# 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 dysphoria, being transgender, sex reassignment surgery, and bullying. Cassata also speaks about his experience as the first openly transgender student in Bay Shore High School and the changes he made there. Cassata talks about the petitions he made in Bay Shore High School to advocate for the rights of transgender students. He has discussed bullying, what gendered bathroom to use, and gaining the right to have his chosen name in the school yearbook instead of his name at birth. 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:
   And Lawrence King never saw ninth grade, Before that bullet was forced into his brain, By a bully, a madman, A classmate of rage. Just at fifteen, young Larry was sent to his grave.
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 Harvard University, 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, David H. Hickman High School, Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, Amityville Memorial High School, Ossining High School, Kingston High School, Monmouth Regional High School, Strong Vincent Middle School, Rancho Cotate High School, Freedom High School (Oakley, California) and Dougherty Valley High School.
Bustle put Cassata on the "7 Young Trans* Activists You Should Know About This Year" list in 2016 saying "he's also become one of the most prominent young trans* activist speakers in America."
Cassata has appeared on Larry King Live, The Tyra Banks Show and local television to speak about being transgender. He also appeared on CNN live to advocate for gender neutral bathrooms.

## Music career

Ryan Cassata's song "Soda Cans" was listed in the 2014 article by The Advocate as a 'Trans Anthem.' Cassata was listed on Logo TV's list of "9 Trans Musicians You Need to Get Into."' Cassata and his song "We're The Cool Kids" were listed on the 2017 Billboard list of 11 Transgender and Non-Binary Musicians You Need to Know.
Cassata is the first openly transgender musician to perform at Warped Tour after winning the Ernie Ball Battle of The Bands contest in 2013 and 2015.
Cassata's music video for his song "Other Friends" was featured in Billboard Magazine in 2019 with an in-depth interview and was featured on the front page of the website. The song "Daughter" was featured again in Billboard's "50 Stellar Songs by LGBTQ Artists That You Might Have Missed in 2018 (But Shouldn't Have)." Cassata and his song "Daughter" were also featured in Paper Magnifiine's article titled "50 LGBTQ Musicians You Should Prioritize" in 2018.
Cassata is one of two of the 2019 recipients of The ASCAP Foundation "Sunlight of the Spirit" Award which is presented to an individual who is exemplary in recovery and in music creativity for his original song "Jupiter." Ryan Cassata performed at The ASCAP Foundation Honors 2019 at Jazz at Lincoln Center and accepted his award.

## YouTube

Cassata began creating vlogs and uploading footage from his concerts in 2007. Cassata posts videos on his personal YouTube channel, Ryan Cassata talking about his experience as a transgender man, a musician, and a public speaker. As of December 2019 his channel has over 76.5 thousand subscribers, and his videos have been viewed over 6.7 million times. Ryan Cassata has collaborated on videos with Davey Wavey, Skylar Kergil, Aydian Dowling, ElloSteph, Arielle Scarcella, Marissa Farina, and Stevie Boebi. Cassata became the first transgender person on the LGBT Panel at Playlist Live in February 2015 and appeared with Stevie Boebi, ElloSteph, Marissa Farina, RJ Aguiar, and Tyler Oakley.
Cassata was a regular member on the collaboration YouTube channel LGBTeens a channel that has over 35,000 subscribers and was part of the Big Frame network. Cassata vlogged about the LGBT community and his personal experience as an openly LGBT teen on this channel.
He has been rated as one of the "top 5 most influential transgender YouTube creators" by NewMediaRockstars.

## Acting

In June 2015, Ryan Cassata was cast as a lead character in Beemus directed by Lauren Wolkstein. Cassata played a high school gym student. Cassata won the award for "Best Breakout Performance" at the Victoria TX Independent Film Fest in March 2016. Cassata appeared in a Bonobos (apparel) national commercial titled "However You Fit" in 2018 which featured 172 men wearing the same style of pants.

