"I was called selfish because I wanted the right to have myself seen as I am." - a conversation with Nicky Cutler - a podcast by Liz Gold
from 2020-05-15T15:36:59
In January 2020, Nicky Cutler's family faced a terrible trauma when their stepfather was hurt in a hit and run accident with an 18-wheeler. Luckily, Nicky's stepfather is on the path to recovery but the journey hasn't been easy. I talk to Nicky about how that experience impacted their family and how Nicky navigates stressful family dynamics regarding gender and pronouns.
"We are doing what we can, each of us, to sort of fulfill the time and make ourselves happy."
"They still have not caught the person who hit my stepfather, it was a hit-and-run accident that is still just a mystery."
"Everything is altered. Their entire lives have been turned upside down and I've gone along for the ride as being the support."
"It's definitely difficult to watch. You obviously want your parents to be OK at a certain age, to sort of like live out their life in some kind of retired state but it's just not that way for everyone."
"I am 100 percent for the safety of humans first before small business but I also understand as a business person what it must feel like to the owners of small businesses who may never recover from this."
I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happens on the return for something like fashion. I have a very intimate rapport with customers and I hope that people will still want to go in and place hats on their heads and do things for themselves that may not necessarily be a need or considered essential."
"It's such a strange time to go from ready to build, build, build, build, build and just have it come all crash down."
On parents: "We may never fit in the box that they want us to fit into or what they thought we were going to become. But we are their children and we need to be seen."
"Regard a person the way they want to be regarded. It's so important."
"I was called selfish because I wanted the right to have myself seen as who I am."
"You can't be distracted from all of the things that are right there in front of you. There isn't a way to do it. You can't step away and travel for work and ignore what's going on in your relationships. You can't bury yourself in anything. You have to approach it head on."
Nicky Cutler bio:
Nicky Cutler has been working in the fashion industry for over 15 years. As an early queer fashion label pioneer with the creation of DITC clothing line (Dykes in the City) back in 2004, Nicky paved the way for queer identity to be seen through the medium of clothing and hats. Nicky ended the label in 2011 when their newly trans identity no longer matched the initial cause. Nicky’s career in fashion has continued by working for Goorin Brothers as District Manager in the California and New Orleans areas. Over the last nine years they have continued to contribute to the lgbtq+ community in any way they can due to their extremely supportive company. Nicky currently resides in the Los Angeles area, enjoys working out, animals, bourbon, and ending toxic masculinity.
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Goorin Bros., Melrose, LA
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