Full Interview: Sol, A 2-Spirit Entertainer, Dancer, Fighter, and more 2/15/25

I sat down with Sol, whose performer name is Ace Capades Legacy or A.C.L. We were upstairs of their townhouse on the 3rd floor where they practice their aerial work. We introduced ourselves and as conversation quickly became very interesting, I threw my hand toward my phone to begin recording mid conversation, which Sol can be heard laughing about in the beginning of the audio. The interview lasted 40 minutes and is transcribed below:


SOL: Hahaha no, that’s fine…I got to be the fire keeper for all three days of the International Two Spirit Convention that was hosted here in Oklahoma, which it was Oklahoma's first time hosting the convention. So it was it was a honor because the first day, Beverly LittleThunder taught me. And then the second day, everyone like, I had somebody kinda look over me. Third day, they had me teaching. They had me leading, and I was just like, okay… It was great. And especially, in most ceremonies, the fire keeping is traditionally done by men. So that was very, like, very, like… validating in a lot of ways.

INT: Yeah, empowering, right?

SOL: Oh, yeah. It's so empowering. I would just, like, smell, like, smoke the entire time. I was like, ugh.. Yes. But yeah. It was great. Great experience. I think next year is gonna be in Canada, I think they were talking about. I gotta get my passport by then. Yeah, Clover, I don't know how I'm gonna take you… I probably won’t.

INT: I’m a pet sitter if you need a pet sitter, that's what I do for my job, but..

SOL: Okay, okay, Alright. We'll definitely do that.

INT: That's exciting. So when was the last Two-Spirit Fest that you just did?

SOL: So the Two-Spirit Fest that Twisted Artist hosts, I did that one this time last year, I wanna say.

INT: Yeah. I think Twisted Arts is gonna be helping us with our TDOV (Trans Day Of Visibility) stuff this year.

SOL: Okay, Yeah It was sometime around this year. Because I remember it was kind of a day like this where it's, like, overcast, and it was a little cloudy. I was cold, but I was like, “We're doing it!” And I remember doing like a nine minute routine for everybody. And it was great because everybody I love was in one room. And even my sister, that was my first time my chosen sister saw me perform, and she was like, “Soool! Sooool!”. And I was just like, yeah… I felt like a rock star.

INT: Oh, yeah, Just because, like, you LOOK like a rockstar right now. You look really great, by the way.

SOL: Thank you. My partner just got me this ribbon shirt last night for Valentine's Day.

INT: That's awesome, that's perfect. Yeah. We probably will have to get your picture then.

SOL: Yeah., absolutely. But yeah. Because this is what I/we normally wear for, like, ceremonies, like stomp dance. And I've only been doing stomp dance for over two years. Still learning. Still learning all these the ins and outs of Yeah.. Stomp dance, Powwows and stuff like that.

INT: So what tribe is this associated with?

SOL: The grounds that I go to are Cherokee grounds. It's up in Kenwood by Celina. It's called Squirrel Ridge. Anybody's welcome, and, like, I love it because you can if you wanna shake shells, you can shake shells. You don't have to be, like they say the way our leader says it, it's like, if you wanna be feminine presenting, you can be feminine presenting. If you wanna be masculine presenting, like, you can do whatever you want. And I like doing both because they'll literally have, dances where it's masculine presenting in one line, feminine presenting in the other. And at this recent dance, the leader was like, oh, do we not have any more femmes? And I was like, oh, let me do my two spirit job and get on over there! And I did. All my relatives were laughing. I'm like, yeah, I love that. Because I see that as, like, not as a non-binary person, but as a two spirit person, like, finding that way and ceremony of creating that balance.

INT: Yeah. Bringing a balance. Yeah.

SOL: Yeah. I like knowing both my role as a femme and a masc. So I can, like, help that way. So yeah. But it's cool. I think we have, dances a lot. Every month, sometimes twice a month. I'll definitely let you know when our next one is.

INT: Oh, I would love to go.

