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Women Around the World: Amazin Le Thi · Stuff Mom Never Told You

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Hey, this is Anny and Samantha and welcome to Stephane
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Never told your protection of iHeart Radio, and welcome to
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: another edition of advocates and activists around the world. That's
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: a that's on your title, okay, um And we want
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: to celebrate the amazing people who are doing and have
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: been doing such amazing work for all of us in
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: the entire world and say thank you and give you
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: flowers as per usual. But before we start, Adie, I
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  Speaker 1: have a question for you. It's not hard, it is hard.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: Here we go. How do you feel about team sports
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  Speaker 1: and were you actively a part of them? M hmm.
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: This is a good question. I think the answer there
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  Speaker 1: is I liked playing in them. I'm very competitive, but
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  Speaker 1: at the same time, I'm also very insecure. Um So,
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  Speaker 1: I always felt like I was the weakest link on
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  Speaker 1: the team, like I was the worst player. And I
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  Speaker 1: mean for a while I played goalie in soccer and
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  Speaker 1: the stress was way too much. Samantha. It was so much,
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  Speaker 1: except that, like the whole thing, you know, it's hard
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  Speaker 1: not to even though it's a team sport, it's hard
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  Speaker 1: not to be like if I fail, then it's all
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  Speaker 1: my fault. Um So, I did enjoy it. I think
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  Speaker 1: there was a lot of dynamics that we're stressful, and
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  Speaker 1: I think that I was insecure, so that kind of
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  Speaker 1: took me out of it. But overall I liked it.
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  Speaker 1: I am not really athletic, but I did really want
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  Speaker 1: to be a part of the sports because a lot
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  Speaker 1: of people bonded so hardcore. When it came to team sports,
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  Speaker 1: I it was not so great at it. I did
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  Speaker 1: do cheerleading, and yes that's a sport. I think I've
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  Speaker 1: said that before and I will continue to say it forever.
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  Speaker 1: Um and enjoyed that, but it did feel a little
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  Speaker 1: off like they were definitely moments of like I was
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  Speaker 1: out of place and it felt awkward. Definitely being the
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  Speaker 1: only one of two Asian people in the whole school
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  Speaker 1: was on as well. But you know, I really wanted
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  Speaker 1: to be a part of it, and I think if
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  Speaker 1: I had better experiences and it wasn't more athletic, maybe
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  Speaker 1: I would have enjoyed it more. But you know, who knows?
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  Speaker 1: And why are we talking about that today? Why am
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: I asking these questions? Well, because I wanted to talk
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  Speaker 1: about an advocate who really went through the battlegrounds when
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  Speaker 1: it came to sports and came out and realizing it's
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  Speaker 1: an amazing thing to be able to be in sports
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  Speaker 1: and working through some of your trauma that way through athleticism,
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: but also combating the many, many things that oftentimes can traumatized,
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  Speaker 1: especially queer people of color when they're in these types
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: of organizations. And yeah, we're we're celebrating the works of
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  Speaker 1: Amazon Laity who was born in Saigon and has become
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  Speaker 1: an activist through partially due to her past in our
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: traumatic childhood UM and has become a big advocate for
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  Speaker 1: those in the queer community in sports. So let's talk
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: about her. You're ready. Abandoned at an orphanage in Saigon,
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: Late was eventually adopted by a couple in Australia, and
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  Speaker 1: again we've talked about this before. Unlike the fairy tales
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: that are so often fed to the adoptees myself included,
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  Speaker 1: Lady struggled with being different throughout her childhood. She talks
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  Speaker 1: a lot about her experience as being one of the
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  Speaker 1: only few people of color in her community UM and
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: in her school. And when Lady talks about her childhood,
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  Speaker 1: she talks a lot about the bullying and racism she
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: had to endure not only for being a trans racial adoptee,
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  Speaker 1: but also as identifying as queer. And I don't think
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  Speaker 1: she came out until much later, but she knew she
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: was different as to how she would put it, and
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  Speaker 1: she has talked about her experience as being the only
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  Speaker 1: Asian child in sports and in her community, and she
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  Speaker 1: had to deal with the experiences of being racially targeted
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  Speaker 1: for not being white and then just feeling as she
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  Speaker 1: was all alone in this world of sports and just
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  Speaker 1: in general. She says in a recent outsport dot Com
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  Speaker 1: interview quote, I really believe I was the only Asian
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  Speaker 1: lgbt Q child in the world, and that created a
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  Speaker 1: tremendous amount of sadness. We just don't get to see
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  Speaker 1: ourselves in media as often as we like, and it's
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  Speaker 1: so difficult to come out. And it's not surprising as
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: the Asian community make a very small percentage of leading
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  Speaker 1: roles in media, which we've talked about before, and in
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  Speaker 1: fact it was only around one percent. And through her isolation,
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  Speaker 1: later started her journey into sports through bodybuilding and weightlifting
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  Speaker 1: at the age of six. She would continue on later
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  Speaker 1: becoming a competitive natural bodybuilder and her teens and qualifying
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  Speaker 1: as a coach soon after her But within her journey,
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: the tolls of her past and current trauma weighed her
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  Speaker 1: down heavily. She became unhoused as a young adult and
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: struggled both mentally and physically. She has talked about her
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  Speaker 1: past struggles and how she had to come to terms
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  Speaker 1: with who she was and understanding and loving herself during
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  Speaker 1: the hardest times, even when she had thoughts of suicide.
