It Gets Better Steam Powered Giraffes Bunny Bennett

Transcribed by Cloudy McMuffin (Nicole Cadelina)

[Bunny is seen in distinctly black and white attire, as she wears a black dress with white stripes, along with a headband with a striped black-and-white bow, and a pair of striped knee-high socks. She appears to be carrying a dumbbell in one hand while she is sitting on a study chair. She lifts it up four times, grunting. By the fourth time she lifts it, she sighs and places it back onto her bed, now exhausted in a rather exaggerated manner. However, it takes only a split second for her to look into the camera and notices us, the viewer] [in heavy breaths] Ohhey, didnt see you there. Just, lifting weights like I always do, cause yknow, I wanna get buff. [raises arms up to show her muscles] I gotta stayI gotta stay in boltuh, buff, so you... [clears her throat] Anyway, welcome to my room! My name is Bunny Bennett, andif you didnt already know, I play Rabbit in Steam Powered Giraffe. It may come as a surprise to you, but I consider myself transgender. Umobviously, I havent had any operations, [deep, bass voice] and I have a very deep voice, [reverts back to original voice] but umthat shouldnt matter, because its whats on the inside that countsuh, or s- or so Im told. Uh, well, if it wasnt an issue, we wouldnt have things like Pride Month, which is June. Uhactually, it may be a shock to some of you, but Im not gay, as- as far as I know. But that shouldnt matter either. Gay or straight, um, bisexual, transgender it doesnt matter, it really does not matter. Uh, the, the- the- thethe content of your character is what matters. Its not what you are, it is what you do. Id have to think that Im an okay person. I mostly, uh, dress up as a robot, and- and entertain people, and sing, and dance, and, and make an ass of myself on stage and thats really fun! And I like that. So umyeah, I draw. I, I-I do pantomime, yknow, and I have, uh, a lot of good friends who- who are with me in this band, Steam Powered Giraffe. And I come from, aa cornucopia of backgrounds [Caption: Cornucopia of Backgrounds]okay, mostly were just California kids [smirks]. Uh, but yknow! [Caption: I like thanksgiving] Umthey- theyre a really great group of guys, and uhthough they may not be gay or bisexual, or- or transgendered. Umit, it really shouldnt matter. It really shouldnt, and uhI guess thats what, what- what kind of advice I can lay on ya. 1

[The video cuts to Bunny closer to the screen, holding a microphone to her mouth] I had a veryodd upbringing. My mother had somesome, s- some mental problems, andand that was always really rough. There wasnt a lot of, like, judgement, like, my parents, were like super supportive of, of the gay community or anything like that, but they werent like, hostile. They were never like, like Its wrong! and yknow, they were, they were open-minded, but it was just something that was never discussed. So I wish I could say that I had these terrible parents that, that yknow, that totally werent supportive, but really, if- if I had come out as transgender that early on, I- I think, yknow, while weirded out by it, they wouldve, they wouldve still loved me. Um, theyre all aware of it now. I dont talk to my mother much, because, because of the abuse as a childa- and, yknow, Id like to think that shes a good person. But unfortunately, umyknow, she has her own problems that she took out on my brother and I. Andand, yknow, thats- thats rough for a kid. UhI think that, that in part, kinda, kinda nailed at us into what, what we do- do today. Uh, were very fixated on imagination, and maybe a little bit of escapism, and driving with my mothers afflictions, uh it was really tough; youd never knew what would set her off. But art, art was a constant. It was always a constant, and it made- it made my brother and I really happy. [The video cuts to Bunny sitting with her legs crossed on the flat seating of the study chair, while shes brushing her hair with a small brush.] Around the time I was, I was turning into a young man, ummy- mymy transgender problems started to surface. Um, its already, really really confusing when youre ayknow, going into the teenage years, and youre voice is changing, [Caption: Growing up suuuuuuuucks] and youre- youre growing a moustache and things areyknow, happening to your body. But then also, having that- that sort of gender dysphoria really, really made it hard for me. [laughs] UmI didnt get teased at school, uhyknow, because I wasbecause I wasnt out then, as a- as a transgender individual. [cuts to Bunny close to the camera again] And honestly I had no idea, uhthat that was a part of me; I was still just confused as hell. [The video then cuts to Bunny sitting on the edge of her bed, casually lifting a dumbbell with her right hand] But growing up all through my childhood, I was- I was bullied a lot, and it wasnt because I was super awkward. Uh, I did have long hair, like many kids in the 90s; that wasnt because of a gender reason, those - those problems havent really developed for me, andand I was just picked on a lot, David and I. Uh, we were, yknow, we were kinda talented: I could draw really well, and my brother was, was pretty dang smart. But yeah, bullying was- was just such a problem, I felt so miserable; and there was nothing I could do.