SOL It is an all night event. All night event. It is an all night event. Yeah. Like, well, it's well, normally, people don't get there till around sundown because we break fast around the sunset. And then we'll all come together, and we'll eat, and then we'll dance. But sometimes during the day, there'll be stuff we'll either play stickball or we'll maybe, like, dance a little bit. But I like to go as early as I can, like, as the sun rises. I'll go to the river with the leader, and we'll pray in the river. And we pray towards all the directions. And well, like no matter what the weather, whenever it's cold, like, I literally did this last month. I was like, I really need to pray in the water.. And he'll he'll guide you through the prayer. And then at the end of the prayer, like, you could either, like, like, do a little bit more, splash yourself...But I completely submerged myself. I was like, okay. Alright. But I was, but she (Clover, the dog) had fun. She actually got to go to the river and pray. Because it was just all of us. We had fun. It was it was kind of funny. She does this thing because, like, I call her my rock hound because she'll see me collecting rocks and stuff, and so she'll do it herself. Yeah. And it was Oh. It was funny because my leader is trying to be serious and like go through prayer. You can hear his him trying to hold back laughter as she like brings big rocks. Because she'll just bring big rocks out of the water and then she'll create a little pile. And we're just trying to be serious. And you can just hear him, like, like, trying to hold back laughter. And we're just Yeah.

INT: She's being spiritual.

SOL: Oh, no. She yeah. She's sacred in that way. Right? Yeah. She’s a good baby. She's great.

INT: Oh my gosh. I love animals so much.

SOL: Me too.

INT: What else do you love to do?

SOL: I do everything from physical art, to watercolor, graphite. I make sculptures out of cardboard. I do aerial arts, martial arts, dance. Been a dancer all my life. I always say, I was dancing before I was walking…I feel like there's nothing I can't do. Like, I have that, like.. audacity. Like, if I see somebody do it, I'm like, okay, It's physically possible. So I know I could try to do it.

INT: That’s a great mindset to have.

SOL: Yeah. I like I like being able to learn from anybody who's willing to teach me anything. Yeah.

Clover: BARK

SOL: I know right? Preach

INT: So where do you think you adopted the mindset that you that you can just achieve anything you put your mind to? Where do you think you got that from?

SOL: I think out of sheer spite because I was told I couldn't do things. Yeah. Like, I was told I I couldn't present as male. I was told, like, you know, martial arts are for boys and stuff like that. And, yeah, just a lot of just a lot of pure just like, you can't tell me what to do. Yeah. Like, I will do what I want, and, like, you know, feel free to hate on me because I'm gonna keep doing it. This type of thing because I love proving people wrong. And also, like, because people when they meet me, they don't know what to expect. And then I'm like because not only do I do the arts, I also have a background in photography, videography, graphic design, media production. I literally do everything. And, like, very educated persons and not just, the arts, but in the medical field. Because before I went to animal medicine, I was a veterinary technician for some time. I wanted to do human medicine. But things didn't work out, and so I segued into animals. And yeah.

INT: That's cool. That's very cool. Okay. So in regards to, I guess, martial arts and fighting, I have what do you face in your sport/profession, like your trials and tribulations?

SOL:Oh, yeah. I would say a lot of ego because you have these men that have been like, it's a male dominated sport. Yeah. And whenever people see me as a, like, a feminine presented person, they underestimate me. And I love.. nothing is more gratifying than flipping a man twice my size and watching him go from, like, being humbled as he falls with sheer fear and then me just being, like, on top of him just like, yeah… Get wrecked. t's it's so satisfying. Granted, like, you know, definitely learn to take a beating, definitely learn to give one too, but I've I'm currently a blue belt in Jujitsu. I do Wushu, which is a Chinese martial art, which is those weapons in the corner you see. Done Krav Maga for a while as well. And, but but I started off in karate. Yeah. And as a kid, it was like the only friend I ever had was doing it with me. She and I got along and, like, she kept pushing me and stuff. But at one point, I'm like, I need to keep, like, pushing it further just because I didn't feel challenged. Yeah. Because no shade to Apollo's karate. But one, but then they sent me to one of their other branches that where they, like, live spar Cool. Harder. And I was like, oh, yeah... This is this is where it’s at.... Yeah.

INT: I was also in karate as a child.

SOL: Oh, nice. Nice. We could (spar) later.

INT: Well, you'd probably kick my ass… You’d absolutely kick my ass.

SOL: Because I know that I always say I'm a peaceful person because I could easily choose violence. Yeah. Because you can't say you're peaceful unless you're capable of violence. And, it's definitely a choice.But I know that I only use it for self defense or to protect others.