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  Speaker 1: She battled through her past trauma to where she is today,
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  Speaker 1: including her sexual identity. Right so Late refers to her
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  Speaker 1: sexuality as quote rainbow, which is a Vietnamese term for
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  Speaker 1: a queer, and in her interview with Proudly Dot blog,
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  Speaker 1: a blog that shares quote extraordinary stories from everyday people
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  Speaker 1: within the LGBTQ plus community, she explains, in terms of
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: my label, it's actually something the Vietnamese community used, and
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  Speaker 1: I feel it's much more encompassing now. The spectrum of
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  Speaker 1: sexuality and gender identity is so vast and so much
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  Speaker 1: broader than the lgbt Q plus worldwide, So rainbow is
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  Speaker 1: an uplifting, easier way for me to define because everybody
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: loves rainbows. After the thunderstorm. I thought that was really
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: a sweet sentiment. Um, she's right, She's right, because I
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: had a rainbow in my backyard the other day. It
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  Speaker 1: was really nice. It was really nice. And as she
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  Speaker 1: navigated through a search for her identity and self, she
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  Speaker 1: pursued her continued interest in sports, but it was a
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  Speaker 1: difficult journey for her. She had to go through a
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: path of discrimination and isolation as she pushed through in
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  Speaker 1: her passion for bodybuilding and other sportes. She talked about
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: the issues of sexism, misogyny, and homophobia within the bodybuilding industry,
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: and it wasn't until she left that industry that she
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: came out and she started to work to advocate for
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  Speaker 1: others because she felt so alone when she did right,
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  Speaker 1: and because she credits sport with helping her through the
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  Speaker 1: darkest time. She understood the importance of pushing through and
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: persevering partially due to her experience in sports, and wanted
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: to help others to be able to do the same.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: But with that, she understood what it was like to
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  Speaker 1: feel isolated, even within a team, and wanted to become
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  Speaker 1: an advocate for others so they didn't have to endure
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  Speaker 1: the hardships she did. In seventeen, she launched an LGBTQ
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  Speaker 1: plus sports and education program in Vietnam in order to
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  Speaker 1: bring lgbt Q plus youth and kids who were living
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  Speaker 1: with HIV into sports. She explained that the aim of
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: the program was quote to empower and inspire its participants
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  Speaker 1: through sports and education, to create future leaders and mentors,
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  Speaker 1: transform lives, and to help build stronger communities within these
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  Speaker 1: marginalized groups and for society as a whole. And in
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  Speaker 1: one she launched the Amazon Late Foundation, which is a
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  Speaker 1: program advocating for quote LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness, their leadership
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  Speaker 1: and development, using sports as a platform for change. She
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  Speaker 1: says about the organization having a foundation is really just
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  Speaker 1: an extension of the work I've been doing as an advocate.
