NICOLE RAMOS KNOWS HER WORTH

YouTube sensation, Nicole Ramos and I have been long-time friends, and I’m truly honored this beautiful diva has taken the time to join me in The Lounge.

As an outspoken advocate for the LGBT community, Nicole takes no mess when it comes to discrimination; she has a fiery spirit that can burn through any soul. And that same fire has brought avid followers worldwide.

However, there’s also a gentle side to this spicy Texan. Nicole is tenderhearted, giving, and a devoted friend through thick and thin. So I’m pleased to introduce you this up and coming talent – Nicole. 

Imani: Pink Noire is pleased to welcome, YouTube sensation, Nicole Ramos. What many of you don’t know, I’ve known Nicole for many, many years on MySpace as a sweet and multi-talented soul. So, Nicole, welcome to The Lounge. My first question: what makes Nicole Ramos the woman she is today?

Years of hormone therapy and plastic surgery (lol) only kidding! I think not only feeling comfortable in my outside body, but being comfortable with all of who I am makes me the woman I am. We all go through things in life that define who we are as a person. So, it's one thing to know your gender identity, but realizing that I am a woman and realizing what kind of woman I am were two different journeys.

Nicole: What was like growing up as a Transgender youth?

Terrible. It's never easy growing up LGBT. Growing up LGBT in southern Texas, is almost impossible. I battled with who I was and what I wanted the world to know for a lot of my childhood. I've always felt like I was a girl from my earliest memories, but I was constantly reminded that I was not. And what's worse than me not having been a girl, is that I wasn't allowed to even want to be a girl, which is something I remember being my first, "this I know for sure" moment. So the mixture of all of those things were a constant struggle growing up.

When did you know you were ready to make that transition to be a Transgender Woman?

When I realized there was no other way I was going to be happy. I spend years of my child/teen years thinking, "maybe I can just pretend to be a boy, it's not that hard". Or "maybe I can just be gay, at least I'll be with my preferred partner". But none of those ever felt right. None of those pieces fit into my puzzle that makes up me. So around 16 was when I realized, okay, I am transgender and I just need to accept it. None of us WANT to be transgender. We all want happiness, and this is how I've managed to get closer to my own.

How did your family react to your life-changing news? Was it positive? And did you receive the support?

So let's separate this into mothers side and fathers side. My mothers side was supportive. While it took time to deal with everything, in general, it was positive. Having been around me all my life, they knew I was different. My fathers side was a little less accepting. Something that kept me from talking to them for a few years. We're on better terms now, but I still rarely see them because of name/pronoun preferences. It's one thing when you need time to change the use of those, and a different thing when you're consciously choosing to not use the preferred name/pronouns.

Okay, let’s switch gears and talk about your success as a YouTube star and an activist for the LGBT community. I remembered you used to, on occasion, created video blogs on MySpace. Did that idea continued to stick and that’s how your fan base grew?

I've always been opinionated as I'm sure you remember (lol) I've always had a want to learn about different types of people and share the kind of person I am with people. So I think those three factors had a lot to do with it, but one of the biggest factors, was the trans YouTubers before me. Growing up, I saw no representations of myself in my community or in the media. There were little to no transgender people for me to look up to or even relate to. One place I did find this, however, was YouTube. So many transwomen telling their stories. It truly helped me get through, and remembering how this made me feel is something I wanted other young trans people to feel. The feeling of not being alone in a world populated with over 3 billion people. It's important.

You’re very opinionated when it comes to current events. So, tell me what you do think of the feud between Caitlyn Jenner and Ellen DeGeneres. Who has the point?

I think it's interesting. I think there are two ways to look at this. Ellen is looking at it like most people do, which is, you're transgender you should be the most accepting of people. Trans people aren't even fully accepted, so how could you not accept someone else. And Caitlyn is looking at it the same way she always has. With a traditionalist, conservative, set of eyes. It's a problem when people think just because you're transgender you have to accept everything and everyone. Granted, Caitlyn's viewpoints on gay marriage aren't right, I'm not co-signing it. But there's almost a sense of, "trans people are the bottom of the social barrel and should accept those things that are above them", and that irks me.

Next current event question – one name: Donald Trump. What are you thoughts on this presidential candidate? As a Mexican American, what do you think?

(Lol) in recent weeks I've tried to stop giving him as much energy though. If I got upset every time a privileged, wealthy, white man said something racist, I'd be upset all the time lol.

Who inspires you?

        

My family is a constant inspiration. But I would say that powerful, intelligent, women who never backed down inspire me the most.

Describe your future in one word.

Hope

Do you have any upcoming projects or plans you would like to share?

Not at the moment. I've taken a step back from YouTube to have some personal time. But I definitely want to do some big things in the near future.

If you were to go back in time to meet your younger self, what advice would you tell yourself?

Demand what you want out of life and don't be afraid to reach for it and take it. Tenacity is so important in this life. Be selfish when it comes to your idea of happiness, and don't stop until it's all you've ever wanted!

And finally, what advice do you have for a Transgender (or an LGBT) youth that has to face daily struggles – not just with themselves but with peer-pressures and bullies.

Again, I think finding people like you is so important. In the media or in your daily life, find an older LGBT person and watch them. Talk to them, find out about their mistakes, their happiness. And it doesn't always have to be another LGBT person. Just finding anyone who can help guide you through this thing called life by using their own lived experience as an example is really amazing.

To subscribe Nicole's YouTube channel, visit the link to catch her latest videos here. 

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