INT: Yeah, It has to be a conscious decision in order to claim it.

SOL: Yeah

INT: So what do you look forward to when you step into a fight, or what what makes you passionate about fighting?

SOL: Challenging myself. It's not about the opponent. Even, like and especially, I like when I prove myself to people, like, especially in the fighting world, like, there's that camaraderie and respect. Like, especially after non sparring people that are, like they're always gonna be bigger than me. Like, I've gone against people who are in the semi professional and professional. But they know that they respect me enough. Like, it's not like they're just, like, trying to beat me down to beat me down. But they'll come at me as someone that's learning, and they'll be like, hey, I want you to keep that elbow in or keep like, you know, like, look a certain way, keep moving. Like, they're helpful because they see that I'm trying to learn. But it's definitely a mixed bag. I have those places, the gyms that I trust, throughout the city. And even in Kansas City, I try to keep, like but I also know I tell myself, like, don't be afraid to say no. Like, I'm not gonna, like, roll with you. Like in jujitsu, we call that rolling. Or I'm not gonna spar with you because, like, you can get the general vibe of a person whenever you're fighting because you can tell if they respect you or not just based of how they're looking at you. And I'm like if it's not respect and you're not gonna help me learn, then I'm not gonna fight with you. But what excites me, I would say just challenging myself. Because ultimately, even though I have an opponent testing me, it’s all about what I can do. And I feel like a lot of the compliments that I get are my speed and my agility. And so, like but I have to get more, like, comfortable being powerful as well because I come out them with the same amount of respect. Like, I wanna make sure that you, like, you know, give respect to get it. Like, I'm not gonna, like, because the boys tell me, it's like, if you wanna go that hard, be prepared, like, you know, to take it too. And I'll be like, some days I'm like, alright. I'll take it. But it's just exciting and exhilarating. And then that feeling of reprogramming my fight or flight response, because I do suffer from PTSD and traumas. And it is like therapy. You don't gotta talk about it. You just gotta physically rewire those neurons in your brain to be like, okay, I'm putting myself in a situation that's unsafe. But I know I'm safe, but I come out of it and I can breathe. And then everyone, like, we all come together and it's like, it's breathe. And then everyone like, we all come together, and it's like, it's just respect for the sport. I love that feeling of community and respect after we all go through the fight. Because at the end of the day, we're all fighting.

INT: Mhmm. Yeah. I love the element that you just said about how you're rewiring your neurotransmitters from trauma by choosing, you know, fight over flight kind of. Yeah. That's cool.

SOL: Because I've I've done a lot of research on that in my own time. Because whenever I was in Kansas City studying human medicine, I was also, I think it was just a school paper. I just did a paper on PTSD and fighting as well. So, like, it yeah. Yeah.

INT: That’s so funny, I just also did a paper on autism, PTSD, and my zither. Like Oh, okay. We're, like, doing the same thing. I'm super into, like, studying neurobiol… wait but this isn't about me. I'm just like, we have so much in common I wanna talk about.

SOL: Oh nice, we’ll talk shopping. And I can tell it. Like I know, I know about the synapses and stuff. Yeah.

INT: Like, yeah. That's awesome. Yeah. So is there is there any shortage of trans friendly gyms?

SOL: Okay. So there's one I go to, but with every gym, like, in just like I treat people, nobody's perfect. But there are some that push it, the friendliness a bit more. Like, I train at Dark Horse Dojo.. I do see that them making a conscious effort to welcome trans people. Cool. And they've even gone as far as making, male bathroom and a female bathroom, and then they'll have, like, the third for anybody who just wants that privacy. So they do make that conscious effort.

INT: I love that

SOL: They also, I've talked to the owner, and, and, like, I'll be, like, correcting him actively, like, all my pronouns. Because he'll be like, yeah. No. Correct me. It's fine. Yeah. No. Like, I want you to feel safe. And I'm like, okay. Cool. And so I'm like, “He/they” Or like I mean, like, “she” is , like, you know, being a two spirit, I honor her. I don't wanna disregard her. She's always gonna be there. But I'm like, but we need to respect that “he” is there as well. Like if that makes sense. Equal presence. But I do see a change in the community, but, like, there are certain gyms, like, if I travel to, like, I won't do that. Just I don't wanna, like, you know, put that mark on my back. Because I've had gyms where it's like I'm in a room full of cops and firefighters and, I mean, honestly…

INT: Intimidating?

