Meet Chella Man: A revolutionary deaf, genderqueer, artist and trans person of color.
Chella Man is a visionary and advocate who has brought awareness to marginalized communities by expressing himself and educating the public at the same time.
Want to know how he does it?
Below, we explore Chella Man’s background, story, personal motivators and his use of a diverse range of social media platforms for advocacy.
Chella Man Living His Truth
I admire Chella Man, because he consistently lives his truth and shares his authentic self, regardless of how it might be received.
Don’t be fooled. Chella Man may seem confident with his being, but in his content, he opens up about the internal journey it took in order for him to be the confident human you see today.
That is what is unique about him; he is not afraid to be vulnerable and open up about his insecurities and the struggles that he has experienced.
Between identifying as genderqueer, struggling to communicate as a deaf person, and his experiences with sexism, homophobia, and racism, he has experienced his fair share of struggles. He never tries to hide any of these things, regardless of the judgement he must periodically receive.
In fact, he is grateful for these experiences and embraces them to work in his favor. He uses his struggles, as well as struggles of others, to educate others and prevent painful incidences for minorities, queer people, and individuals with disabilities in the future.
Being a Role Model
Chella Man often speaks about the lack of representation he has experienced and how that impacted him as a child. Sadly, queer people and people of color have not been commonly represented in media in a positive, empowered light—at least, until recently.
Because of the existence of the internet, people have taken this problem into their own hands by sharing their own experiences. Chella speaks of how his self-image and sense of worth would have been so much better had he seen someone in the media that looked like him.
Because of this, he has become the representation that he so badly needed as a young queer, deaf, person of color. He does this so tastefully and has started a movement that has caused more and more people in his position to embrace their own identity.
Chella man has started a revolution of self-love.
Stepping Outside the Boundaries of Gender
In his own words, Chella is a genderqueer human who goes by he/him pronouns. Despite his experiences with dysphoria and feelings in the past that he had to be masculine in order to fit within his identity as a trans person, he has shattered this belief and now embraces a more fluid “self”.
Because he is nonbinary, he is not afraid to possess and exhibit generally “feminine” qualities, alongside traditionally “masculine” ones. He teaches that gender is not black or white, but rather, a beautiful and complex spectrum.
This is revolutionary act, because it allows other trans people to know that they do not need to be boxed in to live their true gender identity. Your identity is in your own hands and how you present is up to you.
Through the art and photography that he uses to share his life, Chella Man shows us the true meaning of gender freedom and self-expression.
An Educator
In addition to sharing his own stories and experiences, Chella Man educates others on gender and queer perspectives. He talks about the gender binary and how it simply is not black and white. His goal is to participate in the creation of a more inclusive and understanding world.
He also breaks down queer identities and gender in an eloquent way, so that it is easily understandable – whether or not you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Chella Man also educates the public on topics such as male privilege, sexism, racism, and ableism. He has a unique perspective because has moved through the world as both a masculine-presenting and feminine-presenting person. He knows exactly how both sides feel.
He has talked about how he feels empathy for women because he has been there, and he educates men on how to move about in a way that does not put women in uncomfortable positions. He also explores damages of toxic masculinity to men, women, and those in-between.
Of course, he also speaks on accessibility for those who have disabilities and brings to light racist issues.
Multi-Faceted
Chella Man has also started acting in short films in the role of characters that fit with his message and identity. He does this to spread his message and to reach new audiences.
Including visuals, audio, wearable art, films, and talks, there are many different ways that he communicates his message.
This allows his viewers—and people that come across him online—to hear his message in whatever form works best for them.
What inspires you most about Chella Man? Let me know in the comments below.
Are we connected yet on Instagram? If not, let’s make it happen so I can share in your world too!