Ryan Cassata

Ryan Otto Cassata (born December 13, 1993) is an American musician, public speaker, writer, filmmaker, and actor. Cassata speaks at high schools and universities on the subject of gender dysphoria, being transgender, bullying and his personal transition from female to male, including top surgery in January 2012, when he was 18 years old. He has made appearances on ''Larry King Live'' and ''The Tyra Banks Show'' to talk about being transgender. He has performed at LGBT music festivals and has gone on tours across the United States of America. Cassata has performed at popular music venues such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Whisky a Go Go, The Saint, The Bitter End, SideWalk Cafe, Turf Club (venue) and Bowery Poetry Club. Cassata won a date on Warped Tour 2013 through the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands online competition and performed on the Acoustic Basement Stage on June 21, 2013 becoming the first openly transgender performer to play at the Vans Warped Tour. Cassata also won a date on Warped Tour 2015 through the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands and performed on the Ernie Ball Stage on June 20, 2015.

Cassata composed the soundtrack for the 2010 short film "Loop Planes" which screened at various film festivals including the Tribeca Film Festival, South by Southwest Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, and Hamptons International Film Festival. "Distraction" and "Sleeping Through" from Cassata's 2011 EP "Distraction" make up the soundtrack. Cassata is the main subject of the full feature Danish produced documentary ''Songs for Alexis''. ''Songs for Alexis'', produced by Copenhagen Bombay with help from the Danish Film Institute, had its world premiere at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival to a sold-out crowd on April 30, 2014. ''Songs for Alexis'' had its United States premiere at Frameline Film Festival on June 28, 2014. ''Songs for Alexis'' also screened and sold out at DOC NYC. Indiewire listed Songs for Alexis on its "10 Films You must Watch at Frameline 2014" article.

Activism

Since 2007, Ryan Cassata has presented at high schools, universities, support groups and conferences on topics such as coming out, Gender Identity Disorder, transgenderism, sex reassignment surgery, substance dependence and bullying. Cassata also speaks about his experience as the first openly transgender student in Bay Shore High School. Cassata tells personal stories using speech, original songs and poetry and his own YouTube videos.

In 2012, Cassata became the youngest keynote speaker that the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference ever elected. Ryan Cassata uses his music videos to discuss social justice topics such as bullying. His 2012 music video, "Hands of Hate" released on YouTube honors and remembers LGBT Youth who were murdered or committed suicide. He donated a portion of the proceeds to The Trevor Project. The lyrics of "Hands of Hate" discuss the murder of Matthew Shepard, the murder of Larry King, and the suicides of Tyler Clementi and Jamey Rodemeyer. Larry King is honored in the second verse:

Ryan Cassata raised money with the Frank Cassata Family Foundation and Underworks in 2014 to provide over 400 transgender youth with new chest binders.

In 2015, Ryan Cassata appeared on the San Francisco Trans March line-up with Laverne Cox.

Ryan Cassata has spent time in Hot Springs, Arkansas and Little Rock, Arkansas educating the town through public speeches about the transgender community and screenings of Songs for Alexis. He also performed concerts at festivals and venues around the state.

Cassata has delivered speeches and performances at colleges and universities such as Kent State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Boston University, University of Southern California, Capital University, Rider University, Rutgers University, Central Washington University, San Francisco State University, Binghamton University, Dominican University of California, University of New Hampshire, State University of New York at Purchase, State University of New York at New Paltz, Ursinus College, State University of New York at Old Westbury, Farmingdale State College, St. Joseph's University, William Paterson University, Dowling College and Mount St. Joseph University.

Cassata has delivered speeches and performances at high schools such as Bay Shore High School

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