the framework through which I began to understand the concept of intersectionality.
This EP I’m going to make with your help is about looking at this period of my life through the lens of all the girls I’ve been, capturing how it feels both personally and politically, and giving it the feel of timelessness.
I’m so grateful for the opportunity to participate in this process. If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll consider joining my other wonderful backers on Kickstarter. 💖
