Ep #83 LGBTQ+ : In conversation with Kabir McNeeley on Embracing Yourself

The Happiness Project

I am extremely grateful to cover a theme around LGBTQ+ this month. We use these terms very loosely - ‘You are so gay’ or ‘that’s so queer’ or she-male’ or ‘No homo’ or ‘Be a man’. These are some words that we use very loosely in our day to day life. And we use it in a very negative light ‘as if there’s something wrong with being gay’. These are micro aggression’s that we all use subtly, unintentionally, subconsciously - which makes it very unsafe for people to be themselves around us. It’s time we start acknowledging and celebrating the difference. It’s time we stop evaluating the world in categories. It’s important that we as a society become more inclusive and diverse and more importantly advocate acceptance and not ignorance. It gives me so much gratitude to be able to make the tiniest of difference through this podcast. I am so excited to have some incredible guest speakers from across the world from the LGBTQ+ community to share their life experiences and insights. And I am delighted to have Kabir McNeeley on The Happiness Project Podcast today, who takes us through his journey. Kabir is a young American actor. He has drawn international interest through his uniquely expressive and direct acting style. He grew up in San Francisco, California. He began his acting career in 2015 when he played a supporting role in Ruth, a student short film. Since, he has trained extensively with the American Conservatory Theater where he has also performed in their annual main stage production of A Christmas Carol in 2016 and in Urinetown: The Musical. In 2020, he wrote and directed award-winning short film Blue Girl, which he also appeared in. In this episode, we discuss about his experience of being in the LGBTQ+ community, how he identified himself to be one, the support that he received in coming out and how being a queer affected his personal life and his career. One of the things that he talks about is ‘Being Your Authentic Self’. He also shares the significance of the process of ‘Coming out’ and how it’s extremely important for one to feel comfortable being who they are. I would love for you’ll to tune in to the episode until the very end to know more about how identifying yourself as a part of this community can be extremely confusing and overwhelming but there’s so much support out there.