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  Speaker 1: As an individual. I have piloted some programs within in
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  Speaker 1: Vietnam which we just talked about, which will become my
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  Speaker 1: flagship program that will launch in one and it's a
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  Speaker 1: program I wanted when I was a kid that involved leadership, mentorship, sports, businesses,
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  Speaker 1: and education where I can meet business leaders, community leaders,
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  Speaker 1: and sports leaders, and where I can see myself celebrated
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  Speaker 1: within the community, but also as a fast track career path.
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  Speaker 1: The foundation wants to particularly help LGBTQ plus people suffering
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  Speaker 1: with homelessness because now we have had this pandemic for
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: the last few months, and there are so many vulnerable
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  Speaker 1: LGBTQ plus communities and youth who are experiencing homelessness and
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  Speaker 1: don't necessarily receive the support they need. And that's what
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  Speaker 1: I'll be championing through my foundation as well as my
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  Speaker 1: sports advocacy work. And she has been very busy with
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  Speaker 1: her advocacy. In twenty twelve, she was the Ambassador for
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  Speaker 1: Vietnam Relief Services in first Asian ambassador to athlete ally
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  Speaker 1: named one of the seven Asian LGBTQ activists accelerating equality
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  Speaker 1: globally by glad uh came the first Asian Sports Champion
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  Speaker 1: Ambassador for Stone while UK and twenty nineteen was named
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  Speaker 1: Global Change Maker and so many more. On top of that,
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: how many more? Yes, she was also given an honorary
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: state citizenship by friend of the Show, Georgia's state representative,
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: part Cannon. Yes, and if you go to our site
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  Speaker 1: Amazon Ltte dot com, they have a video of part
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  Speaker 1: Canon making this announcement. I was like, Hey, that's our friend.
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  Speaker 1: That's awesome. I love it. I love it, I love it.
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  Speaker 1: I love it. Uh. And as a part of her
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: Proudly interview, Latigue gives this advice to the younger generation
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  Speaker 1: of LGBTQ plus athletes. Stand in your truth and that
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  Speaker 1: you're enough and you have always been enough. It is
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  Speaker 1: so important to bring your whole self to work and
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: to be your authentic self, because when you high bits
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: of yourself that are the most important, it becomes such
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: heavy baggage and a heavy burden you have to carry
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  Speaker 1: around and have to lie to so many people remember
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  Speaker 1: those lies, and it becomes so difficult to be yourself
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  Speaker 1: in sports and have to lie to so many people
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  Speaker 1: who remember those eyes. And it becomes so difficult to
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  Speaker 1: be yourself in sports. And I'm far more successful now
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  Speaker 1: being me and showing up as me than showing up
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  Speaker 1: as parts of me and hiding these parts of me
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  Speaker 1: that made me whole. Yeah. I love that sentiment and
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  Speaker 1: exactly she talked about her journey was hard, but she
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: has come to this point and has really pushed in
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  Speaker 1: understanding um that sports can be a great significant part
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  Speaker 1: of a teenager's life and normalizing a teenager's life. But
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: if you have to hide a part of yourself, it
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  Speaker 1: becomes detrimental. And she talks about that trauma and how
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  Speaker 1: it's affected her until she was able to be her
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  Speaker 1: true self. And look what she's doing now is amazing.
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  Speaker 1: She's all over the world advocating. She's a speaker, she's
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  Speaker 1: an advocate, she's ambassador. Like it's amazing. Yeah. Absolutely, I
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  Speaker 1: think this is definitely an area where sports and team
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  Speaker 1: sports can be so healthy as long as we make
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: them a space to be healthy and we make sure
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  Speaker 1: that they are space for you to be your whole,
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  Speaker 1: authentic self and to be healthy. And if you feel
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  Speaker 1: like you can't be, then it's hurting the team and
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  Speaker 1: it's hurting you. So this is yeah, I love this.
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  Speaker 1: I love this. While as always, if you have someone
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: we should shout out in this segment or something like
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: a organization or something, then please let us know. You
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: can email us at Stephanie you Mom Stuff at I
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: hurt mea dot com. You can find us on Twitter
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: at moms podcast or on Instagram at staffhol I never
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: told you. Thanks. It's always to our super producer Christina
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: part of the team, right here part of the team
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: m VP. I would yes. Thanks to you for listening.
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: Stephon ever told you. Subrotection of I Heart Radio for
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