## Notable awards & honors

* Harvey Milk Memorial Award
* Ernie Ball Battle of The Bands winner, featured on Warped Tour 2013
* Ernie Ball Battle of The Bands winner, featured on Warped Tour 2015
* KPQR, 99.1 FM Music Community Member of the Year Award
* Best Breakout Performance for "Beemus, It'll End In Tears" at Victoria TX Independent Film Festival
* Best Music Short for "Daughter" at New Renaissance Film Festival, Amsterdam 2019
* Certificate of Congressional Recognition, California's 36th congressional district, 2019
* Proclamation, City of Palm Springs, CA - Recognized for Transgender Activism, 2019
* Proclamation, City of Rancho Mirage, CA - Recognized for Transgender Activism, 2019
* Proclamation, Cathedral City, CA - Recognized for Transgender Activism, 2019
* Proclamation, City of Palm Desert, CA - Recognized for Transgender Activism, 2019
* Proclamation, City of La Quinta - Recognized for Transgender Activism, 2019
* The ASCAP Foundation "Sunlight of the Spirit" Award, 2019

## Discography
### LPs

The Theme of Humankind (Artemendous Records, May 28, 2011) Track Listing:
* "Val's Song"
* "Dancing Shoes"
* "Love 'Round the World"
* "Waiting On the Sunrise"
* "In The Business"
* "Artemendous Knows All"
* "Wild Fire Woman"
* "The Trans Slam"
* "Going West"
* "Love/Hate"
* "In My Hands"
Musicians:
* Ryan Cassata – Composer, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboard
* Kenny Truhn – Electric Guitar, Drums, Percussion
* Steven Battline – Keyboards, Drums, Electric Guitar
* Dave Suchmann – Bass Guitar
* Josh Seidman – Electric Guitar, Percussion
Production:
* Ryan Cassata – Executive Producer
* Dave Suchmann – Co-producer
* Mic Angelo – Mix Engineer
* Emily Gage – Album Artwork
The Rhythm (ROC Productions, May 25, 2012) Track Listing:
* "Love 'round the World (Hope)"
* "The Rhythm" (feat. Kenny Truhn)
* "Mouth Like a Hurricane"
* "Soda Cans"
* "Nothing Like Plastic"
* "Intro (I Do)"
* "Beauty Like Youth (I Do)" (feat. Alexis Ann)
* "Shine Your Light"
* "Hands of Hate" (feat. Kenny Truhn, Vincent Cassata, Francine Cassata)
Musicians:
* Ryan Cassata – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Keyboard
* Kenny Truhn – Electric Guitar, Drums, Bass, Percussion
* Adam Abresch – Trumpet
* Josh Seidman – Percussion
Production:
* Ryan Cassata – Composer, Executive Producer, Liner Notes
* Kenny Truhn – Co-producer
* Mic Angelo – Mix Engineer
* Erich Glaubitz – Mastering
* Emily Gage – Album Artwork
Songs for Alexis (Original Soundtrack Recording) (ROC Productions, April 30, 2014) Track Listing:
* Oh, Alexis
* Day Dream
* New York to California
* Soda Cans
* Naked (Protest Song)
* The Rhythm
* Together Again
* Freedom Nation
* Mayday
* Hands of Hate (feat. Kenny Truhn, Vincent Cassata, Francine Cassata)
Soul Sounds (ROC Productions, February 21, 2015) Track Listing:
* Since When Does Bare Feet Make You A Warrior Of Peace?
* Psychedelic Alligator Hunter
* Cocaine Crazy
* Jump Fence
* Alone
* Recover Me
* Save My Soul
* Mr. Beane (Fenway Park)
* Face On The Ground
* Red Light
Musicians:
* Ryan Cassata – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Keyboard
* Kenny Truhn – Electric Guitar, Drums, Bass, Percussion
* Adam Abresch – Trumpet
* Kenny Truhn, Jordanna Felice, Jess Gorman - Backing Vocals
* Mark O'Connell of Taking Back Sunday - Additional Drums on Track 1
Production:
* Ryan Cassata – Composer, Executive Producer, Liner Notes
* Kenny Truhn – Co-producer
* Mic Angelo – Mix Engineer
* Mike Cervantes from Masterdisk – Mastering
* Kristen Lyseggen, Emily Gage – Photograph, Album Artwork
Shine (ROC Productions, March 15, 2016) Track Listing:
* We're The Cool Kids
* Check Engine
* Bedroom Eyes
* Sunrise Highway
* Don't Count Me Out
* Man In The Mirror
* Shine On
* Alcatraz
* Hot Springs, Arkansas
* Round Here
Musicians:
* Ryan Cassata – Composer, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Keyboard, Piano
* Kenny Truhn - Drums
* Barb Morrison - Electric Guitar, Percussion, Bass, Electric Guitars, Horns
* Jonathan Jetter - Slide Guitars, Electric Guitars, Mandolin
* Rebecca Pritchard - Backing Vocals
* Francine Cassata - Backing Vocals
Production:
* Ryan Cassata – Composer, Liner Notes
* Barb Morrison - Producer
* Jonathan Jetter – Engineer
* John Davis – Mastering
* Adam Bouska - Photography
* Emily Gage – Album Artwork
The Witches Made Me Do It (ROC Productions, March 27, 2020)
Track Listing:
* Bamboo Plants
* Extended Vacation
* Catcher in the Rye
* The Witches Made Me Do It
* Never Lied
* Holy Holy Hold Me
* Disguise
* We're Still Living
Musicians:
* Ryan Cassata – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Piano
* Stephen Spies - Violin, Viola, Electric Guitar, Piano, Additional Production
* Kyle Dombroski - Drums, Percussion, Additional Production
* Rory Snively - Bass
Production:
* Ryan Cassata – Composer, Liner Notes
* Jeni Mckenna - Composer
* Jason Hiller, Ryan Cassata - Producer
* Jason Hiller - Mix/Master Engineer
* Ryan Cassata - Photography
* Emiko Lytell – Album Artwork
Magic Miracle Mile (ROC Productions, October, 22nd, 2021)
Track Listing:
* Interlude
* Guard Rail
* Starfucker$
* Coffin
* Loner Boy
* Mattress
* Hometown HEro
* Magic Miracle Mile
* Ghosts R Gone
* Ok, On The Record
* Broken Heart (Transcend) [w Itsokaylove]
* Hollyweird
* C'mon Sarah, It's Great to be 8
* Golden Hour
Musicians:
* Ryan Cassata – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Piano, Keyboards, Drums, Bass Production, Mixing
* Stephen Spies - Violin, Viola, Electric Guitar, Piano, Vocals, Additional Production
* Kenny Truhn - Additional Drums
* Lorene Barnese - Additional Bass
* Jason Hiller - Additional Bass, Mixing, Mastering
Production:
* Ryan Cassata – Composer, Producer, Mixer Liner Notes
* Jason Hiller, Co-producer
* Jason Hiller - Co-Mix/Master Engineer
* Asher Phoenix - Photography
* Emiko Lytell – Album Artwork