[The video cuts to Bunny sitting on the study chair again, hugging her legs this time] I found salvation in my artand, and late in high school, senior yearI, I joined the drama program, and up until then, Ive been pretty miserable and it was a great outlet. I made a lot, a lot of friendsuhI-I, and David and I got cast in all these lead roles, andand we became the popular kids at school, which was weird! Just because of our talentsI, I guess. So by the time of my life- I was on the same level as, yknowsome of these other- other, other kids that, yknowuhI-I dunno, they were just, yknow, they were cool kids. Umnot that we hung out or anything, cause yknow, the- the drama, the Drama Homies [Caption: DRAMA HOMIES] werewere, were who we, who we hung out with, butbut that social interaction and that community reallyreally did wonderful things for us, and it, it brought us out of our shells. [The video cuts to Bunny close to the camera once more, standing this time, but leaning down] And I think thats the secret to happiness; theres reallyyou gotta do what you love, and you gotta share it with friends, andand- and since thenuh yknow, uh- teenage years were rough still, college years w- were pretty rough, but I did a lot of self-exploring, as- as you should. [Quickly, the video cuts to Bunny sitting on the study chair, legs crossed, hands together on her lap] Things got so much better. [The video follows another cut to Bunny close up to the camera once more, this time while sitting on the study chair, on a different side of the room, the colour in a very bright grayscale] Ive never been happier. [We cut back to Bunny sitting crossed-legged on the chair again] I feellike I girl, like thats justlike thats just isis the identity. [We cut to the bright greyscale shot again] Im only 26and it has gotten so much better. [We see Bunny close to camera, normal shot] Its easy to stereotype someone as quirky as me. I know that, uhone of my biggest fears, was how Im perceived by other people. [The video cuts to a darker greyscale shot, with Bunny standing and bouncing about, while holding onto skirt. Caption: WHY WONT THE BOOB FAIRY HEAR MY PRAYERS?!?!?] Because I, I dont like my body. Why cant it beyknow, like, more like a womans? [She stops flailing and looks down at the camera briefly, then stands up properly again] Whywhy do I have to have these broad shoulders, and this chiselledchiselledjaw line? [She then walks towards the camera again, suddenly gaining colour again, and speaks in a deeper voice] And this really deep voice? 3

[This briefly cuts to a shot of Bunnys leg onto the edge of her bed, hand to her hip] But it doesnt matter. [The video cuts to close up shot again] And I just wanna thank all of you, becauseyou keep me going on. You keep meyou keep my head straight. You remind me of why I do thisnot only for myself, but because, yknow, Im an entertainer. And I love entertaining all of you- eh, Ive got hair in my mouth. [We cut to Bunny sitting down on the study chair] In 20 years, I dunnowhats gonna happen. [This follows a cut to Bunny looking sideways] Maybe Ill be a womanmamaybe Ill decide being a woman full time is what I wanna do. [We then cut to Bunny looking at the camera, twinkling her fingers] Maybe not. [We cut to Bunny sitting down once more] Really, thoughyou watch me because I- I pretend to be a robot. [We then see Bunny standing up and performing robotic movements, whilst creating robotic, machinery sounds from her mouth, only for a few seconds, before being cut to her sitting down] And Im happy to do that. And it doesnt matter, it does not matteryknow, what gender I happen to be, or what clothing I like to wear, because were part of a community thatthat supports. [We then see Bunny sitting down in front of the camera, hands spread to the camera. Caption: GEEKS ARE AWESOME!] The steampunk community has been awesome. Ive seen so many transgendered individuals. And they all, yknow, come up to us, and are, are so happy. Yknow, to be in a safe place and nobodys judging em, nobody! [short pause] And I cant stress it enoughit shouldnt matter. If you wanna wear a dress, and youre not supposed to wear a dress wear a dress! If you wanna dress like a man, and youre not a mandress like a man! [long pause] You should be happy, andand all these issues do not hurt anyone else. They dont. [An even longer pause is followed; Bunny leans back on the study chair, considering her words and thoughts for a long moment, before she begins to speak again] Its easy justyknow, talk about it, and- and, and uh, try to encourage youbut I know its tough, I-I was there, and it wasnt a walk in the park, and it still isnt. And Ive many more years in finding myself, and being comfortable with who I am, [short pause] and your situation is not exactly like mine. And I realise thatbutyknow, through the hard timesuh, you have my support, and you have everyones support in this community. [The video cuts to Bunny sitting closer to the camera, clasping her hands together] When times get tough, just know that youre not aloneand thatthat, that later in life, it does get better. [We cut to the camera in a different angle, with Bunny sitting down onto her bed] Maybemaybe youre not transgender, or gay, or bimaybe youre just tired of all the hate in the world. [Caption: Haters Gonna Hate] Maybe youre lookin for something to hold onto. [Caption: Lovers Gonna Love] Hold onto what you love, 4

