Interview with Mey Rude

Mey Rude is a voice that has shaped how we see transgender visibility in media. As the Trans Editor at Autostraddle, she has been at the forefront of documenting, analyzing, and celebrating the rise of trans representation in film, television, music, and literature. A proud transgender Latina, lesbian, and self-described comic book nerd, Mey lives in Idaho, where she continues to write passionately about the intersections of identity, culture, and activism. Her work reflects both her sharp insight into the entertainment industry and her deep empathy for the struggles and triumphs of trans women everywhere. Beyond her editorial work, Mey’s own story, marked by resilience, community-building, and a commitment to authenticity, mirrors the broader fight for trans visibility and acceptance. In this conversation, she opens up about her journey, her inspirations, and her hopes for the future of transgender representation. Mey’s career has coincided with a pivotal moment in transgender visibility, a time when shows like Orange Is the New Black, Transparent, and Pose have brought trans stories into mainstream conversation.

 

Through her editorials and commentary, she has challenged the entertainment industry to go beyond surface-level inclusion and to give trans people the power to tell their own stories. Her voice has become a guiding one for readers seeking not only representation but also a critical lens on how that representation is shaped. Whether discussing the lack of trans actors in leading roles or celebrating trans artists breaking new ground, Mey balances critique with optimism, always emphasizing progress without losing sight of the work still to be done. Outside her professional life, Mey’s story is one of courage and conviction. Coming out and transitioning in her mid-twenties, she faced isolation in her hometown and a scarcity of trans resources, yet she found strength in online communities and the growing visibility of role models like Laverne Cox and Janet Mock. Her experiences have shaped her belief in the power of connection and self-expression, values that shine through in her writing. As both a journalist and an activist, Mey Rude continues to inspire others to live openly, create fearlessly, and remind the world that trans women belong not only in the narrative but also at the heart of it.

 

Monika: Today, it is my great pleasure and honor to speak with Mey Rude, the Trans Editor at Autostraddle, as well as a writer, blogger, and transgender activist. Hello, Mey!

Mey: Hi Monika! Thanks for having me!

Monika: Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Mey: Well, obviously, my name is Mey. I’m a transgender Latina who lives in Idaho in the US. I’m also a lesbian, and a comic book nerd, and a writer. I work as the Trans Editor for the website Autostraddle.com.

 

One of her selfies.

 

Monika: As the Trans Editor at Autostraddle, you follow and comment on trends related to the visibility of transgender women in the media. Thanks to the success of productions such as Orange Is the New Black, Transparent, New Girls on the Block, and True Trans With Laura Jane Grace, we’ve seen an increase in trans representation. Do you think this visibility is here to stay? 

Mey: I really hope so. I think that all the awards that have been going to Orange Is the New Black and Transparent, as well as the recent Emmy win for Laverne Cox’s TV documentary Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, will encourage more people to take a chance on trans stories and trans characters. And we’ve been starting to see that. There are going to be a bunch of new shows featuring trans characters this year, including several with fictional trans characters played by trans actresses, so I think that’s a very good sign. 

Monika: In one of your editorials, you pointed out the growing public fascination with the real-life stories of trans women. What do you think drives this fascination?

Mey: I think that a lot of people just have a fascination with things that they see as being “different,” and trans people often fit into that. Although we see it as just living our lives, a lot of cis people struggle to wrap their minds around it.

Monika: Do you think this fascination reflects genuine interest and understanding, or does it sometimes come from misunderstanding who trans women truly are?

Mey: I think there’s a particular fascination with trans women because society sees us as men, who were at the top of society, who “chose” to become women, willingly sacrificing all that power and privilege. And that’s tough for people to understand. Now, obviously, that’s not a very good or accurate way to describe trans women, but that’s how a lot of people see us.

Monika: What I find striking is the entertainment industry’s ongoing reluctance to cast trans actors, especially in leading roles. Why do you think this hesitation still exists?

Mey: Yes, definitely. Just a couple of years ago Jared Leto won an Oscar for playing a trans woman, and then now, when it was announced that a movie was being made about Lili Elbe, a trans woman from history, she’s again being played by a cis man in what looks like an attempt to win an Oscar.

Monika: Do you think the situation is improving, or are trans performers still struggling to find fair representation on screen?

Mey: Things are getting a lot better now, I think. We saw Laverne Cox being nominated for an Emmy for her role in Orange Is the New Black, and now she’s going to have a large role in a new TV show on CBS. Although the lead on Transparent is played by a man, there are still a lot of trans actors and actresses playing trans roles, including some that are pretty big roles. And again, just like with Laverne Cox, Trace Lysette, a trans woman, has gone from her role on Transparent to being cast in an upcoming show on network TV.

 

Selfie in red.

 

Monika: Some critics argue that the film industry as a whole still limits opportunities for women to showcase their talents and stories to wider audiences. Could this also explain the lack of major roles for trans women?

Mey: I definitely think so. Women, both cis and trans, are already given so few opportunities in film, and they often have to fight for the ones they do get. So when you add being trans on top of being a woman, that makes it even more difficult.

Monika: What is your favorite film featuring a transgender character?

Mey: Does Paris is Burning count? It’s a documentary about the New York drag and ballroom scene in the ’80s, and it features a lot of trans women, including the incredible Octavia St. Laurent. My favorite non-documentary with a trans character would probably be Gun Hill Road, because it was the first movie I had ever seen that had a trans woman who was played by a trans woman who was in a leading role. Harmony Santana was incredible in the lead role in that movie.

