Shea Diamond: Trans Soul Singer and Songwriter's Inspiring Journey - Essay Sample

Introduction

Shea Diamond is a Trans soul singer and songwriter with an incredible story and a "powerhouse" voice. She was born in Little Rock, Arkansas to a fourteen-year-old mother. Shea Diamond was raised by relatives in Memphis, Tennessee and Flint, Michigan. While growing up friends, and family did not accept her gender. This made her run away from home since she felt repressed and marginalized due to her gender and entered foster care (Crowley, 2018). She persevered in the foster care system before making her mark into the world. She endured many challenges that so many trans-gendered black women face. Upon her freedom, she lacked funds to pay for gender reconstruction surgery. This prompted her to commit armed robbery at a convenience store, and spend nearly a decade in prison (Crowley, 2018). She developed the art of singing and songwriting while still in prison. However, she was released from prison in 2009 and moved to New York. Aside from working on her music Diamond became deeply involved in the transgender rights movement. She currently has notable tracks such as "I am her", "Seen It All", and "Keisha Complexion."

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The text "I am her" helps to explain the social construction of gender in society. What people are granted as natural is taken as cultural due to inventions by humans. The text explains the cultural change from ways of communication to the emergence of diverse cultural settings and experiences. It represents gender and sexuality in terms of male-female differences including reproduction and a cultural invention that shapes all human capacities. The text relies on stereotypes, for instance, there is a limit of natural talent of the singer Shea Diamond. In the same hand, there is a limitation of opportunities and professional experiences of women while in prison. Shea Diamond is one of the women, they are even raped by the officers' something that holds back their advancement.

This text invites the viewer to consider gender and sexuality in a new way as her music stands as a powerful decree of suppleness. It gives women a voice in society to air out their objections and at the same time brings gender equality. There are many people who are involved in the text including artists affected by transphobia and people whose stories are not relatable. This text is representing others through a self-reflection in music and storytelling. It shows how society is made of sexist attitudes that hold back the advancement of women and other people who do not have a voice. Shea Diamond wrote the text "I am Her" to show that the presence of women in society matters. The text sets the artist apart by giving her a platform to represent people affected by societal stereotypes. It also champions for sexual identity as it identifies Shea Diamond as a black Trans woman with sexual orientation across her key areas of life.

Shea Diamond's "I am Her" is a song that has a strong message on empowering the transgender black women who are marginalized in the American Society (Katz, 2016). She started composing the song while in prison as a statement to the world on behalf of anyone who has ever felt rejected due to either their sex, gender, race, or sexual orientation. In the song, she says that "No matter how the world treats me, even though I am rejected, recognized, denied or misconstrued, I will continue to live out my truth as Shea Diamond!" (Schmider, 2016). She wrote "I am Her" to explain to the world the rejection and challenges she went through for being a Transgender while in a male prison. This is evident when she says "If you had to wear my shoes, you would probably have taken them off" (Schmider, 2016). Nevertheless, the song was meant to give voice to the transgender and black community in America who are often treated as the marginalized groups.

References

Crowley, P. (2018). Meet Shea Diamond, The Trans Soul Singer Who Found Her Voice in Men's Prison. Billboard. Retrieved from: https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/8460690/shea-diamond-interview-billboard-pride

Katz, R., E. (2016). Shea Diamond's debut single "I Am Her" is a stirring celebration of Transgender resilience. Mic.com. Retrieved from: https://www.mic.com/articles/156913/shea-diamond-s-debut-single-i-am-her-is-a-stirring-celebration-of-transgender-resilience

Schmider, A. (2016). Shea Diamond's "I Am Her" is the Trans Power Anthem Everyone needs to Hear. glaad.org. Retrieved from: https://www.glaad.org/blog/shea-diamonds-i-am-her-trans-power-anthem-everyone-needs-hear