Junior Apollo Salazar has heard it all.
From Elon Musk’s hate-fueled tirade against his transgender daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson to comparisons made by political commentators that liken transgender people to mentally unstable individuals, Salazar often feels as though he’s watching a circus of disinformation unfold before him.
And this is only the half of it. There’s also the misinformed comments, disbelief, and shock from people when he tells them he is transgender.
As a speech and debate student, Salazar knows how to communicate and connect with an audience. So when the opportunity for him to write and perform an original speech arose, he chose to explore a subject personal to him.
The result was a 10-minute speech titled “Just Human” that he delivered at the National Qualifier Tournament in Burbank on March 22. It earned Salazar first place.
The speech weaves statistics and personal anecdotes with solutions for combating bigotry. Ultimately, the goal is to argue that being transgender should not be stigmatized or politicized and that transgender people are as deserving of respect as cisgender individuals.
In his speech, Salazar starts by describing last year’s election results and the national trend in anti-transgender legislation before coming out to his audience: “I am told by many people that I am a very political person, which is true but not because I want to be but because my circumstances force me to. In 2024 alone, 691 anti-transgender bills were introduced into Congress from across the country. So if you couldn’t already guess… I’m transgender!”
He then describes his dismay when the transgender community is used as a punching bag by politicians: “Part of my identity no longer belongs to me but to the mouths of politicians who weaponize it against each other.”
Equally as unsettling are the comments he hears in his daily life: “When I come out to people as transgender, their initial reactions are, ‘Wow I would have never guessed since you look so normal!’ Insinuating that trans people aren’t normal people and only exist to be the loud-mouthed blue-haired liberal that everyone usually expects us to be. It’s almost as if we’re not completely defined by our gender identities and we are all each our own individual person.”
It is possible for this discourse to shift, Salazar concludes. This should start with seeking out transgender voices and having constructive conversations: “First and foremost, it is crucial to actually listen to transgender voices…When we listen to each other and have empathy, regardless of what the issue may be, we are more likely to get things done and cooperate versus the hate-filled screaming matches you see everywhere when discussing transgender people.”
Another solution he offers is to avoid thinking of people in simplistic terms and to begin socializing with people outside your circle. Exposure to unfamiliar ideas gives us a deeper understanding of the world: “Things don’t have to be black and white…I grew up with a neighbor who is practically like a brother to me,…[H]is father, who I admire a lot, expressed to me that he is a Republican and… after I spoke to him about my experience being transgender… it changed everything for him. And although we didn’t see eye to eye on everything, I would 100% take that over what I see on the news.”
Salazar ends the speech with a dream for his future: “One day I want to be able to have conversations about my country without having to worry if the way I identify, the way I am, interferes…Transgender Americans are still Americans and more importantly human.”
Salazar will travel to Iowa in June to compete in the National Speech and Debate Association’s National Championship.
Editor’s Note: Some speech quotes have been edited for length and style.
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