SOL: a little, but it is fun, I mean, I get to like, beat up cops with a little repercussions, so like…

INT: Now that's therapy.

SOL: Yeah. No. That's therapy. Like it's great. Because I remember actually doing like, a move on a cop where I, like, literally flipped him over me and I'm like, oh, this is great. This is great. Oh gosh. But because in that space, we're all the same. But the second we're out the door, it's like, okay. I better leave.

INT: Yeah. Like Don't arrest me as I drive off. haha

SOL: Arrest me hahaha

INT: That'd be funny…Sort of. Funny, Like looking back on it.

SOL: Yeah. It'll be funny later. Worth it. When you win

INT: When you win the lawsuit, it's funny. What's the reality of being a trans athlete in Oklahoma?

SOL: The reality is it's just gonna get harder, especially whenever I want to compete again in the Jujitsu, style of fighting. Because I'm I've fought as a white belt, and I wanna fight as a blue belt. And I also wanna do Wushu as well, because they're dramatically different. Wushu is more of like kata forms, and then, like, jujitsu is more active. And I know that there's like, I've had to have this conversation with people about, you know, that why is it so acceptable for our kids because, like, whenever a kids compete, they will go against whatever gender is in their age bracket, and like at what point does that become not acceptable? And they’ll be like, “I don't wanna hurt” you or something. I'm like, we're in a full contact sport, guy. I knew what I was signing up for. You will respect me as an athlete or you will get wrecked. Like like, you know? And I, like, I don't know where that disconnect happens, like, age-wise because, I mean, there's still not a lot of women in general in martial arts. And so, like, I haven't run into this yet. But for instance, because, like, I'm small. Not a lot of people fight my weight bracket. So if there was no women to fight my weight bracket, then I'm 100% fine fighting a male. Like, it don't matter. Like, I'm here to compete. I'm here to test myself. You are just a test. You are just an athlete. And I don't think that people have that mindset because of their egos, and they're like, oh, this is like, they're trying to, like, gatekeep that a little bit. I would like to see open gender brackets because, with men and women, even, like, in their weight classes, I feel like men have more weight classes than women and or, like, vice versa depending on the martial art. And I would like to see that one day, like, just open gender weight classes because, like, we train. We train with each other. So I don't see why that'd be a difference. I think it's just people being, like, upset-y spaghetti over nothing. Like, you know, literally, like, I I can't I can't, describe stupidity.

INT: Yeah. Literally. Trying to draw lines around something that isn't there or something.

SOL: I don't know. For real.

INT: Let's see. Okay so how do you stay fit? What's your daily routine?

SOL: I would say it adjusts. I try to stay consistent, especially whenever I was younger.I needed that, consistency and stability. But I would say it changes, because I'm currently, recovering from a car crash. I got in a car crash on Christmas night. I was leaving my chosen father's house. Jeez. And that's how I got this (eye)scar. And she (Clover) was in the car with me and my guinea pig. Oh my gosh. Yeah. So it it depends. It depends on if I'm injured. It depends on if I'm sick. I always like to do something. I I'm I'm always stretching because, like, whether it's light stretching or, like, I can do deep stretch contortion, but it varies. I try to do whatever honors my body. Some days, it might be stretching. Some days, it might be dance. Some days, it'll be aerial, but or martial arts. But the cool thing about my perspective on all of this, it's all connected. It really is all connected. I mean, boxing is just a dance, a type of dance. Like, martial arts is just a type of dance. Even forms like arcadas, like, it's is just a more weaponized deadly dance. And it it definitely depends on how hard I push myself because my I got this advice from my aerial teacher because she said, like, my first class, she's like, you're gonna feel sore the next day. You're gonna wanna have water, drink drink water, eat good, have arnica, which is, for bruising. Take Epsom sauce, baths, and do it again the next day because that's the only way. Because you don't want that lactic acid to build up. But even when I travel, I have a Planet Fitness membership, like, black card, baby. So I will go to Planet Fitness and cross train there. Any any place I have like, if I have a floor, I have enough space to to do something. Even if I don't have my aerial equipment. But it just varies from day to day based off of how much time I have and how I'm physically feeling. But I always like to do something, anything, because I can't just sit still. Because whenever I'm injured, I think those are the most hard times for me because I know I can't do anything, especially whenever, like, this whole first month of everything just, like, not being able to do anything. But then whenever I was at the Powwow in California February first, like, I was going hard the entire time.