Monika: Contemporary music has seen a rise in transgender female artists such as Mina Caputo of Life of Agony, Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!, Marissa Martinez of Cretin, Amber Taylor of The Sexual Side Effect, Namoli Brennet, Sissy Debut, Koko Jones, and Jennifer Leitham, among others. Do you think transgender musicians are becoming a stronger presence in mainstream music?

Mey: Sure! I think that largely, the music industry treated Laura Jane Grace with a lot of respect when she came out, and I think that Transgender Dysphoria Blues was their best album to date, so hopefully that will help other artists. Transgender rapper Katey Red has also worked with some pretty big names in the hip-hop world, and I think people like her and Juliana Huxtable are blazing new trails for trans artists.

Monika: The same trend can be seen in literature, with more talented and prolific transgender writers emerging. Authors such as Jan Morris from the United Kingdom, Josephine Emery from Australia, and contemporary voices like Julia Serano, Ryka Aoki, Red Durkin, and Imogen Binnie are gaining recognition. Do you think transgender writers will achieve a more prominent place in the literary world?

Mey: I hope so, but I’m not so optimistic about this. While we’ve definitely seen some great books by trans authors, most mainstream publishers still aren’t publishing their work. We are seeing a lot of new books featuring trans characters, but it seems like if they’re published by a mainstream company, they’re always written by cis people. Hopefully, this will change, and I think as long as people are able to self-publish or turn to smaller presses, trans people will keep on turning out amazing work.

Monika: When did you begin your transition, and what was that experience like for you?

Mey: I started coming out to friends when I was in my mid-twenties. I publicly came out and started to present full-time as a woman when I was 26. Parts of it were difficult. Where I live there aren’t a lot of doctors who have experience with trans patients, so it took me over a year to find someone who could help me get started on HRT. I also didn’t know any other trans women in my hometown, so that made things difficult.

 

Before going out.

 

Monika: During your transition, did you have any trans role models who inspired or guided you along the way?

Mey: Ever since Laverne Cox was first on TV with I Want to Work for Diddy back in 2008, I’ve followed her career and her activism, and I’ve looked to her for inspiration. I also read the article written by Annika about being a trans woman on Autostraddle. Just trans women who I met on the internet in general, really. That was the first trans community that I had, and it helped me a lot.

Monika: Who are some of the transgender women you admire and respect today?

Mey: Oh man, there are so many! Of course, I still love and admire Laverne Cox. Also Janet Mock. Reina Gossett, Luna Merbruja, Morgan Collado, Shaadi Devereaux, L'lerrét Ailith, Monica Roberts, Jen Richards, and Angelica Ross, so, so many others. Definitely CeCe McDonald.

Monika: What was the most challenging part of your coming-out experience? 

Mey: When I first came out, I was very active in my church and most of my friends were people I had met at church. I had to leave that church when I came out and lost my community and a lot of friends when I did that.

Monika: You once said, “I’m both an L and a T, and I don’t want to choose a side.” Could you elaborate on what that means to you?

Mey: Yes. I’m a lesbian and a transgender woman. Both of those identities are very important to me and both inform who I am as an activist and as a person. Often people talk about how there’s a huge rift between lesbians and trans women, but only one-fourth of trans people identify as straight, so a huge number of us are lesbians or bisexual women. I’m a complex person and when people try to boil me down to one trait and say that that trait is all that I am, it rubs me the wrong way. 

Monika: The transgender cause is often linked with the broader LGBT movement. Do you think the trans community is able to fully advocate for its own needs within that framework?

Mey: Here in the United States, it was trans women of color who started the LGBT movement. Black and Latina trans women threw the first bricks at Stonewall and were leaders in the early movement, only to be completely shoved to the bottom. It’s sad and it’s frustrating. I think as we gain more visibility, we’ll definitely gain more power in the overall LGBT movement, but I think it will take a lot of work. We’re not there yet.

Monika: Do you consider yourself politically active? Have you taken part in any advocacy or lobbying efforts, and do you believe transgender women can influence political change?

Mey: Yes, indeed. I recently traveled to my state’s capitol to testify in favor of adding the words “gender identity” and “sexuality” to our state’s Human Rights Act. While we were unsuccessful, it was nice being able to speak our minds and show our opponents how many of us there are and that we’re not going away. I think that with hard work and resilience, we will make a difference. We’re already seeing more and more cities pass non-discrimination ordinances and more and more school districts passing trans-inclusive guidelines, and I think that soon we’re going to be seeing more things like that.

Monika: What projects are you currently focusing on?

Mey: I’m still working at Autostraddle and writing for them. I’m also working on a sort of memoir, but I don’t have a timeline for when that will come out.

Monika: What advice would you give to transgender girls who are struggling with gender dysphoria?

Mey: Search out other trans girls and women. There are way more of us than you think. I’d definitely recommend the internet for this (although make sure you’re being safe). Also, make sure that you’re living your truth. There’s no one “correct” way to be a trans woman, just live your life and be yourself and you’re doing everything perfectly. Things won’t always be easy, but it’s worth it.

Monika: Mey, thank you so much for sharing your story.

Mey: You’re welcome, and thank you!

All the photos: Courtesy of Mey Rude.

© 2015 - Monika Kowalska