Meet the female identifying grand marshal for Pride Houston 365
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Growing in a military family living in the Midwest, Joelle Espeut didn't have the supportive environment she needed to live as her most authentic self. After moving to Houston about seven years ago, she is now working towards creating, empowering and uplifting spaces for Black transgender women.
Espeut was born in Germany, where she spent the first four years of her life. Both of her parents were in the Army, so they moved around quite a bit until her family ended up in St. Louis, Missouri.
She explained how difficult it was trying to navigate her gender identity there as a teenager.
"I always felt awkward because as a child, I knew that this outward presentation of my identity wasn't who I was. I just didn't have the language for it," said Espeut. "I really didn't have the freedom to really explore. It was the Midwest. It was St. Louis. It was in the late 90s and so there really wasn't that brave space to really explore identity as much."
She shared that her parents were not supportive and accepting of her being transgender, further leading her to suppress how she wanted to express herself.
That's why she made the decision to move to Los Angeles when she was only 17. Not only was it a place that empowered Espeut to be her most authentic self, but it allowed her to pursue a career in fashion for more than a decade. However, she still experienced workplace discrimination as a transgender woman.
"I was at companies that were more open and accepting. But the moment that I said I was trans, it was like a switch was flipped. I experienced a lot of transphobia. By then I was in senior leadership with a decade of experience. It was almost like privileges were pulled immediately for me," Espeut shared.
It was around that time that Espeut's step dad was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, bringing her back to St. Louis for a short time. Looking to pivot her life in a new chapter after he died, she moved to Houston after friends told her there was a thriving Black LGBTQ+ community here.
Using social media, she connected with others in Houston's Black LGBTQ+ community and ended up in nonprofit work. Now, she works as the director of programming for Normal Anomaly and focuses on bridging gaps and breaking down barriers for others like her.
"I center Black trans women because of all the things that happen to us in society, from safety, unemployment, housing insecurity, to murder," said Espeut. "My work is really rooted in creating brave spaces that not only center Black trans women, but empower them as leaders in our community and give them the tools to advocate for themselves," said Espeut.
RELATED: Pride Houston 365 announces seven grand marshals for this year's LGBTQ+ celebration
This year, Espeut was named as the female identifying grand marshal for the 46th annual Pride Houston parade that's taking place on Saturday. As she prepares for the event, she wants others in the transgender community to know that there are people fighting for them and they're not alone.
"When we're on this journey, it can be very isolating. People ask why I'm in Texas. They say this is an awful and terrible place for trans people. I tell them it's because this is where the work needs to happen. Why? Because they want us to live in fear. That's why I stand my ground. That's why I'm visible. For me, it's important for people to know that there is a Black trans woman that is living unapologetically and authentically right here in Texas," said Espeut.
For more information about Espeut's work, visit Normal Anomaly's website.
To view details about the 46th annual Houston LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration, visit Pride Houston 365's website.
ABC13 is Pride Houston 365's official media partner. You can watch Espeut and the other six grand marshals in the 46th annual Pride Houston parade on Saturday, June 29 on ABC13's livestream at 7:30 p.m.
