Interview with Sara R Phillips

Sara R Phillips has always lived her truth boldly, gracefully navigating the delicate spaces between personal identity and collective activism. From the very beginning, she questioned the boundaries placed around her, at five, when boys and girls were being split into separate classrooms, she felt the first stirrings of a self that refused to be boxed in. By seventeen, she had begun tentatively explaining her feelings to her father, who, in the context of the time, responded that it was just a “phase.” For Sara, that response, while imperfect, was a quiet permission to keep going, to keep seeking herself. She grew up, fell deeply in love, married, and raised three children, all while the urge to live fully in her true gender identity blossomed quietly, persistently, like a hidden garden demanding sunlight. Coming out in 1992, she stepped into a world rife with voyeurism and negativity, determined to claim her life and her identity despite the harsh gaze of society. Her activism is both deeply personal and profoundly generational. As co-founder of the Dublin Trans Peer Support Group and Chairperson of TENI, she has fought tirelessly to build structures of support, community, and legal recognition.

 

Under the leadership of both Sara and Broden Giambrone, former CEO in TENI, Ireland passed the historic Gender Recognition Act in 2015, making it one of the first countries in the world to allow adults to self-determine their gender on official documents. Beyond policy, she has curated the Irish Trans Archive, documenting over 300 years of Irish trans history, reminding us that trans lives are not a modern phenomenon, they are woven into the very fabric of our society. Sara’s work extends internationally through her roles on the boards of Transgender Europe and the International Trans Fund, while at home she continues shaping national conversations on gender, equality, and inclusion via the National Women’s Council of Ireland. Yet, for all her achievements, Sara’s activism is rooted in care, for those who came before her, for those who live now, and for those yet to come. In 2018, she walked Dublin Pride as Grand Marshal with her mother and daughter, a living testament to family, visibility, and resilience. This conversation with Sara is about courage and compassion, about the life-long work of claiming space, telling histories, and building futures. She embodies a rare blend of wisdom, warmth, and determination, reminding us that activism is not just about laws or campaigns, it’s about the people, the families, and the lives we fight to honor every single day.

Interview with Valentina Berr

Valentina Berr is a writer, educator, and transfeminist activist whose work focuses on questioning normative assumptions about gender, identity, and the body. In her book The Answer to Everything You Would Ask a Trans Girl (2023), Valentina invites readers to reflect on the fluidity of identity, the complexity of femininity, and the challenges that trans people face in contemporary society, combining rigor, tenderness, and humor to make complex topics such as dysphoria, non-binarity, and transfeminist violence accessible. Her approach goes beyond individual experience, exploring how culture, politics, and social environments shape the ways we exist and relate to gender, always from a critical and liberating perspective.

 

Valentina shares her transition journey and the obstacles she has encountered, from her relationship with her family to confronting social and media-driven transphobia, proposing a way of living identity that celebrates plurality, self-definition, and resilience. Furthermore, her perspective encompasses both personal intimacy and collective issues, building bridges between individual experiences and broader social struggles, becoming a key voice for understanding the richness and complexity of being trans in contemporary Spain and beyond. Her work and reflections inspire questioning the norm, opening up space for questions instead of imposed answers, and recognizing the beauty of diversity in all its forms.

Interview with Daniela Špinar

Daniela Špinar is a Czech theatre director, playwright, and public intellectual whose life and work have become a symbol of courage, transformation, and artistic excellence. She is known for her bold interpretations and fearless storytelling. Not only has she left an indelible mark on Czech theatre, but she has also become one of the most visible trans women in the country, using her voice to break down social stereotypes and foster understanding. She was born as Daniel Špinar and studied drama at DAMU in Prague, where she focused on acting and directing. Her talent quickly propelled her into the spotlight. From 2008 to 2010, she worked as a resident director at the Vinohrady Theatre, one of Prague’s most prestigious theatres. In 2014, she joined the National Theatre as a resident director, and from September 2015 she became the artistic director of the drama ensemble, a position she held for seven years. Her era was marked by daring productions, modern reinterpretations of classics, and pushing the boundaries of theatrical expression. Despite her professional success, Daniela struggled for a long time with questions of identity. At the age of twenty, she came out as gay because she believed that explained her inner conflict. But only at forty, during intensive psychotherapy, did she acknowledge a deeper truth: she is a trans woman. At the end of 2021, she publicly came out as trans, becoming the first widely known trans personality in Czech theatre. She described it as an enormous liberation, her mind had always been female, even if her body was not.

