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TRISTAN SKYE
TQ Nation might one day be looked at as the Facebook of transgender social networks, and the person to thank for that would be president and co-founder Tristan Skye.
“Being transgender for some is like coming out twice and it is a major life change and adjustment,” says Skye. TQ Nation hopes to provide comfort and community throughout those adjustments and beyond.
How would you define your role in Atlanta’s LGBT community?
My role for the Atlanta LGBT community is to help educate and make the “T” in LGBT never grow silent. As president and co-founder of TQ Nation, my goal is to bridge the gap in our community and to help others not feel alone. Being transgender for some is like coming out twice and it is a major life change and adjustment. Personally, I feel we are still the minority within the minority and it’s important to help others learn more about their Transgender brothers and sisters. I don’t take my role as a Trans Activist lightly. My only hope and desire is to help others be true to themselves and feel support in a world where equality for all still comes with a price to pay. This year I was honored to lead the 2nd annual Trans March at Atlanta Pride and won “Best Transgender Rights Activist” by the GA Voice. For me, this is just the beginning of my destiny and what I feel my purpose is in my lifetime.
What do you forecast for Atlanta’s LGBT community in the next 5 to 10 years?
I feel that our LGBT community in Atlanta has a solid foundation and great support network. We are a big family and have many outlets and resources at our fingertips. I feel our city is one of the pioneers
that will pave the way for equal rights and in 5 to 10 years I see us embarking on a ground of more freedom. Great things take time and our time will come. I feel secure in the hope that in the next decade the seeds we are planting today will shade and secure our future generations. People will see us in a more positive light and one day our sexual orientation and gender expression will not define us, it will be heard the same as the answer to what our favorite ice cream flavor is.
We learn from all our experiences, both good and bad. Tell us about a negative life experience you’ve had that you learned a valuable lesson from.
A negative life experience I have faced has been dealing with my parents. Through many years of battles, bruises and wounds that turned into scars, I finally realized that the acceptance I needed was that of my own. I found it within myself and then knew it was time to separate from the negativity and turn to those who are positive and uplifting. I learned a valuable lesson that sometimes you have to stand up for yourself, make boundaries with even those you love, and you will never find true happiness living for others and pushing your needs to the side. I hope in time the bridge can be slowly rebuilt, but until then I will stand strong, love from a distance and hold close to me those that truly make my life a beautiful, healthy and positive place.
How has being LGBT shaped your outlook on life?
I wasn’t born to live within a box. I was born to see to world through unique eyes, someone who has to be a warrior in order to gain freedom in this world. Being in the LGBT community ignites courage within me and a passion to “be the change you wish to see in the world” (Gandhi). I have learned that family is not always blood-related. True love comes in all shapes, sizes, colors and
identities. Labels should be left on clothes. Never judge a book by the cover; actually, never judge, period. Some say we live an “alternative” life. As opposed to what? Normal? I have found that normal does not exist and the life and love I find within our community is colorful, beautiful, radiant and unconditional. If that’s the definition of “alternative,” then I will respond with a resounding, “yes and proud of it.” I feel very blessed to be a part of our beloved community. My outlook on life has changed by expanding. “The mind is like a parachute, it only functions when open.” When I lived in a sheltered world during my youth, I felt only half alive because I saw only half of the reality of the world. I now have the ability to relate to more people and to see through their eyes. I feel the more people that gain that ability, the less we will all feel alone.
Tell us a little more about yourself. What are your hobbies? What are your goals?
Out of all of my many diverse hobbies, my favorite is photography. I think it’s important to capture moments of life to remember and treasure forever. When your memory fades, photos help keep those special moments alive.
My main goal is to start a family with my beautiful wife, Sicily. We are both at the point in life where we know it’s time to bring a little Skye into the world. We both have so much love and are ready to bestow that on a new generation.
Next, my goals include TQ Nation continuing to grow into what I know it will be one day. I hope it will truly become a non-profit “Facebook” that will give back to our community. I want to continue to be an activist and advocate for Trans Rights and help lead the way with a voice of hope, courage and a monumental “YES WE WILL.” I hope to guide others and be a positive influence in their lives, providing them with strength and encouragement to never fear being true to themselves and gaining happiness and fulfillment.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what’s the one book you would want with you?
To help me stay alive in a place where Internet does not exist and Google is not a click away, I would need the SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea by John “Lofty” Wiseman. A close second would be a blank journal so I could document and record my day-to-day activities and thoughts.
