The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Angelica Ross on Creating Safe Spaces with TransTech Social Enterprises

Episode Date: June 30, 2020

Actor and TransTech Social Enterprises founder Angelica Ross explains how her organization creates safety for LGBTQ workers and educates the cis community on trans issues. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts.

My guest tonight is an actor and the founder of Transtech Social Enterprises. Please welcome, Angelica Ross. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for having me, Trevor. Let's get straight into it. You are the CEO of TransTec, which is basically a creative technology company, you know, getting trans people, or anyone from the LGBT community to come in and learn about technology, you know?

Well, yeah, I mean, there's a lot of space where we're just kind of forced out of school, we're forced out of the work. No place really is safe, especially in certain states for trans people. So first, we wanted to create a safe space that people could come in and access the internet and computers and trainees and build their skills for better employment.

So this might be a really personal question, but... Sure. At what age did you realize that you were a tech person? Honestly, very, very young. I was the one that was hooking up the VCR and all the TVs,, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, the TV, the TV, the TV, the, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, that, thi, thi, that's, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, th. That, th. That, th. That, th. That, th. That, th. That, very young. I was the one that was hooking up the VCR and all the TVs. You know, VCR, that's the thing with the tape. I know VISA. I'm old school.

I'm old school. Yeah. So I've always been tech. What's really fascinating about your organization is not just the fact that you're teaching and educating the trans people, but the the the the the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the workforce, but you're transforming the workforce because a lot of the time it's corporations who don't know how to deal with trans people and you're basically teaching them that trans employees are the same as every other employee. They just spend their day on Facebook looking at cat videos. Well, actually, trans employees are actually even better.

But seriously because they work that much harder sometimes because we know the playing field in front of us. And so sometimes we're even working two, three, four times as hard just so someone will give us an opportunity. Just so someone gives you the respect that they don't think. That's, it's such a tough place to come from. Your story is really interesting as well because you're a military veteran as well. I don't know if it's a th, I i i discharge was uncharacterized. So back in 98 or so when around the don't ask don't tell sort of thing they hung me out of a window and asked me to tell and you know so I

was discharged but I was discharged with an on characterized so it's basically like you were never here. No benefits but I definitely walked away with a sort of a sour taste of my mouth from that. let. Let let. Let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let let. Let let th. Let let th. Let let th. Let let th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. tho th. I the, I tho tho tho th. I th. I th. So th. So th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, I th. So, I th. I th. I th. I thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I to thi to to to to to to to to theeeeeeeeeeeea. I thi thi thi thi thi. I thi. taste in my mouth from that. Let's talk about Caitlin Jenner. So I guess in many communities considered a gift and a curse to the trans community. On one hand, Caitlin Jenner has brought the conversation, you know, really shone a spotlight on what's going on in the trans community. On the other hand, people go, that's not an accurate representation of what it means to be trans. We don't all have glamour and makeup artists, you know. We don't have that money. Caitlin's like 60-something, but in reality, she's a baby trans. And that's all it is, is that a thing? Yeah, baby trans. Yeah, baby trans. Because we're all learning here. We don't walk away from the show. train, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, tran, tran, tran, tran, tran, tran, tran, tran, tran, tran, tran, tran, tran, tran, tran, th, th, tra, th, th, and we're, and we're th, and, and we're the, and we're, and we're, and we're, and we're, and we're, and we're, and we're, and we're, and we're, and we're, and we're, and we're, and we're, and we're, and we're, and we're, and we're, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, they-a-s. And, their their their their their their their, their, and, and, and their, and,'t walk away from the show and be like hey baby trans and someone's like what you say I heard it on the same day show yeah

no baby trans is a thing yes like when you first transition you kind of reach for the longest hair and the shortest skirt you know but but then you learn let's let's chat about the community on the other side this is something I think a lot of people are afraid to talk about because it is hard to talk about. I know this personally. You want to get involved. You are not just not opposed to the transgender community,

but you actually want to support it. And a lot of the time, it feels like the conversation is hindered by the fear of saying the wrong thing is is it he or she is Is it transgendered or transgender is it? How do you begin educating people and saying hey I understand that as a society? We're also transitioning? How do we begin that conversation? I'm Google. It's fascinating. You can find any kind of information on Google. But honestly, it just... But as a person, though, as a person, how does that make you feel? So if somebody says to you, what are the do's and don'ts? Just the simple things where you go, hey, this does, this is not the right thing to do, just on a personal level? It is really trial and thrown error. I think it's when you thi w w w w w w w w w w w w wi, what, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that is that is that is that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is that is that is that is that is that is that's, that's, thi. thi. thi. thr. thrown. thr-a. thi. throwne. thi. thi. that's, but that is a that is a to another person and you realize maybe this is not the right question to ask. If

you are actually asking yourself, well this may be offensive then you're already starting out on the wrong page. So you know really it's it's a thing where we in the trans community we understand intention now more than we understand the words and there's a lot of energy that goes behind certain people's words, and I can feel that hatred. I can feel that energy. But when someone's just fumbling across something and they don't know what the right thing to do is,

as long as I see that there's an energy for you to sort of want to learn, then I think they're well-intentioned, but the impact is quite different than what their intentions were. So you can't just say, well, I didn't mean to, or that wasn't my intent, but we also need to look at the impact of what you said or did. I think we all will be, and a great job on your impact on what your organization is doing. Angelica Ross, everyone, we'll be right back. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like, none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17.