Ryan Cassata

Activism

Since 2008, 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 and the changes he made there. 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, songs, poetry and 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. 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.

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

Cassata has delivered speeches and performances at colleges and universities such as Kent State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Boston University, Capital University, Rider University, Rutger's 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 and Dowling College.

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 and Monmouth Regional High School.

Music career

Cassata began playing guitar at age 6 after begging his parents for lessons.

Ryan Cassata's song "Soda Cans" was listed in the 2014 article by The Advocate as a 'Trans Anthem.' Ryan 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 (Magazine) list of 11 Transgender and Non-Binary Musicians You Need to Know.

Ryan 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.

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 2016 his channel has over 55 thousand subscribers, and his videos have been viewed over 4 million times. Ryan Cassata has collaborated on videos with Davey Wavey, 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 is part of the Big Frame network. Cassata vlogs 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.

Notable awards

LPs

The Theme of Humankind (Artemendous Records, May 28, 2011) Track Listing:

1. "Val's Song"
2. "Dancing Shoes"
3. "Love 'Round the World"
4. "Waiting On the Sunrise"
5. "In The Business"
6. "Artemendous Knows All"
7. "Wild Fire Woman"
8. "The Trans Slam"
9. "Going West"
10. "Love/Hate"
11. "In My Hands"

Musicians:

Production:

The Rhythm (ROC Productions, May 25, 2012) Track Listing:

1. "Love 'round the World (Hope)"
2. "The Rhythm" (feat. Kenny Truhn)
3. "Mouth Like a Hurricane"
4. "Soda Cans"
5. "Nothing Like Plastic"
6. "Intro (I Do)"
7. "Beauty Like Youth (I Do)" (feat. Alexis Ann)
8. "Shine Your Light"
9. "Hands of Hate" (feat. Kenny Truhn, Vincent Cassata, Francine Cassata)

Musicians:

Production:

Songs for Alexis (Original Soundtrack Recording) (ROC Productions, April 30, 2014) Track Listing:

1. Oh, Alexis
2. Day Dream
3. New York to California
4. Soda Cans
5. Naked (Protest Song)
6. The Rhythm
7. Together Again
8. Freedom Nation
9. Mayday
10. Hands of Hate (feat. Kenny Truhn, Vincent Cassata, Francine Cassata)

Soul Sounds (ROC Productions, February 21, 2015) Track Listing:

1. Since When Does Bare Feet Make You A Warrior Of Peace?
2. Psychedelic Alligator Hunter
3. Cocaine Crazy
4. Jump Fence
5. Alone
6. Recover Me
7. Save My Soul
8. Mr. Beane (Fenway Park)
9. Face On The Ground
10. Red Light≈

Musicians:

Production:

Shine (ROC Productions, March 15, 2016) Track Listing:

1. We're The Cool Kids
2. Check Engine
3. Bedroom Eyes
4. Sunrise Highway
5. Don't Count Me Out
6. Man In The Mirror
7. Shine On
8. Alcatraz
9. Hot Springs, Arkansas
10. Round Here

Musicians:

Production:

EPs

Distraction (January 12, 2011) Track Listing:

1. "Distraction"
2. "Sleeping Through"
3. "Wonderful, Beautiful"
4. "The Desert King"
5. "Sparkle Like the Sea"
6. "Val's Song"

Musicians:

Production:

Oh, Alexis: Acoustic Sessions, Vol. 1 (ROC Productions, December 13, 2012)

Track Listing:

1. "Oh, Alexis"
2. "Soda Cans"
3. "1,000 Letters"
4. "Mayday"
5. "Together Again"
6. "New York to California"
7. "Day Dream"

Production:

In America: The Acoustic Sessions, Vol. 2 (ROC Productions, April 13, 2013)

Track Listing:

1. "The Coffee Shop Song"
2. "Freedom Nation"
3. "1960's Scene"
4. "The Rhythm"
5. "In America"

Production:

Jupiter, It Won't Be Long: The Acoustic Sessions, Vol. 3 (ROC Productions, September 13, 2013) Track Listing:

1. "I Don't Really Wanna Go to College"
2. "Liberation"
3. "Jupiter, It Won't Be Long"
4. "Dear Lucas"
5. "Tell His Old Man"
6. "The Mob's Rolling Cadillac"
7. "Sobering Up"
8. "Grass Hat"

Production:

Chicago Midway: The Acoustic Sessions, Vol. 4 (ROC Productions, April 13, 2014) Track Listing:

1. Long Shot
2. Chicago Midway
3. Cracks & Crevices
4. Shotgun of a Mouth
5. Cocaine Crazy
6. Sacred Grounds
7. Love Defined

Production:

Virginia, Pick Up The Phone (ROC Productions, July 7th, 2017) Track Listing:

1. Oh, Girl
2. The Race
3. Pretty As She Falls
4. Virginia Pick Up The Phone
5. Just A Kid
6. Alcatraz

Production:

Singles

Captain May (May 2014)

Musicians:

Production:

Look At The World (January 2016)

Musicians: Jon Jeremy, Tormented, Ryan Cassata

Light Up (August 2017)