#mynameis ....

‪#‎mynameis‬


With me traveling as a photojournalist abroad, I have done a great disdain for myself and my career and miss out on chances because I am at risk if I am out and open. And here I will be vulnerable. You see as an intersex woman I have to limit my advocacy and often silence my voice around political matters including trans rights at the moment for Facebook policies that refuse to protect me, a journalist, in my travels in the work that I do. Because to have my Facebook which is viewed by not only my friends but their friends and by whoever likes a comment, video, or post that I Share or put on my wall, Facebook has forced someone who is proud of who she is back into the closet because they will not let me protect myself and my family as a journalist. I am a recovery meth addict, a leather woman, human rights activist, and spiritual "leader" (I use leader loosely as I am only a servant), a woman living with HIV and a platform that promotes "inclusive" social media allows me to be all but.


Maybe you feel I'm being overly melodramatic and that I'm not that important to be bother with and I have nothing to worry about; and yet my own country is at war on bathrooms and other anti lgbtq discrimination laws, and other countries abroad have their own laws. Media is the enemy especially when it's not bought and paid for by corrupt entities. In my field on my page with my name, the one on my passport, on my identifications and press credentials puts me at risk and limits what I can do, limits my voice, keeps me oppressed. You see as someone who has a vibrant life who "passes," had surgery to find out this information about me especially state officials and others who wish to do me harm puts me at risk to being raped, imprisoned, killed, and puts my family at risk as well. I have repeatedly asked Facebook to protect my family, friends, and myself for well over a year in preparations for this journey and my emails have gone unanswered. Sister Roma told me to give FB until Tuesday to answer and respond to mine and her requests. I removed personal information from my page, moved my family to a separate page and doing what I can to be proactive in my journey and to protect myself, and yet I find myself silenced. I am not in the safety of the Bay Area or the United States. I am a solo female traveler abroad in Europe and further.


#Mynameis Lady Katerina an honorific given to me by my Leather community, one I have assumed in my spiritual path and a reminder on how I interact with people and what my sober life means to me. The title also honors a Valkyrie of my community who told me all honor my leather heart and keep the tenets of honor, service, discipline, and integrity an all that I do. It's an honorific that reminds to love myself and be of love. It is my protection.


I ask Facebook publicly again if they value life and their members to change my name on this page and also remove my last name on my family page as even with documentation and constant request won't display it properly.


‪#‎iamkat‬

‪#‎freedomofexpression‬

‪#‎reporterswithoutborders‬

#mynameis