INT: Even though you were injured?

SOL: Yeah. I would say but I was recovered enough to where, like, I didn't have vertigo. I mean, I was only my second concussion, so I know that there's only..

INT: Was it the air bag?

SOL: Yeah. I think okay. So what happened was I hit, my steering wheel malfunction Mhmm. Because the driver's just thing like, something about the fog or the environment, and I was, like, on a windy road out in Jay, Oklahoma. And, like, my steering wheel basically just pulled my it pulled my hands, like, into a ditch. And then, like, so I hit and then it accelerated me out of the ditch because I remember not having my foot on the anything. Mhmm. And it accelerated me out of the ditch into another ditch, and then that's when the second this impact happened. So, like, I had stitches in for about a little bit over two weeks. I took them out myself because I I went to the veterinary clinic I used to work at. I'm like, I know what to do, guys. Like like, like, I'm doing it.

INT: You're hardcore.

SOL: Hahaha Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

INT:You're like, that's an understatement.

SOL: Yeah. Definitely, I I am that. Jeez. I mean and then also gonna pepper in the fact I'm a fire performer as well.

INT: Oh, hell yeah.

SOL: So I do with the companies that I work with, they'll rent out my fire. Like, I'll get fire props from them, but I do fire as well. Which is, like, those things (gestures toward fire tools) on fire. And then I have fan- I have mostly LED stuff.

INT: How do you celebrate your major wins, and how do you cope with the losses?

SOL: I would say I celebrate my wins with grace. I don't wanna be egotistical because it ultimately, it isn't about me, it’s about my people, it’s about my community because I'm winning for my community. I'm winning for those little kids, those little trans kids that don't see themselves in sports because they don't see anybody like themselves out there. And I wanna, like, take that in stride. I'm the type of person, if I was in the cage battle, like, if I were to win, like, I would instantly go over to help my opponent because it's about the sportsmanship. It's about camaraderie in that fight and being like, thank you for giving me this opportunity. I remember actually saying that to my first opponent. Whenever I did my first tournament, I lost. I got slammed down on my ankle, and my ankle rolled within the first round. And so, like, it really screwed me over, but I wasn't gonna let them win. I wasn't gonna let them win. I still gave them a good fight. But I remember going up to the winner, and i could tell it took her back because she wasn't expecting that. And I went up and I shook her hand. I was like, thank you so much for the opportunity to help prove myself. I really appreciate this lesson because that's all it is. It's just a lesson in how we learn. And I just think she was kinda like, woah. What? Because, like, she was still in fighter mode. She was still in, like, warrior mode. She was like, woah. What?

INT: She’s like, “You're trying to psych me out” or something?

SOL: Yeah. Yeah. No. I'm like, you already won, babe. You already won. Like, but I see everything as a lesson. Whether you win or lose is a lesson, and handling it with grace and knowing that it's not about me is the most important thing because it's not just a a win for me. It's a win for everybody. And I don't see it as a loss for everybody. I see it as an opportunity because I can always come back and say, hey. From that, I learned I do know how to handle pressure. Like, I do know how to be in a competition like this. I know I need to work on my technique. Like, I know I need to work on, like, the little, intricacies and the details of that technique because I'm smaller. And jujitsu in and of itself is a small man's sport because it was made for people that were smaller to have that form of self defense against bigger people. Mhmm. I mean, like, the top people that brought jiu jitsu to America, like the Gracie's. That's a big name. Like, a lot of them were smaller. I mean, they're bulkier. Like, you know, don't get me wrong. They weren't, like, string beans or nothing, but, like, it was made for people of my size to go against, like, the average size opponent. And, it's just it's always gonna be a lesson. And if a kid sees me, how I handle my losses, they're gonna see that that's how they should handle theirs. Because if I'm over here being like, oh, god. Yeah. Like, you know, like, no. Like, that's not how I wanna teach the next generation, and I don't want them seeing ego on the the map because we're so used to seeing that. We're so used to it that we think it's normal, and it's not, it's it shouldn't be. Yeah. Normal.