### EPs

Distraction (January 12, 2011) Track Listing:
* "Distraction"
* "Sleeping Through"
* "Wonderful, Beautiful"
* "The Desert King"
* "Sparkle Like the Sea"
* "Val's Song"
Musicians:
* Ryan Cassata – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboard, Percussion
* David DeFeis – Keyboards, Bass Guitar, Drums, Percussion
Production:
* Ryan Cassata – Executive Producer, Liner Notes
* David DeFeis – Co-producer, Mix Engineer, Mastering
* Emily Gage – Album Artwork
Oh, Alexis: Acoustic Sessions, Vol. 1 (ROC Productions, December 13, 2012)
Track Listing:
* "Oh, Alexis"
* "Soda Cans"
* "1,000 Letters"
* "Mayday"
* "Together Again"
* "New York to California"
* "Day Dream"
Production:
* Ryan Cassata – Executive Producer
* Erich Glaubitz – Mix Engineer, Mastering, Producer
* Emily Gage – Album Artwork
In America: The Acoustic Sessions, Vol. 2 (ROC Productions, April 13, 2013)
Track Listing:
* "The Coffee Shop Song"
* "Freedom Nation"
* "1960's Scene"
* "The Rhythm"
* "In America"
Production:
* Ryan Cassata – Executive Producer, Album Artwork
* Erich Glaubitz – Mix Engineer, Mastering, Producer
Jupiter, It Won't Be Long: The Acoustic Sessions, Vol. 3 (ROC Productions, September 13, 2013) Track Listing:
* "I Don't Really Wanna Go to College"
* "Liberation"
* "Jupiter, It Won't Be Long"
* "Dear Lucas"
* "Tell His Old Man"
* "The Mob's Rolling Cadillac"
* "Sobering Up"
* "Grass Hat"
Production:
* Ryan Cassata – Executive Producer
* Erich Glaubitz – Mix Engineer, Mastering, Producer
* Emily Gage – Album Artwork
Chicago Midway: The Acoustic Sessions, Vol. 4 (ROC Productions, April 13, 2014) Track Listing:
* Long Shot
* Chicago Midway
* Cracks & Crevices
* Shotgun of a Mouth
* Cocaine Crazy
* Sacred Grounds
* Love Defined
Production:
* Ryan Cassata – Executive Producer, Album Artwork
* Erich Glaubitz – Mix Engineer, Mastering, Producer
* Sam Tall – Album Artwork
Virginia, Pick Up The Phone (ROC Productions, July 7, 2017) Track Listing:
* Oh, Girl
* The Race
* Pretty As She Falls
* Virginia Pick Up The Phone
* Just A Kid
* Alcatraz
Production:
* Ryan Cassata – Executive Producer, Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
* Steve K – Producer
* Mic Angelo - Mix Engineer, Mastering
* Emily Gage – Album Artwork

