Reaction to Alok's talk at OXY Live

 Today, I had the PRIVILEGE of listening to the writer and activist Alok at OXY Live. They spoke imaginatively and beautifully – to the point where I quoted almost everything they said in my notes app. For those who aren’t familiar with Alok, they are a gender-non-conforming person who participates in many different art forms on top of LGBTQ+ activism. They spoke eloquently and used solid and emotion-evoking metaphors to precisely express their many messages perfectly.

Alok frequently spoke about how “ridiculousness,” or utilizing the full potential of one’s imagination, is often looked down upon but instead should be praised. “I understood the world tone vast, unknowable, dynamic, and celestial and was told that there are certain things that just “are”, this really upset me. We are told never to question the architecture of reality. Literature taught me that this world is just one of many worlds.” Thinking differently and being critical about the world is an important skill to have, according to Alok. They said: “I would often be told I looked Ridiculous… and I would respond with ‘No I’m valid’.” Alok has a very unique style of gender expression – a hybrid of hyper-femme and hyper-masc attributes all meshed into one. Because of their uniqueness, they have had many experiences with people saying insensitive and negatively charged words on the street. Despite facing hate on the street, Alok always kept a cool head and used writing to delve into their emotions. Art is instrumental in Alok’s life, partaking in poetry, writing, and comedy. “I feel like I could spend the rest of my life trying to live it to its fullest and still not reach it… but its about striving. The methods we learn as artist were to better our craft but end up bettering the world.” Alok shared many life-altering perspectives and ways of living your life – attending this talk was very beneficial.