“There are plenty of male folk-twang American singer songwriters. But not many of them can say they learned to write songs at Girl Scout camp.” In his music bio, drugs StormMiguel Florez talks about being born and raised as a girl in Albuquerque, link New Mexico, and later making the decision to live his life as the gender he always felt he was.
Amongst our friends, Storm ranks at the top of the list as one of the most fascinating people we know. When we sat down with him after brunch in our home, we found out that Storm is also one of the most well-spoken people we know. So instead of writing up this interview as an article, we thought we’d just let Storm speak for himself.
VIDEO: Storm talks about his trans identity (“it encompasses a lot more than just me being a guy”), coming out first as a lesbian (Storm demonstrates the secret dyke whistle in Albuquerque), struggling with how his transition would impact his music (“when I started testosterone, I decided I wasn’t going to stop singing”), and his family’s reaction (“it was a very scary thing for my mom.”).
VIDEO: Storm plays Lily, dedicated to his sweetheart Annalise.
Last fall, Lisa and I attended Storm’s marriage ceremony to Annalise Ophelian in the couple’s San Francisco home. A revolutionary force in her own right, Annalise is a clinical psychologist and the director of Diagnosing Difference, a documentary about gender identity disorder. Watching Storm and Annalise make a commitment in front of a house packed-full of their friends, we were touched by the strength of their devotion to each other and to their community.
After our interview with Storm, we had a candid conversation with him and Annalise at the kitchen counter over cupcakes. These two are the poster couple for the queers. Luckily, I caught this chat on tape as well.
VIDEO: Storm and Annalise share about what Storm’s transition was like for them (“I see the same person, regardless of the level of testosterone you’ve had in your body”) and about their queer identities (“humans are capable of a lot, and we can love in a lot of different ways”). Storm also gives instruction on the secret dyke whistle.
This month, Storm will be performing on June 16-18 in San Francisco as part of the Fresh Meat festival, the nation’s premiere transgender performance festival. You can learn more about Storm’s music at www.stormflorez.com and about the Fresh Meat festival at www.freshmeatproductions.org.
One Response
This turned out to be one of my favorite interviews so far. You guys are doing such great work! Thanks!