At Morpheyes Studio we are humbled, honored, and excited that many of you took the time to share your stories with us and the community. This series would not be possible without your enthusiasm and vulnerability. Our aim is to show young Deaf Queer people that they are not alone in the world, and give them hope through representation.
Here is one of the many beautiful stories shared with us -- by Matthew Jposh Schwartz!
DESCRIPTIVE TRANSCRIPT:
Rollerblading ILY hands
Happy Pride! Waving hands, ILY hands
I’m Deaf, I’m Queer, and I’m Proud, why? Because I’m perfect! Love is love. Exactly who I am is right -- period! (ZACK - ANIMATION CAN GO AFTER THIS CLIP BECAUSE IT IS TWO SEPARATE VIDEOS) {Zack’s comment: If my edit doesn’t look better, I can go to this method, and probably need to get rid of him coming in at the beginning.}
(The logo of a heart with Pride flag stripes and an outline of an ear in one half of the heart appears on a white background again. The heart logo spins and slides left and right, revealing the words “DEAF + QUEER” in funky black lettering. The heart logo slides up above the title. Then appears a person with a blue tank and a grey flat hat and short.)
My name is Matt (sign name). My stage name is “JPosh” (sign name). I did not always feel accepted. I did not always feel Pride. Many years ago -- I think senior year of high school -- I finally decided that now was the time. I was ready to come out and finally truly accept who I am and to tell the world. Now, I’ve searched and I’ve found my people -- my Deaf group, my Queer group, where I truly fit. You will find yours, too. This is our month! LGBTQ+ month -- THAT! Many years ago people had to fight, to protest for our rights, for our community. Is that fight finished? NO! No it’s not. You need to always remember our full community -- LGBTQ+! We still have a lot of work to do going forward. Remember to support each other, support yourself, support YOU, support all, support love. That’s it! Always remember who you are, what you’ve overcome, and what you have yet to win. We’re not done -- but we can still celebrate how far we’ve come. Happy Pride!
(Fade. The logo of a heart with Pride flag stripes and an outline of an ear in one half of the heart appears on a white background again, above the words “DEAF + QUEER” in funky black lettering. End.)