Hailey is the first time in my 67 years on this earth that I’ve seen more than one of my identities represented in a single character and my reaction to it caught me off guard.
I am a 6’5 Deaf Black woman. I have beautiful dark skin, I speak ASL exclusively, and I like to wear heels when I have date nights with my partner. I love my Blackness, my deafness, my height. My mother went to great lengths to ensure I loved myself–all of myself–despite knowing it wasn’t likely I’d have many peers or role models in my daily life. I don’t do much of anything to make myself fit into the world around me. My one and only attempt to conform was agreeing to get bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) 30 years ago. I have not worn them in 29 years. I’ve grown accustomed to being the only one in most spaces, alone though rarely lonely.