INT:This is entertainment, I think.

SOL: Yeah. I like to say I like to say the UFC is basically a straight telenovela. Like, basically, like, basically, basically, like, like, I will die on that hill. Like, for real.

INT: What does that make Joe Rogan?

SOL: Oh my god. He's basically the Telemundo network.

INT: Any goals for your future in this sport, and do you have any major highlights that you'd like to share?

SOL: Goal wise, I wanna compete more. I wanna compete in a blue belt division while I'm still a blue belt. I know I am almost like, in a in a sense, like, I know I could be purple belt soon, especially if I stayed more committed. But my coaches know my situation and how I travel a lot. And so they understand that, I can't always be consistent, but they know I put in work. So they know, like, whenever even if I was gone for, like, a month or two, like, I come back like it was just yesterday. Like, you know, I definitely I don't skip a beat. I pick up where I left off or even further. But I definitely wanna compete because I wanna test myself more in those arenas. Especially, I wanna do my first Wushu competition. I don't see myself, like, not competing because it's just more of a a test. It's just a test for myself to, see where I'm at. Like, you know, that's all it is. I see, hey. Like, where am I at? Like, what do I gotta improve on? I haven't done a Wushu competition, and, like, it's a completely new martial art. So I feel like I could take it in stride because I know I got that mindset. It's all a mind game. Because if you lose in your mind, then you're gonna lose on the mat regardless of whatever mat you're competing on. And I already have that mindset of how to take in being looked at by a bunch of people and also the energy of everybody else fighting. But I I wanna compete, especially with my sister because she does Wushu as well. She's a little spitfire.

INT: Nice. Do you ever spar each other?

SOL: She tries. She's also, like, 10. Oh, okay. So so so it's more it's more of, like, you know, that where I put my hand on her forehead. Yeah. She's still doing the wiggle arms.But but I know that those days are gonna pass, and my Yeah.

INT: She'll catch up to you.

SOL: Yeah. I know she's gonna catch up to me. But I love it whenever she tries to do that, and then I'll just, like, flip her. But she thinks it's it's a game. She just thinks it's fun. And she's like, bam. Bam. And I'm just like and my dad's just like, okay. Alright. But one of my successes, I would say just getting out there. And doing it and being myself. Even though my prior tournaments, I was just feminine presenting, because I was still coming out in the public eye. And I would say it's just a success anytime, like, I get out there and do anything. And I definitely wanna assist in teaching, and do maybe some workshops. I have done workshops with Dark Horse Dojo. We've done it with the OKEQ. We've done it a couple other places as well.

INT: Oh, I I was gonna say you can, submit your workshop to the… they're doing… they're just wanting more workshops.

SOL: Oh, yeah. Totally. I would love to do that. I have so much to teach. I have, like because, like, I wanna do a martial arts workshop. I wanna do an aerial workshop, and then I also wanna do a stunting workshop as well.

INT: Stunting? Like What do you mean? What’s stunting?

SOL: Like pretending to take a hit. Like how do you fall?

INT: Like jumping off a moving car and stuff? Like movie stunts?

SOL: I have done movie stunts actually, I was in this most recent filming of Twisters out in Oklahoma. Even though my scene got cut, it was really cool having to be a part of, like, a professional Hollywood film. Like, my driver.. so we were passengers in this scene where we were, like, caravanning, like, chasing after the tornado. Right? And my driver is vetted and, like, literally, we looked up his IMDB, and, like, he is, like, oh, gosh... Like, a lifetime of experience. Like, he was one of the stunt drivers in the Batman, In all of the Batmans. Wow. Like, literally. Wow. Like, and his dad, like, was also stunting royalty, and his kids are in the industry.

