StoryCorps: “We’re just people too.”
Jennifer: I don’t think you realize, Rae, what a leader you are to the other kids. Because even the times when you felt you didn’t have friends, I would go to the school, and walk through the hallway with you, and all I heard the entire time was people saying hello to you. So I think people look up to you, because you are not afraid to take a different path. And that’s a true hero: someone who can be true to themselves and kind to others, and live an intentional life that is different.
What do you hope the future holds for transgender or any LGBTQ people?
Rae: Well, as I once heard, humans are afraid of the unknown, so they don’t want transgender people in the bathroom, because they are afraid of the unknown. They don’t want gay or lesbian marriage, because they are afraid of the unknown. So, I think that they should just give us a chance, ‘cause we’re are not going to be evil. We’re just people too.
Jennifer: You’re being true to yourself, aren’t you, by being who you are?
Rae: Yes. Yes I am. In ten years, you may not know this, but I want to be in a giant martial arts academy. I want to own it. I want to be the head instructor. I want to teach my own classes. I want everybody to be accepted, and I want to be able to compete in tournaments as a male, because that’s been a challenge for me lately. I wanted to go to a tournament as a male in Tuscaloosa, and most of my instructors supported me. But a few at the head said no, but I came to Birmingham, and the martial arts there lets me compete as a male. I’m really happy about that.
Jennifer: Yeah, that was a situation where we actually faced some discrimination, a little bit of discrimination, for the first time, didn’t we?
Rae: Yes. It made me feel kind of upset, because martial arts is what I love. The whole world … all those evil people … they just fade away. I can’t think about anything but martial arts when I’m on the mat.
Jennifer: I’m just so proud. Happy tears.
Rae: OK.
Jennifer: I’m very proud to be your mom.
Rae: I’m proud to be your son.
Jennifer: I think you’re super-cool, and you’re one of my heroes.
Rae: You’re cool, I just live with you.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- "The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir." He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze following 12th loss in his last 15 SEC games
The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.
In a ‘disheartening’ era, the nation’s former top mining regulator speaks out
Joe Pizarchik, who led the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 2009 to 2017, says Alabama’s move in the wake of a fatal 2024 home explosion increases risks to residents living atop “gassy” coal mines.
‘It’s like feeling the arms of your creator just wrapped around you’: a visit to a special healing Shabbat
Members of Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham gathered recently for their traditional Friday Shabbat service. But this particular service was different, as could be seen by all the people dressed in their finest pink.
Space Command is coming to Huntsville. What might that mean for first-time homebuyers
While Huntsville has been a more affordable market than other growing cities, what’s it been like for those looking for their first home?
Colorado says relocation of Space Command to Alabama is ‘punishment’ for mail-in voting
The litigation announced by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser asks a federal judge to block the move as unconstitutional.
