Precious Brady-Davis’ memoir, I Have Always Been Me

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ME

A Memoir

By Precious Brady-Davis

The LGBTQ+ community is multifaceted. Some of those facets are the nonbinary, the gender-nonconforming, and the transgendered. In the early days of LGBTQ rights, we had Marsha P. Johnson. Today, we have Black transwomen celebrities like Janet Mock and Laverne Cox. Here in the Twin Cities, we have the political voice of Andrea Jenkins. That being said, to conclude my Pride Month reviews, I have the honor of sharing another voice of trans visibility in the form of Precious Brady-Davis’ memoir, I Have Always Been Me.

Born Nathaniel Paul Holbert, Jr. in Omaha, Nebraska, biracial Precious’ childhood was uprooted when her birth mother lost custody of her and her two siblings due to neglect and mental health issues. With her birth father now dead, after a series of foster homes, they were adopted by her grandparents Clyde and Ethne Davis.

Because Brady-Davis presented as a feminine boy, the growing dogmatic religious fanaticism in her home after her grandparents’ divorce, coupled with physical and emotional abuse, left her with struggles in reconciling her faith with her sexual identity. In standing up for herself in the face of this repressive homophobic environment, Precious was kicked out of Ethne’s home.

Moved to her uncle’s home and then another foster home, now a teenager, Precious thrives in her gift for the performing arts at school, and a trip to Anytown becomes a pivotal experience in her life and in embracing her identity as a queer person of color.

From her college years in Lincoln to her adult years in Chicago, Brady-Davis takes us on her journey through the world and the art of drag and her drag persona Precious Jewel, her awakening to her authentic identity, her transitioning process, her commitment to social justice and activism, and meeting the love of her life in transman Myles Brady.

Her road was by no means easy; it forced her to examine the internalized beliefs and prejudices she grew up with in order to let go of them and become the fully actualized African American transwoman she is today. One quote in her memoir stood out for me in addressing injustice: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, then you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of the mouse, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”

She examines the problems within the LGBTQ community and outside it, as well as the marginalization of transgender individuals of color in the course of her memoir. Through it all, she does it with the fierceness and strength of one who has not only examined herself but is true to herself. She recognizes that the families we create can be stronger and more empowering than families of origin.

In addition to being a diversity advocate, Brady-Davis is a communications professional and a public speaker. I Have Always Been Me is available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and her website, www.preciousbradydavis.com.

Visibility matters. Identity matters. Inclusivity matters. Representation matters. Thank you, Precious, for the gift that you are to so many by living your authentic life. If we don’t share our stories, who will?