INT: wow, it’s genetic I guess

SOL: Like like like like like like, for real. And I was like, I feel safe right now. Yeah. Even though we got into a real crash In the production. But I was like, he got us out of it. Like, we we got out unscathed. But, like, I can say I was a part of a professional stunt. Even if I was just a passenger in a car. It was really fun. I got to do it. I'm actually made it to final production of the Twisters movie. I'm in there for, like, a split second in the background of this one scene. And I'm also in the trailer as well, that same scene. And I was just like, I'm like, oh, that's so cool. Like so I would say it was really cool being on a big time production set because, like, it was like Warner Brothers. It was like always being, like, we got treated nice. So, like, I was just like, okay. But I it definitely sparked within these stunts. And I think aerial and stunts and martial arts, they all kinda do similar things in terms of performative stuff. But I'm I had a moment where it's like I could've gotten into the industry. I just didn't feel like it was the right time because it wasn't the right people. I didn't feel like they had my best interests in heart. I feel like it was… just it just didn't feel right in my spirit. Yeah.

INT: They typically have money at heart, I think.

SOL: Oh, yeah. No. Money or like also the way he was looking at me. And I was just like…Okay.

INT: Yeah, gross.

SOL: Yeah. Like, you're gross. You're done. Like,

INT: Wack.

Yeah. Yeah. Totally wack.

INT: We're at thirty eight minutes. I just have, like, one or two more questions.

Yeah. Totally. I could do this all day.

INT: No. It's it's fun. What would you like to say to other trans athletes?

SOL: I see you, and you're valid in your experiences and that you're not alone. And even if you don't see me and I don't see you, like, I know you're there, and our time will shine.We just gotta keep pushing. And I know it sucks. I know it sucks out there. And it's gonna be hard. It's gonna get a little hard, but we're not gonna stop existing. Our existence is resistance, and we just gotta keep pushing. Keep your head up. You know, if you need someone to talk to, like, I try to make myself available to people even though I'm busy. But I don't want you to give up. Don't give up on yourself. Be your best corner in your life. You gotta hype yourself up. You gotta push yourself up. And I know some days is hard because I've I've been on those days where it's just hard, and you don't wanna get up off that floor after you've taken that hit from life, but you gotta get back up. You gotta get back up. You gotta keep fighting. Whatever fight you're fighting, whatever art you're creating, just keep doing it because we're we're all gonna be up on that mountaintop. And I'm a keep opening doors for people because we all deserve our flowers and our sunlight.

INT: Beautiful.

SOL: And I love you.

INT: That's beautiful. Thank you so much for that.

SOL: Yeah. Absolutely.

INT: There's a free space to say whatever you want. Okay. And then or would you like to comment on any current trans issues or human rights issues? Oh, gosh. You could do both or either.

SOL: I would say, first of all, fuck I.C.E.. Fuck I.C.E.

INT: Absolutely. Gosh.

SOL: Alright. I have so many issues. I gotta talk. Like like, people could be here here all day. But

INT: Oh, gosh. I could see how maybe that was too vague of a question.

SOL: No. No. No. I can I can sum it up real pretty? So, basically, there's the illusion of separation and how all these issues are separate, but they're all interconnected. And if one of them falls, they'll all fall, and we gotta say steadfast. And I know it's disheartening out there, and it really sucks. And keep that anger. Do something with that anger. Like, I know it's even if you just do something for yourself and in your own community and in your own personal life, I'm not saying to, like, go out there, be radical if that's not your calling on your life. I definitely want you to be safe, like, in that sense of, like, speaking out, but in a safe way. Like, because not everyone is comfortable with that. I know sure as hell I wasn't comfortable with that. But there's always a way to fight. There's like, everybody has their little battles. But creating space to have those conversations unfortunately, we can't get angry, unfortunately, because they'll disregard all of our emotions the second we get a little emotional. Either it's anger or sadness, like, we gotta keep our cool. And I know that's the hardest thing to do, but we go like, it doesn't mean bite your tongue. Don't bite your tongue. Say what you need to say. Speak your piece. But sometimes we have to do it in a calm way or else we won't get heard or else we'll be that angry queer person or that angry brown person, and they'll just chalk it up to, like, whatever they want to. And so we really have to be able to control our own narrative in that sense. But I know that this fight is bigger than me, but I know I have a place in this fight, and I'm not gonna stop fighting, and I'm not gonna stop speaking. And I will always fight for what is right.

INT: Amazing. Beautiful. Thank you so much for having this interview with me, I got so much good stuff out of this.