Interview with Victoria Caram

Monika: Today I have invited an amazing woman. Victoria Maxima Caram is an Argentinian hairstylist, makeup artist, model, media personality, adult entertainment producer, and former stage performer living in the Netherlands. She is the Executive Director of Miss Trans Star International, a well-known transgender beauty pageant that is held every year in Barcelona, Spain. Hello Victoria!

Victoria: Hello Monika, I feel honoured to be here today. I’ve seen so many talented and famous women in your interviews that I still don’t believe I am here.

Monika: You seem to be a woman of many talents. Could you say a few words about yourself?

Victoria: Well I wouldn’t say talents, I am a well-prepared woman, but above everything, I have been persevering with an almighty faith.

Monika: Victoria is a nice name. How did you choose it?

Victoria: In Roman mythology, Victoria was the name of the goddess of victory.

Monika: Before we have a closer look at your amazing professional career, I would like to ask you about your years in Argentina. Did you have a happy childhood there?

Victoria: Not at all, I was a kid with ADHD, so there were moments that even I did not want to be with me, hahaha. I come from the north of Argentina, Tucuman, from a very wealthy family; I went to the best elite schools. My mother is a doctor and my father is a businessman.

Interview with Tara Wels

Monika: Today I would like to present to you an inspirational woman. Tara Wels is an Algerian-born restaurant owner and transgender activist. Her restaurant "Oh! Quai Latin" is a lovely place in Paris, which is friendly for the LGBTQ + community. Hello Tara!

Tara: Hello Monika! I am Tara Wels, a transgender woman in Paris in France. I try to transmit kindness to the LGBTQ + community by facilitating the diversity of genders in my restaurant called Oh! Quai Latin.

Monika: How are you doing in these crazy pandemic times?

Tara: This period is very difficult to live for everyone but I try to stay positive and to create new ideas for the future.

Monika: You were born in Algeria. Did you have a happy childhood?

Tara: Yes, I was born in Algiers in a caring, loving family, surrounded by love. I was the only boy with 3 sisters.

Interview with Catriona

Monika: Today I have invited Catriona, a Scottish transgender lady, LGBTQI+ advocate, gamer, and photographer that documents her transition on social media. Hello Catriona! 

Catriona: Hi Monika, thank you for having me.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Catriona: I am a 37 year old transwoman from Glasgow, Scotland. I began my transition at the age of 34 and began documenting it shortly after.

Monika: Why did you choose Catriona for your name?

Catriona: Quite simply if I had been assigned female at birth, Catriona would have been my name.

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

Catriona: There is still too much misinformation and incorrect assumptions about what it is to be a transgender person. By sharing snippets of my life and experiences I hope to show people that whilst I am a transgender woman that is only a small aspect of my life.

Interview with Angelica Volkonskaya

Monika: Today I am going to talk with Angelica Volkonskaya, a businesswoman, model, and transactivist from the capital city of Minsk in Belarus that shares her transition story on social media. I have never interviewed a sister from Belarus before, so I am very happy to meet you. Hello Angelica!

Angelica: Hello everyone! Hi Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Angelica: I am from the glorious city of Minsk. I am very glad that my passport includes the same information that I have always wanted to correct. And I am proud to say that according to my passport data, I am already Angelica. This is not an easy way, but it is worth living as you always wanted and felt.

Monika: You seem to be a woman of many talents.

Angelica: It is very difficult to talk about myself. Usually other people talk about us because they can give a more accurate assessment. To say how good I am, I am not interested. I know only one thing, I constantly challenge everything and everyone, because I understand that in order to achieve something I must be strong in spirit.

Interview with Marissa du Bois

Monika: Today my guest is Marissa du Bois, an American software engineer working on AAA Games for a fortune 50 company. She is an award-winning LEGO maker and contributor to CodeProject.com. She is the inventor of multiple DIY LEGO electronic devices including two point-and-shoot cameras, a digital picture frame, a LEGO computer, and self-orienting panoramic camera. Marissa has contributed multiple props for a series of commercials for the LEGO group. Marissa is an Ally-Award winning corporate LGBT employee resource group leader and helped influence an Amicus Brief in support of Bostock vs. Clayton County as well as the Business Statement for Transgender Equality. She is an avid gardener and lives in Oregon with her husband of 10 years. Hello Marissa!

Marissa: Hi thanks for interviewing me. I read your interviews frequently and I appreciate the candid first person perspective of the people you feature.

Monika: How are you holding up in these crazy pandemic times?

Marissa: Doing well, got my first vaccine dose and hopefully seeing the light at the end of the tunnel soon. The quarantine has allowed me to focus a lot of my energy on engineering, gardening, and 3D printing hobbies, but I’m looking forward to getting out and spreading my wings soon.

Interview with Alessia Bergamo

Monika: Today I am going to interview Alessia Bergamo, an Italian model, showgirl, beauty pageant queen and TV personality, holding the title of Miss Trans Italia 2013. Hello Alessia!

Alessia: Hello Monika! With this interview I hope to give courage and esteem to all the transwomen who are facing this difficult transition path like me. I would like to make it clear that we too can become accomplished, beautiful and famous on TV as much as cis women.

Monika: You are a woman of many talents. Could you say a few words about yourself? 

Alessia: Like the majority of transgender women, in the past I had a bad life full of difficulties. I put a lot of effort to be fulfilled as an artist and known throughout Italy on TV as a columnist and soubrette.

For many years I have been working in the best Italian clubs as a sexy star with my burlesque shows. I am also a model of artistic nude, glamour and cosplay photos. I could achieve it thanks to the first place I won in the national beauty contest of Miss Trans Italia, which gave me a lot of visibility throughout the nation.