Item

April 15th 2020 Pasadena Transgender Perspective

Title (Dublin Core)

April 15th 2020 Pasadena Transgender Perspective

Description (Dublin Core)

James Anear. Age; 23 Race; White Occupation; Art student Gender; Nonbinary trans masculine Sexuality; Bisexual; Middle class.

Contributor (Dublin Core)

Type (Dublin Core)

Text

Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)

Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)

Collection (Dublin Core)

Exhibit (Dublin Core)

LGTBQ>Stories-Mapped

Date Submitted (Dublin Core)

04/15/2020

Date Modified (Dublin Core)

05/19/2020
07/09/2020
07/14/2021

Date Created (Dublin Core)

04/15/2020

Text (Omeka Classic)

So far, today has been peaceful. It is the last day of my friend Izel’s job. They are being laid off from Disney Publishing after working there for almost a year. All of the temporary workers were laid off. Izel was about to become a permanent worker so it sucks. They will be searching for a job and doing commissions in the meanwhile for illustrations. Luckily they live with their parents so I am not too worried.
Froyo, my other friend, has shared with me that her friend Evan was laid off. He is a graphic designer, although I’m not sure where he works. It seems everyone is getting fired and laid off. I heard Sephora fired all of their temps as well, except for them that basically means all their workers. Beauty experts etc. I’m not sure how the economy will survive at this point.

I went to the pharmacy yesterday and it was very nerve wracking. I wore my red rain jacket, a black face mask and my glasses. With my hood up I look like The Masque of the Red Death. There were a surprising amount of elderly people at the pharmacy. Before I went in a nurse checked my temperature, suited up in full PPE with a plastic face shield. She asked me if I had any symptoms which I told her no. My temperature was 98.8, probably a bit higher because of wearing a jacket in warm weather. But not a fever! So I was allowed to enter.

It is genuinely difficult to keep a proper distance from people because humans move around a lot. Our architecture isn’t built to accommodate social distancing. Small hallways, larger people, etc. In the pharmacy there was tape laid on the ground for people to stand on, to maintain the 6ft distancing. Except it seemed like the old man in front of me didn’t really know where to stand and kept going in the wrong place.
I picked up my inhaler from a very tired seeming pharmacist. He said it had been somewhat busy.
The hospital was eerily empty on the way in and out besides the pharmacy. The waiting room for lab tests had no one in it, when it’s usually packed. I didn’t see anyone in the hall either. (This is at a Kaiser hospital in Pasadena.)

On the walk home there was almost no one out. Everyone who you do see quietly moves away to maintain distancing. The only person who didn’t do that was a mentally unwell homeless woman. She didn’t have a mask either. It’s concerning what will happen to those kinds of people in the pandemic. If they get sick, will they even know to go to a hospital? Will they just die on the street? It’s disturbing.

My asthma is as shitty as ever. I’m wheezing nearly constantly and running back and forth to the pharmacy for inhalers. I’m seeing a doctor on the 21st about it. I’m thinking it’s a combo of allergies (worst pollen season on record) and stress.
In the meantime I’ve gone on a diet to lose weight, to see if it helps with inflammation and asthma. Almost half of the people submitted to the ICU under 50 were overweight in Italy, so that influenced my decision. I don’t want to die to a stupid virus.

There are some kids right now playing with their parents in the parking lot next to the backyard I’m sitting in. It seems like a lot of parents are spending time outdoors with their kids. I hear people on their porches with their family. I’ve also heard a man teaching French over the phone to someone every day on his balcony. His voice is very beautiful, although I have no idea what he is saying.

Lots of butterflies and lizards have come out now that it is sunny again. I saw a large yellow skink by my door yesterday. It ran off before I could get a better look at it.

My landlady has a huge garden I’ve been spending time in. I don’t know why she doesn’t utilize the land. It’s totally overgrown. I’ll upload a photo of it. It’s relaxing to sit outside in the sun.

I haven’t been in school because it closed down. I opted out of digital learning because at an art school with studio classes that’s just a scam.

I feel lucky and blessed to have my rent paid and food. My grandma is still paying my rent so right now I’m just a bum. I’m working on some art projects during quarantine to pass the time.

Well, that’s all I have to report for now.
Best wishes,
James A.

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1622

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