Ita Segev is a writer, performance artist, and organizer from Jerusalem who’s been living and making work in NY for the past 12 years.
In this episode, she charts the complex map she’s found towards her freedom as a trans woman, its relationship to Palestinian liberation, and her commitment to dismantling the split that allows people to dehumanize others while loving those they perceive to be “like them”.
Ita takes us through lessons from her Jewish ancestors, years of secrets and failed attempts to assimilate into militaristic toxic masculinity, the violence she witnessed during her army service, her desire to erase and escape her past in NYC, her learning from Black feminists, and embracing of her anti-Zionism and transness in an American context that never felt like her own.
Coming back to Israel during Covid, more grounded in her sense of self and her beliefs, Ita shared how rediscovering the love she has for this land and her people reminded her not only what systems she is fighting against, but what future she is fighting for.
You can follow Ita on Instagram at @Itaqt, and reach out to her for writing collaborations both for TV/film and for online publications.
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Check out our bonus episode on Patreon: https://bit.ly/47fLR8i
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A few important disclaimers:
I created and funded this podcast privately. I don’t belong to any organization, nor does it represent anyone other than myself.
Secondly, I don’t intend this content to provide a justification or excuse for the actions people interviewed did in their past, but rather to learn from their personal experiences and gain insight as to what the process of transformation looks like. Certain parts of the episode could be triggering for you, and I advise taking into consideration that some of the events discussed are morally and ethically challenging (to say the least).
And lastly:
I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which I work as the indigenous people of this country and pay my respects to their elders, past and emerging.
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Thank you Roy Geva for the soundtrack.
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You can contact me at @yehavit on Instagram (or write to yehavit@gmail if you’re not on Instagram).
Stuff we mentioned:
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The Parents Circle-Families Forum: https://www.theparentscircle.org/en/pcff-home-page-en/
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A normal heart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa3luI1ythI
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Ita’s creations:
https://www.wendyssubway.com/publishing/titles/questions-to-ask-before-your-bat-mitzvah
https://www.audible.com/pd/Chonburi-International-Hotel-and-Butterfly-Club-Audiobook/B08R43JB3M
https://www.dropbox.com/s/31oichi04sj1jo0/gender-and-nation-tightly-bound-ita-segevs-knot-in-my-name.pdf?dl=0
https://brooklynrail.org/2019/09/dance/ITA-SEGEV-with-George-Kan
https://vimeo.com/654446470
https://www.vogue.it/fotografia/gallery/camila-falquez-queer-utopia
Disillusioned