Miles Borrero is a self-described spirit and body geek. He is a trans-masculine, gender-fluid Latinx yoga teacher, writer, and body therapist based in New York City. His recent memoir, Beautiful Monster: A Becoming is the heart-wrenching story of Miles’ journey of breaching bounds of gender, cultures, and borders to become the person he truly is. Miles was nearly 40 years old having lived most of his life as a woman in Bogota, Colombia when he experienced a moment of clarity: faced with his father’s impending death, grappling with the fragility of our human experience, Miles felt compelled to finally be known as his father’s son, before it was too late — despite the real fear of losing his family’s love.
The question of transgender identity is highly charged around the world — certainly here in the U.S. as many states pass laws that make it dangerous to identify as transgender. Part of our conversation today explores the question of, how do we claim our identity when there are people who would rather us be dead than be who we are? Miles is exemplary of what it’s like to see someone fully embodied in who they are; who is willing to work across boundaries that may not be successful; to know that some might not make the journey from their current worldview into one that makes space for people like Miles, like us; and to accept that as a loss while standing tall anyway.
Beautiful Monster brims with wonder, humor, and mythos — as does our conversation.
Let’s get settled in and hear what Miles has for us.
"A bee" by Matsuo Basho A bee staggers out of the peony
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#138 Beautiful Monster (with Miles Borrero)