I still remember the first time I came
out it was a coffee shop in cotton it's
not there anymore but if you ask the
silent shop houses they will tell you
that they are angry that the city choose
to bulldoze over every part of their
childhood if you ask me it's not really
a big deal just like the wind it comes
and goes the old being blown baby by
what's new so while a sense of innocent
coffee still lingered in the air I say
to my friend me I'm beautiful she said
to me you know most I've met many
beautiful people and I had many
beautiful friends it's not really a big
deal from that day on I was out and
proud shouting from the rooftops that I
[Applause]
after coming out to about ten people I
realized what everybody needed to know
that I'm beautiful only those that I
care about so I decided to tell my
mother it was one of those scenes the
sofa was patient the TV was cracking
jokes the picture frames things I'm mad
while the stale coffee featured me on
the summer bees give a heart no the
houseplants tried to mediate the room
and in that moment I said to my mother
it will I am beautiful at first she
thought I was fooling around then she
realized I wasn't fooling around
the thing with Abrahamic religions is
they like to use fear to control us
sometimes I wish I could just start my
own mega mosque like those mega churches
you know with a megamouth I can spread
my beautiful message and maybe make tons
of money at the same time and with a
mega mosque you can have all guys and
it's not really a big deal I'm always
grateful for a silent generation they
have paved the way for us nowadays
youngsters come on in their teens there
are still some late bloomers and there
will be some they will never come up to
themselves they were never come to
realize their true beauty that's why
it's up to us to keep the torch going to
make everybody realize that they are
beautiful okay I need everyone to say it
with me and a comma tree say I am
beautiful
okay everyone one two three I know it
sounds a little silly but it's really
not a big deal okay let's try it one
more time
one two three awesome louder this time
one two three see it's not really a big
deal you know what's a big deal it's
when you look into the mirror and see
every single fine line on your face and
you realize the birds will sing again
thank you the piece that I just
performed for you is called the coming
out beauty I'm gonna perform for you one
more piece it's called 419 square feet I
wrote this piece for a very good friend
of mine when he and his partner got an
apartment together it's a very big
milestone for people from my community
to find love to build a home it's a very
big milestone they said we are only
allowed to build a home in this shoebox
apartment reminding us that the world
it's not ready to play so we crayon our
stories on white walls substitute sesame
oil for olive watch one bats and owls
somersaults into Serangoon river cuddle
in bed until a monsoon blows over
we are the unseen children the
forget-me-nots trying to assemble jigsaw
pieces on this tiny rosewood floor thank
you
[Applause]
[Music]