Getting to Know Jymi Cliche: Transgender Author, Artist, Poet, and Human Being
Meet my older brother, Jymi Cliche!
Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility, so I wanted to share the story of one human who is very dear to my heart and who also happens to be transgender and struggles with mental illness.
He’s an extremely talented artist, poet, author, and above all else, an amazing human being who makes this world a better place. I am inspired by his bravery, curiosity, and kind heart every day.
I feel the need to stress the word “human” repeatedly because I think sometimes these labels that we give people can make us forget that, at the end of the day, we are all human.
As a marketer, I saw that today was coming up, and I thought… I could write a simple post acknowledging this day and that it means something extra special to me because I have someone very close to me who has struggled partly due to being transgender.
And then I thought, today is not about me.
Today is about bringing awareness to a community that is often unfairly judged and mistreated due to a lack of understanding – and fear caused by that lack of understanding. And that fear of the unknown often transforms into hate, and we all know what that can look like.
So today, I wanted to tell you about a particular human who struggles to belong because he isn’t like everyone else.
Jymi has many trans friends and says he supports the community, of course, but he just doesn't feel included all the time. So he doesn’t actively seek out trans communities. He just finds people to spend time with who accept him for who he is.
He said, “I often meet other trans people in all kinds of communities, so I don’t need to go to a trans club or trans-only community. Many people don’t realize they even know trans people because many people pass as the gender they’re living as, and people don’t know any different. Someone you know and care about might be trans, and you might not even know.”
I interviewed Jymi and asked him what he wanted people to know about him and about living as a trans person, and how I could help bring visibility to a community and, more importantly, to bring awareness to the fact that everyone within this community may be struggling in a different way – just like any other human.
He said,
“It’s hard to be trans, but it is what I am. I’ve gone through feeling like I was a man, but sometimes I don’t feel like I’m either (a man or a woman). I’m constantly transitioning. I fought really hard to be who I am. The more I just let go of what expectations are, the closer I get to becoming “me” every day. In the beginning, I tried to be what I thought a man was supposed to be. I tried to be a masculine, tough guy man, but that’s not who I am. There’s so much stigma and expectations tied to genders. If you’re not t exactly what you think you’re supposed to be, you aren’t always accepted by your peers and feel like you don’t really fit in.”
He added, “Oftentimes, I find myself not feeling welcome in trans spaces. I wrote my books to help other trans people who feel different and left out, too. I wrote my books for LGBTQ people who get left behind, even within the community, for one thing, or another.”
Jymi has written several books in multiple genres. But his latest series begins with the first book, “Good Catholic Kids,” which features a teenage character named Karen, with a troubled past, an odd sense of humor, battling addictions and other demons.
Jymi said he decided to write books to help other trans people who feel like they don’t belong, either. He knows what it feels like to get left out, even sometimes in the trans community, which you’d think would automatically welcome him with open arms for being one of their “kind.”
I asked him about the main character of his book, Karen, AKA Ren. He said, “The main character of my latest book series is a neurodivergent LGBTQ teen artist and rapper who is questioning their gender and sexuality throughout my series. At some point, I plan to have her transition, but she has not yet.”
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term “transition,” Transitioning can mean different things to different people, but here’s a general definition from Planned Parenthood:
“Transitioning is about making changes so that you can live in your gender identity. These changes can include changing your name or getting gender-affirming medical care. People often transition to reduce gender dysphoria and/or increase gender euphoria.”
Jymi mentioned that because he doesn’t feel as connected to the LGBTQ community as he might like, he’s having a hard time spreading awareness of the book.
He said, “I was sad to find out that my books were not included in the list of suggested reading for this year's Trans Rights Readathon. I tried to use the readathon for advertising, but I can't do paid advertising, so I mostly only reach the same people over and over again.”
Jymi doesn’t work a regular job due to his mental disability, so his funds for marketing and advertising are limited, which is why organically reaching the people he’s trying to help has proven to be even more difficult. However, the story is one that many people can enjoy and relate to, and empathize with.
“So far, my reviews have been very positive, and LGBTQ people are relating a lot, especially those with mental health issues,” he said. “But I've only sold about 50 copies, and I think many people haven't started reading it yet.”
Jymi further describes the series, saying, “The books have a very important and powerful story that is deep, funny, exciting, inspirational, and just fun in general. They take place in the 90s, and they're very relatable, I think, to anyone who was ever a teen, whether they're trans or mentally ill or not.”
With each book in the series, Jymi says, “I try to show that people are human. That they have more than one dimension. The characters in my fiction books are pretty well developed and people usually say they can't put my books down once the story gets going.”
Where to Find Jymi’s Books, Art, and More
Jymi’s most recent art exhibit came down off the walls of the Middle East in Cambridge this month and is being moved to The Armory in Somerville.
He has certainly been through a lot more unusual stuff than the “average” person, which gives him a unique perspective worth reading about. He is the author of several books:
Good Catholic Kids (Fiction)
In-Patient (Fiction)
I Write the System (Autobiography)
Be The Best You (Children’s book and my personal favorite!)
The Godchild Trilogy (2 books are available, and one is coming soon)
You can visit his website here: https://wickedclicheart.com/ and additional information about him and his creations here: https://linktr.ee/wickedcliche