Interview with Anja Jürgenssen

 

Anja Jürgenssen’s life reads like a journey across worlds, from the rigid discipline of the Royal Marines Commandos to the quiet triumphs of online learning at one of the UK’s largest universities. Born in the northeast of England, she left home at sixteen, chasing an ideal of masculinity that never truly fit her, only to discover, years later, the freedom of living as her authentic self. Three decades in policing exposed her to life at its most raw and fragile, moments of triumph mingling with profound sorrow, until a near-death experience sparked a shift that would change everything. From that turning point, Anja immersed herself in learning, earning qualifications that led her to educate adults and create distance learning programs that reach thousands. Her path as a trans woman in the UK has not been easy. Navigating a healthcare system with decades of gatekeeping, enduring years-long waits for treatment, and facing the societal pressures of “passing” could have been overwhelming, yet she has transformed these challenges into advocacy, mentorship, and support for others.

Interview with Amanda Elstak

 

Today I would like to introduce a truly remarkable guest, Amanda Elstak, a proudly transsexual singer, performer, and dedicated activist. Amanda has left a lasting mark not only in the Hungarian music scene with her 2007 album Szükségem van a szerelemre (“I Need Love”), but also in civil society. She is the creator of the Hungarian Tolerance Award, the Hungarian Charity Award, and the Hungarian Equal Opportunity Award, and since 2010 she has served as president of the Together for Tolerance Foundation and the Hungarian Tolerance Association. Through her work, she promotes social acceptance and equality, with particular attention to supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and Roma communities.

 

Amanda is equally at home on stage and in the media. For years she hosted shows at Budapest venues such as Limo Caffe, Capella Caffe, Angyal Bár, and Club Bohemian Alibi, as well as events like the Hungarian Porn Oscar Awards, the Erotica Parade, and the Mr. Gay Hungary beauty pageant. After a long hiatus, she revived the Amanda Elstak Show in 2021, which now welcomes audiences at two Budapest nightlife locations, the Black Unicorn Bar and the Crush Budapest Club. In addition, Amanda teaches alternative therapies, Reiki, crystal healing, and psi-surgery, and as a life coach she helps people find their inner harmony. Her career and life are both inspiring and exemplary. In this interview, Amanda shares how she became one of the most recognized and influential voices of the Hungarian LGBTQ community, the challenges she faced along the way, and what continues to motivate her to work for her community today.

Interview with Fallon Fox

Fallon Fox was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1975, and even as a child she sensed a truth inside that didn’t match the body others saw. Growing up, she thought she might be gay, since liking “girl things” was labeled that way, but her longing ran deeper. At nineteen she married her high-school love, became a father, and quietly carried the weight of an identity she could not yet claim. Service in the U.S. Navy taught her resilience, but the discipline of military life could not silence her need for authenticity. After her discharge and a short time at the University of Toledo, she turned to long-haul trucking, saving every paycheck for the day she could live openly. In 2006, in Bangkok, Thailand, Fallon underwent feminizing surgery and breast augmentation, finally stepping into herself. Returning to Illinois, she trained in mixed martial arts at the Midwest Training Center.

 

She called herself the Queen of Swords, earning the name with three knockouts and two submissions—proof that strength and femininity could exist side by side. In March 2013, Fallon came out publicly through Outsports and Sports Illustrated, becoming the first openly transgender athlete in professional MMA. Her announcement ignited debate: some praised her courage, others questioned fairness. The discussion intensified after fighter Tamikka Brents sustained an injury in 2014. Fallon faced the controversy head-on, advocating for policies based on science and fairness, and encouraging research into how hormone therapy affects strength, bone density, and endurance. Beyond her record in the cage, her legacy became one of visibility and advocacy, helping to move the conversation from fear and resistance toward understanding and inclusion in the world of sports.