PERSONAL FAQ

When did you realize you were transgender?

That's a bit of a complicated question, because like a lot of trans people, I knew I didn't like my assigned gender at birth (AGAB) and wanted to be a girl at a very young age—5 in my case. But like a lot of queer people who grow up in oppressive environments, I lacked the language or the safety to really explore those feelings in full until the pandemic.

Right before my 29th birthday in 2020, my "egg" cracked, which is a term trans people use to describe realizing that you're trans. I think the isolation from social pressures, seeing trans people in the news more, my subsequent exposure to trans communities, and my growing list of trans and nonbinary friends all came together to create this moment of clarity where I knew that I, at the least, wasn't happy as my AGAB and had never been happy about my body. It took a bit longer to come to terms with my identities, and truthfully I'm still grappling with it, but I was rock solid on the direction I needed to take my life in from that moment on.

What are your pronouns?

My pronouns are she/her/hers.

How did you decide when to come out?

I had initially planned on coming out in August of 2022, but as I continued transitioning and receiving support from my closest friends it seemed apparent to me that there really wasn't much of a point in hiding things for any longer than I had to. Coming out is scary as hell, no matter how much support one gets! But having to lie through my teeth and live as a character that I was intentionally playing was becoming more and more exhausting and, frankly, maddening and sad. Thankfully, The MET and other professional organizations that I'm a part of have been extremely supportive, as have my colleagues in the orchestra.

How/why did you choose your name?

So, this is kind of a funny story: I had a bit of trouble choosing a new name for myself. I had a bunch of names that I liked, but they either didn't really seem to fit me, were too close to my deadname, were too common, etc. Then it hit me while I was watching Attack on Titan—Potato Girl! There's a character named Sasha (Potato Girl) who is extremely competent at her job—like, elite class—but is goofy as hell and is always getting into trouble because other people just don't get her behavior. I'm pretty sure the writers must've spied on me and my life to come up with her, because the level of naivete during both her training and mine is eerily similar.

There's a scene towards the beginning where they are basically in boot camp and it's super serious. Titans just ate everyone 2 minutes earlier in the show, the drill sergeant is explaining to them the gravity of what they're doing, and Sasha is just...munching on a potato. Like, a raw potato. And the drill sergeant is towering over her with disbelief and fury just like "what are you doing?" And she's like, "eating a potato, SIR!" And he's like, "...why are you eating a potato?" Sasha: "Because I was hungry, SIR!" And I just love everything about that interaction haha. It's very me. Also, Sasha is a pretty rare name without sounding too “out there,” and it just seemed to click immediately when people started calling me by that name, so it stuck!

What’s your favorite thing about living in NYC?

Definitely not having to drive! Sure, driving can be more convenient at times, and you’re not crowded into a small space with a bunch of other people like you are on the train, but commuting by car used to cause me a lot of stress. Trains and buses can be irritating at times, but switching to public transportation has worked well for me.

Also the culture and the food are definite highlights for me! I like the business of it.

Favorite film?

This is probably a huge trans femme stereotype, but The Matrix is definitely up there in my top 10. For those who don't know, it is canonically a trans metaphor, confirmed by the Wachowskis (the directors), who are trans. As a kid though, I watched The Lion King so many times that I wore out the VHS cassette...twice. We had to buy 3 copies in total. For the whippersnappers, a VHS cassette was a box filled with tape that had little pictures on it like a flip book. I had to hire a pianist to play the score because it had no sound, and it wasn't until the late 90s when they added color! You had to order them from the Sears catalogue through snail mail because they hadn't invented Blockbuster yet, and it took 3 months for delivery.

Favorite food?

Tacos! Specifically Al Pastor street tacos.