[Music]
I love Irish dancing. It's a huge part
of my life. Uh something I'm extremely
passionate about. It reminds me of my
grandma and we were really close. My
name is Hayden Moon and I use he and
they pronouns. I'm an advocate for
mainly for the LGBTQIA plus community,
but also for the disabled community and
First Nations communities. I'm a writer.
I'm a dancer, performer, and I'm
currently studying a PhD at the
University of Sydney in the theater and
performance studies department.
Hayden
wears a black button-up shirt and
glasses chatting with his professor.
I have a few disabilities, but my main
ones would be that I'm autistic and I'm
legally blind and so I move through the
world quite differently to um the
average person. I'm transmasculine. I
was assigned female at birth, but I
identify with masculinity and I was the
first openly trans person to compete in
Irish dancing in Australia.
Hayden is Irish dancing. When I affirmed
my gender, I wanted to compete as a man,
but the policy didn't allow that. So, it
was a really rough time. I actually had
to engage with some proono lawyers who
um advocated with me for a change in the
official policy to allow transgender
people to compete as our true selves.
Photos with awards.
We actually won that battle. So since
2018, transgender people can compete in
Irish dancing competitions as their true
selves all around Australia, which is
something I'm very, very proud of
achieving. I did it for my community. I
just don't want any other trans person
to have to go through what I went
through, but I'm really glad that I was
able to do it. And now I get to dance on
stage as myself, and it's one of the
happiest feelings for me.
Hayden is typing on his laptop. He sits
on green grassy steps beside his
university. I really struggled in
school, but I really like I knew I
wanted to get to uni and I I guess I
knew in myself that I could get to uni.
Hayden and French chat on bench.
Being autistic has been an asset as a
PhD student. I'm basically living my
dream here. Um, as an autistic person,
researching a special interest every day
and I absolutely love it.
The fact that I got here and that my
autism is an asset to what I do is just
something that I'm really, really proud
of.
He chats with a friend on steps. What I
would say to young disabled people and
disabled people in general is that there
are people out there who will love and
support you for who you are. And I've
been that person who feels like I won't
find community, but I promise you
they're out there and you will find
people who will surround you with love
and acceptance and I want that for you.
Hayden gives a smile.
I'm Hayden Moon and I'm an ambassador
for International Day of People with
Disability. the International Day of
People with Disability logo and the
website idpwd.com.au.