Interview with Kara

Monika: Today I am going to host Kara, a young comedian, transgender activist, and social media influencer from Los Angeles, California. You can find her on Instagram @karageous. Hello Kara!

Kara: Hello, Monika! Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity. I look forward to sharing with you my journey. 

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Kara: Gladly! I am a queer, trans, Taiwanese-American activist. I graduated from UCLA in 2016 and am originally from Sugar Land, Texas. When I'm not doing comedy or motivational speaking, I work full-time serving homeless LGBTQ youth.

Monika: What inspired you to share your intimate life moments via social media?

Kara: I endeavor to be the hero I didn't have growing up. As a queer kid living in Texas, I never felt seen. There was a stark lack of visibility, and no one was telling my story. Social media gave me a platform to amplify my voice. There are so many misconceptions about the trans community - a fear that stems from a lack of education or exposure.

Interview with Lena Kuner

Monika: Today I am going to interview Lena Kuner, a German transgender woman, fashionista, travel blogger, and gamer that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Lena!

Lena: Hello Monika, it's a pleasure for me. Thank you!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Lena: My name is Lena, and I'm 36 years old. I live in a small town in the German federal state of Saxony. I live there with my boyfriend and work as an archivist for our district administration.

Monika: Lena is a nice name. Why did you choose it?

Lena: Long story! *chuckles* I love the sound. I chose it a long time before my transition started. In video games I always had the nickname "Lalena".

Monika: What inspired you to share your intimate life moments on social media?

Lena: Because I want to show that trans people are just as normal as everyone else. I don't want to be special or something. Maybe I'm a role model for somebody. If somebody feels better after reading my posts, I'm happy. And of course, I love modelling! *smiles*

Interview with Victoria Perera

Monika: Today we are going to Ontario in Canada, where my guest lives. Victoria Perera is a Serbian-born model, fitness instructor, and media influencer that shares her story on social media. We are going to talk about being trans and challenges related to her fascinating journey towards womanhood. Hello Victoria!

Victoria: Hello Monika. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to speak with you and share my story.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Victoria: I’m a 44 year old transwoman. I work as a residential appraiser near Toronto, Canada. I’m recently divorced and share custody of my two young boys with my ex-wife that we successfully co-parent. I would call myself a fitness fanatic and a very social woman who is always looking for a new challenge.

Monika: What inspired you to share your intimate life moments via social media?

Victoria: It started out innocently enough. I joined Instagram because I was bored after my first facial surgery. It has become entirely different. After I started posting a few pictures, I found I was connecting and interacting with other transwoman who had similar stories. I was inspired by their transition stories and felt it was my responsibility to share mine as well. Before I had transitioned, I was a closed off person.

Interview with Tori

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Tori, an American transgender woman that documents her transition on social media. Hello Tori!

Tori: Hi Monika! Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Tori: Well, I am a 27 year old proud transgender woman from the Midwest of the United States. I am a published model, advocate and educator!

Monika: Why did you decide to share your transition details on social media?

Tori: Honestly, I did it for my own mental health. At first, it was a way to make myself feel “valid” and “accepted” on a random social media platform; but it very soon became something more. When I was deep in the closet; suppressing and denying myself, I saw ALL these transwomen on social media and I so wanted to “BE THEM” but it seemed so incredibly impossible.

And it mainly seemed so impossible because I never had anyone to learn from or get any guidance or support from; I was written off very quickly by everyone whom I reached out to. Very quickly, my transition became something I wanted to share with those who felt like it was impossible; like “they couldn’t” but I was bound and determined to share with them; YOU CAN.

Interview with Rebecca Finn

Monika: Today I am going to interview Rebecca Finn, a Latin American and European web developer and transgender woman that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Rebecca!

Rebecca: Hello Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Rebecca: Hi, I'm Rebecca Finn, an openly transgender woman who works as a web developer living in Europe. I really really love coffee, enjoy movies and comics (and movies about comics too), and collect video game consoles and 80s toys (with a penchant for bootlegs).

Monika: What inspired you to share your intimate life moments via social media?

Rebecca: I actually can't remember exactly when, it kinda just happened. I had already moved away from my country and had struggled to find the courage to talk to close friends and allow myself to be me in public. I tried to find myself again and again, until I finally felt at ease. By then I was already posting as much as I could in social media, hosting makeup streams on Instagram and sharing daily photos. People were following me, commenting how they felt at ease and liked to see a friendly smile every morning. So I kept going.

Interview with Heloisa Zaffner

Monika: Today I am talking to Heloisa Zaffner, a Brazilian-born transgender woman living in Orlando, Florida, that documents her life on social media. Hello Heloisa!

Heloisa: Hello Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Heloisa: I am originally from Brazil and I moved to the USA to have a better education and freedom! I am an American citizen as well, and I started my transition here as I was never comfortable to do it in Brazil. Sadly Brazil still leads the ranking of most transgender homicide cases, caused mostly by hate!

Monika: Why did you choose Heloisa for your name?

Heloisa: Heloísa was supposed to be my name if I was born a cisgender woman. It was meant to be!