Bionic Babe Shares LGBTQ Dating Stories

Brut America

She’s queer, has a bionic arm, and unapologetic about both. That’s why her dating column is fire! Special thanks to Dayna Troisi.

Transcript

00:00I went 23 years without wearing a prosthetic.

00:02Internally, I worried that if I wanted to wear one,

00:05it meant that I didn't feel pretty or didn't feel good enough without one.

00:09And I started to really rethink what that meant to me when I saw

00:13this new prosthetic. I started to look at it as more of a fashion statement.

00:17I'm gay. I'm thick. I have one hand. I'm a woman.

00:32But those are all the things that make me me.

00:35My name is Dana Troisi. F pretty. I'm extra.

00:48I hope my work will empower others to tell their stories, too,

00:53and be brave and tell the raw and imperfect and, like,

00:56sort of embarrassing and, like, weird parts.

00:59Because I think that's where the magic happens.

01:01There is one specific moment that I can kind of pinpoint.

01:15When I was getting fitted for my cosmetic arm,

01:17and I uploaded a picture to Facebook when I left the office.

01:20I was about 16 years old.

01:21And it was the most liked and commented picture I ever uploaded to Facebook.

01:26And everyone was like, you look so beautiful.

01:29At first, I was like, yeah, likes and comments.

01:31And then I was like, wow.

01:33So now I'm going to be obsessing that I'm not as beautiful without this.

01:38And that kind of, like, damaged me.

01:42I would be like, well, if I put that on, then I'd look normal.

02:05I think it's important to tell stories and have representation

02:08for generations that are kind of just coming into themselves now

02:11so they can know that other people have experienced the same things as them.

02:15And they're fine.

02:16Obviously, life is hard, but you can overcome any challenge

02:19that life throws at you.

02:21And I think it's important to have those stories

02:23in a really accessible, funny way that aren't so serious.

02:25Like, how my disability informed the way.

02:28Like, I don't like that kind of stuff.

02:29I like how I tie my shoes with one arm, how I go on a date with one arm.

02:33If I tell people I have one arm on Tinder, how I have sex with one arm.

02:36I think if I would have had those when I was younger,

02:38not to say they weren't out there, I just wasn't exposed to them.

02:40I think I would have been more confident sooner.

02:42It's important to speak up for people that have disabilities

02:46and or are part of the LGBT community

02:49because our stories are important and need to be told.

02:52And I think they're important to tell and in a really joyful way

02:56and not just like the ways in which we struggle, but the ways that we turn up

03:01and have fun and explore and make mistakes and all of that stuff.

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