### Singles

Captain May (May 2014)
Musicians:
* Ryan Cassata – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboard
* Sam Tall – Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, Percussion
Production:
* Ryan Cassata – Producer
* Sam Tall – Producer, Mix Engineer, Mastering, Post Production
Look At The World (January 2016)
Musicians:
Jon Jeremy, Tormented, Ryan Cassata
Light Up (August 2017)
Musicians:
* Ryan Cassata – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar,
* Destroy – Drums, Percussion
* Acadia – Bass Guitar, Vocals
* Jordanna Felice - Electric Guitar, Vocals
Production:
* Ryan Cassata – Co-producer
* Steve K – Co-producer
* Mic Angelo – Mix Engineer, Mastering
* Emily Gage – Album Artwork
Daughter (April 2018)
Musicians:
* Ryan Cassata – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
* Nate Evans – Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, Percussion
Production:
* Nate Evans – Producer, Mix Engineer, Mastering
* Ryan Cassata – Co-producer
It's Christmastime (December 2018)
Musicians & Production:
* Ryan Cassata – Vocals, Electric Guitar
* Kyle Dombroski - Drums, Percussion
* Stephen Spies - Vocals, Electric Guitar
* Rebecca Bacich - Viola
* Rory Snively - Bass
Jupiter (March 2019)
Musicians:
* Ryan Cassata – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
* Nate Evans – Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, Percussion
Production:
* Nate Evans – Producer, Mix Engineer, Mastering
* Ryan Cassata – Co-producer
Back Down South (May 2019)
Musicians:
* Ryan Cassata – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
* Nate Evans – Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, Percussion
Production:
* Nate Evans – Producer, Mix Engineer, Mastering
* Ryan Cassata – Co-producer

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2010 | Loop Planes | Composer of the soundtrack | |
| 2013 | Gender Silent | Himself | |
| 2014 | Songs for Alexis | Himself, Composer of the Soundtrack | Released at Hot Docs International Documentary Festival in Toronto and Frameline Film Festival |
| 2014 | On The Road: Ryan Cassata 2014 Tour Documentary | Himself, Composer of the Soundtrack | DVD Only |
| 2015 | Beemus, It'll End In Tears | The Student | premiered at South by Southwest |
| 2015 | Flesh Trade | Cooper | post-production |
| 2018 | Before We Fall | Composer of the credits soundtrack | |
| 2018 | Must've Been | Teenage Boy | Chromeo ft. DRAM |
| 2018 | Bonobos: Evolve the Definition | Himself | #EvolveTheDefinition is a project Bonobos started to build a conversation around the definition of "masculine." |
| 2020 | Two Eyes | Jalin | post-production |
| 2020 | No Ordinary Man (film) | Himself | Nominated for GLAAD Media Award |
| 2021 | Birthday Boy | Soundtrack Addition: ‘Daughter’ Written & Performed by Ryan Cassata | Originally a kick starter project, Birthday Boy is directed by Leo Lebeau and currently in post-production. |

## Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Larry King Live | Himself | TV series; Episode: "Born in the Wrong Body!" |
| 2010 | The Tyra Banks Show | Himself | TV series; Episode: "We're 7 & 8 Years Old and Know We Are Transgender" |
| 2012 | The Jason Galka Show | Himself | TV series; Episode: "Ryan Cassata" |
| 2012 | The Jason Galka Show | Himself | TV series; Episode: "Ryan Cassata Returns" |
| 2013 | Head First | Himself | TV series; Episode: "The Wrong Body" |
| 2013 | HuffPost Live | Himself | TV series; Episode: "The Life Of A Transgender Teenager" |
| 2013 | HuffPost Live | Himself | TV series; Episode: "The Fight For Transgender Teen Rights" |
| 2016 | CNN | Himself | News; "Young People Talk About New Guidelines" |
| 2018 | Turnt | Kai | Facebook Web Series, Episodes 1.24, 1.39, 1.40 |
| 2018 | 1 In 8 Is 1 Too Many | Himself | PSA Commercial for Lifetime Network |
| 2018 | Thank You Come Again | Composer of Soundtrack Credits | TV Web Series |
| 2018 | Bad Ally | Composer of Soundtrack, Ep 6 | TV Web Series |

## Theater credits
### Readings & Workshops

* Albert Cashier as Young Albert (2017)
* This Ain't No Disco! as Ensemble (2017)
* Cotton Candy and Cocaine as Blazer (2017)

## Publications

Ryan Cassata currently writes for Rock The Pigeon Music Blog.
| Year | Publication | Title |
| 2014 | IndieWire | "Ryan Cassata, The Trans Teen From New Doc 'Songs For Alexis,' Shares His Experiences Making The Film and Bringing It To Hot Docs" |
| 2015 | The New York Times | "Ryan Cassata" |
| 2015 | The VOV Zine | "Carl Beane" |
| 2016 | Original Plumbing | Original Plumbing Magazine #17, The Tattoo Issue, Chapter: "Home" |
| 2016 | Film In Revolt | "Almost Famous" |
| 2016 | Heart Journal | "Dear Dad" |
| 2017 | HuffPost | "My Bathroom Struggle As A Transgender Student" |
| 2017 | HuffPost | "Being Publicly Misgendered Doesn’t Bother Me" |
| 2017 | HuffPost | "Passing As Cisgender Can Sometimes Mean Life Or Death" |
| 2017 | HuffPost | "Respecting They/Them Pronouns" |
| 2017 | HuffPost | "Consent as emPWRment" |
| 2017 | HuffPost | "Transgender Veteran: ‘You Cannot Silence Us.’" |
| 2017 | HuffPost | "Trans Actors For Trans Characters" |
| 2018 | FTM Magazine, Trans Men Magazine | May 2018, Issue 12, Chapter: "Flying High In The City of Angels" |
| 2018 | The Advocate | "Banning Conversion Therapy Will Save Lives" |
| 2018 | Indie Music Bus | "How To Book Your Own Tours DIY" |
| 2018 | FTM Magazine, Trans Men Magazine | June 2018, Issue 13, Chapter: "To Our Trans Masc Founding Fathers" |
| 2018 | Indie Music Bus | "Why Proper Show Etiquette Can Pay Off" |
| 2018 | Indie Music Bus | "TOUR HACKS: A Nervous & Prepared Musicians Guide" |
| 2019 | Medium - Matthew's Place | "Figuring Out My Identity Was Like Trying On New Clothes" |
| 2019 | Medium - Matthew's Place | "The Trans Guys Who Made the Path Easier to Walk" |
| 2019 | Indie Music Bus | "Can You Be Creative As A Songwriter If You Are Sober?" |
| 2019 | Medium - Matthew's Place | "Powering Through & Destroying Closet Doors" |
| 2019 | Medium - Matthew's Place | "Major Brands & Their Pride" |
| 2019 | Medium - Matthew's Place | "Sober at Pride" |
| 2019 | Medium - Matthew's Place | "The Healing Powers of Music" |