becausethe bad timeswell, they feel really bad, and they canovershadow all the good things in life. Dont forget the good things, as tiny as they may seem: it may be laughing with your friends, seein a movie, sharin a Coke, even though you should stay away from high fructose corn syrup. You gotta do what you like, and you have to have copious amounts of ityknow, a- along with balance! You have to be responsible, and yknow, pay the billsbut, umif you can do this juggling act, youll that find is life is so much more fulfillingand you may be granted...some, some deeper trials in everyone else. Maybe you are a little strange and, and oddlike me! Wellthis is your mountainand you gotta cross it, you gotta climb it you dont cross mountains, do you? You- you climb mountains. Climb the mountain. And, and Ill be there, behind ya, yknow, making sure you wont fall down, along with everyone elsebecause we do love you. [We then see Bunny sitting down on the edge of the bed] You are never alone in this. Just remember that there are hundreds and hundreds of peoplethat want to see you make it through. [The video cuts to the bright greyscale shot] I have a wonderful girlfriend right now, andI struggled in relationships for quite some time. Out of the blue, it happened. I dont even know if its necessarily a- a gender thing. I mean, that goes a lot into it, shes a very open person, and she loves it. [short laugh] Butbut it came down to finding someone who really justloved me fo- for who I am, andshes a partner. And yknow, we have this symbiotic relationshipof love. Andnot only her, butall the friends Ive made, uhjust progressive thinkers. Theyre out there, and with the internetyou dont have to be limited to just your home town. You can have a conversation with some, some very amazing people, and never leave your home but you should leave your home! You should definitely make an effort! Dont hang up onon the negatives. Dont hang up on the people who just wanna bring ya down because they do not matter. Nobody, nobody of importanceis gonna make it their initiative to make you feel bad. [short laugh] And it is very silly. Uhyknow, elementary school, high school, even some of college wow, there is a lot of jerks! It is tough, it is a jungle. But that is not how the real world works, necessarily. That stuff gets let behind. Start forging who you are right now. And, if youre not a young person, and youre still struggling, its never too late it is never too late, because its an ongoing battle, andand, yknow, we have to be there for each other. And I- Im here for you, just as so many of you are there for me, rootin for me. Yknow, Im trying to live this American, American dream, yknow, running my own- my own company with my twin brother, an- and this, this rag-tag band of misfits, and, andand creepily talented people that have just have no right to be so talented, and were making something, yknow, that- that makes us happy, we love entertaining people and making people smile. And, andand thats just a, a- a maybe an am- ambitious way ofof trying to make the world a better place, and 5

justjust for even a minute, a minute, if we can take your minds out of all the crap in the world make ya happy, make ya smile. And thats where you need to live: you need to live on that smile. Just, ride it ride that feeling for the rest of your life. My name is Bunny Bennett, I play Rabbit in Steam Powered Giraffe, and I like to wear dresses and if youve got a problem with it [clicks tongue] I do not care.