Transgender poets express feelings through slam poetry

For Harvey Katz, there is only one way to write slam poetry.

“You’ve got to speak and write everything through your heart when you do things like this,” he said. “Writing from the heart is the only way that you can do something like this.”

Monday night in the Bovee University Center Auditorium, Katz and Anaturale shared their feelings on being transgender through interpretive raps and slam poems.

Katz, who is from Miami, is transgender. He has been on the road full-time for five years, performing in front of college students and transgender conferences across the nation.

Students Against Discrimination was the main sponsor of the event.

Tamika Watson, SAD president, wanted to bring the transgender issue to Central Michigan University students.

“There are few homosexual, transgender and discrimination forums and presentations at CMU,” the Auburn Hills senior said. “We just wanted to give the students an open door to come in and educate them on these several issues.”

For Watson and other SAD members, education and awareness are their goals when dealing with these sensitive topics.

Katz, also known as Athens Boys Choir, reached his audience through his poems, which he did completely freestyle and without the aid of music. Katz performed six poems that dealt primarily with his struggles and triumphs of being a transgender person in today’s society.

One of his poems, “Momma Needs a Hug,” dealt with the good and the bad things America has to offer as a country, especially the relationship between an individual and the government.

Anaturale, from Asheville, N.C., is also transgender. He used mixed soundtracks and beats with his lyrics to get across his messages of his issues of growing up transgender in the south. Anaturale said the two have known each other for “many years.”

Both performers kept the entire audience energetic and into their program.

“I was into the show,” said Amanda Klosterman, a Portage sophomore. “(Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) rights are something that interests me.”

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