MISCHA, MORRIS COVE, CT

Where are you from? Where do you live now? Have you ever lived anywhere else?
I am from all over America. I was born in Hartford, CT, traveled the country and ended up in the most fabulous, accepting, tolerant city called New Haven.  

How would you identify your gender?
I go by no labels. You can find labels in the supermarket - go to a supermarket and find them. I am Mischa.

Why did you want to be involved in the project?
I wanted to be involved in the project because every baby step is milestone in the community.

What presentation made you feel most like yourself?  Why?
Every single one. Because we all have different levels in society. And the most comfortable is when you are not at work.

In your life, was there another time you explored/experimented with gender identity/expression? If so, what type of experience was it?
When I was a kid, my aunt called me out on my non-male likes of color and clothing, and I found out that I was truly not the macho male that the American programming was supposed to develop me into. It has been a hard fight. It was social suicide back then to do what we are doing. Many people, including myself, have been jumped, beat up, and raped. Today it is getting easier, although it is still out there. Be careful, be safe, always walk with a partner.

What keeps you from presenting the way you feel most comfortable if anything?
It is always the job. I am at a very macho job environment. Plus, I work with young children. So you can’t rock the boat too much. And you have to always think about a paycheck.

What do you feel is the aspect of your identity that you think about the most?
That big fog of testosterone in my brain that programmed as a young child to be a male - it is still there, although it is dissipating. I work with it. I try to dissolve it. Because it is only cerebral.