This is a lecture by Janet Mock.

All WYNK subscriptions include a signed copy of Janet Mock’s Surpassing Certainty.

“Femininity in general is seen as frivolous. People often say that to don a dress, heels, lipstick and big hair is artifice, fake and a distraction. But I knew even as a teenager that my femininity was more than just adornments; they were extensions of me, enabling me to express myself and my identity. My body, my clothes and my makeup are on purpose, just as I am on purpose.” – Janet Mock

Named by TIME as one of “12 new faces of black leadership” and one of “the most influential people on the Internet,” Janet Mock lives up to her accolades and then some. A writer, TV host and advocate, Mock’s story of growing up trans in Hawaii published in Marie Claire in 2011 pushed her into the national spotlight. A popular speaker and the founder of the social media project #GirlsLikeUs, Mock has quickly become one of the most influential trans women and leaders in media.

Mock’s first memoir, Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More, was a 2014 New York Times bestseller. Feminist critic bell hooks said of Mock’s debut book, “Courageous! Told with a spirit of raw honesty that moves beyond confession to redemptive revelation, this book is a life map for transformation – for changing minds.” Mock’s much anticipated second memoir, Surpassing Certainty, a portrait of her early life searching for purpose and place in the world, is set to be released in June.

A native of Honolulu, Janet attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa, earned her MA in journalism from New York University, and serves on the board of the Arcus Foundation. She lives in New York City with her husband, photographer and filmmaker Aaron Tredwell, and their cockapoo Cleo.