Interview with Elaine Walquist

Elaine Walquist’s life is a testament to reinvention, courage, and an endless curiosity for the world around her. She has been many things over the years, each chapter adding to a story that is both deeply personal and universally inspiring. As a young woman, she pursued modeling, capturing in photographs a beauty and elegance that hinted at the confidence she would one day fully embrace. Yet her professional path took her in another direction, into the classroom, where for twenty years she inspired students as a teacher and chaired the Foreign Language Department at her high school. Her love of languages was not just about words and grammar, but about opening doors to new cultures and perspectives. Elaine’s talents extend far beyond academics. With discipline and determination, she transformed a high school hobby into a passion for table tennis, climbing the ranks to become a four-time state champion and one of the top twenty women players in the United States. Chess, too, became one of her arenas, another space where strategy and patience brought her success. These pursuits reflect a theme that runs through her life: when Elaine commits to something, she pursues it with heart and persistence until she excels. After her retirement in 2012, Elaine entered yet another defining stage of her journey. Having lived much of her life in stealth, she stepped into the light as an advocate for transgender rights, using her voice and her experience to help others.

 

As Community Education Manager for the Transactive Gender Center in Portland, she has worked to support pre-teen transgender youth, ensuring they have the guidance, acceptance, and resources that were out of reach for her generation. She has spoken out against discriminatory legislation, personally educating lawmakers on what it means to live authentically as a transgender woman. Through her YouTube channel, Essence of Elaine, she shares wisdom and reflections, offering a mature perspective on being trans in today’s world. Her story is also shaped by history. Elaine transitioned at a time when there were no visible role models, when information was scarce and stereotypes in popular culture were painful caricatures. She carved her path through determination, family struggles, and the challenges of a society that was not ready to understand her. Yet she emerged with grace, blending personal success with a commitment to making the path easier for those who follow. To speak with Elaine is to encounter a woman who has not only lived many lives but has found a way to weave them together into a powerful legacy of advocacy, education, and authenticity. It is my honor to bring her voice into this conversation and to celebrate a life lived with passion, resilience, and generosity of spirit.

 

Monika: Today, it is my pleasure and honor to interview Elaine Walquist, an American advocate for the LGBT community, a former model, a retired high school teacher, a vlogger, and a champion in both table tennis and chess. Hello, Elaine! Elaine: Hi, Monika! Thanks for inviting me.

 

Modeling portfolio 1980. One of the better shots.

 

Monika: You have an impressive range of talents. Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Elaine: I have a wide range of interests and I’ve experimented with different fun activities. I learned table tennis after high school and I was terrible at first. I kept at it and after joining leagues, clubs, training camps, and personal instruction; I ranked in the top 20 women in the U.S. as well as a four-time state champion. I love foreign languages and I wanted to share that love with others so I became a teacher for 20 years and Foreign Language Department Chair at my high school. 

Monika: Your retirement in 2012 seems to have brought a new chapter to your life. Since then, you have become very active in transgender advocacy.

Elaine: I want to give back to the trans community. I’m the Community Education Manager for Transactive Gender Center in Portland, OR. Helping pre-teen trans kids is a passion of mine because it’s so important to reach them when they are young. I feel grateful to be in a position where I can make a difference in their lives.

Monika: You also played an active role in opposing the introduction of a bill that aimed to ban transgender teenagers from accessing gender reassignment surgery in Oregon. You even took the time to meet with members of the Oregon House of Representatives to raise awareness about the issue.

Elaine: A member of the Oregon House of Representatives mentioned he had never knowingly met a transgender person although he was introducing a bill to limit our rights under Oregon law. I contacted his office and visited with him for an hour discussing what it means to live your life as a transgender woman. It was an eye-opening conversation for him and a reminder to me of how important visibility is.

Monika: How would you describe the attitude of President Obama’s administration toward transgender Americans?

Elaine: I am very proud of our President for being the first President to mention the word “transgender” in his 2015 State of the Union address. I think he supports us openly and in staff positions. His words gave our community a sense of recognition and hope that had been missing for so long.

 

With her parents in 1979.

 

Monika: Do you see a clear difference in how Republicans and Democrats approach the needs and rights of the transgender community?

Elaine: I do not think the vast majority of Republicans support any trans rights. They think being “politically correct” means minorities are getting special privileges and not equal protection under the law. This attitude has created significant barriers for our community to achieve even basic protections.

Monika: Since American politics often revolves around interest groups advancing their goals, how successful has the transgender community been in making its voice heard? 

Elaine: I think the trans movement is behind where the rest of the LGBQ community is. We have some catching up to do. We are roughly where the Gay Rights Movement was in the 1980s. Despite this, I believe we are beginning to gain momentum and visibility that will help us move forward.

Monika: Your life story could easily inspire a film. Your transition did not begin in Michigan but rather unexpectedly in Australia. Could you tell me more about that turning point?

Elaine: In Australia, I decided to seek help at a gender clinic in Melbourne because I couldn’t live my life anymore as a boy. That decision became the first real step toward living authentically.

Monika: When you returned to the United States, had you already decided to live full time as a woman?

Elaine: Yes. I entered a gender identity program affiliated with my university’s medical school. I had some great doctors that I owe so much to. My SRS was in January 1980. Looking back, I feel very fortunate to have had access to supportive medical professionals at that time.

Monika: During your transition, did you have any transgender role models to look up to, and how difficult was it to take this path in the pre-Internet era?

Elaine: No, characters like Klinger in MASH were all played for laughs and Renee Richards was not someone I could relate to. The only information I found was in medical dictionaries in the public library, and they were hard to find. The lack of resources and authentic representation made the journey extremely isolating.

 

Her favorite photo; age 28.

 

Monika: What would you say was the most difficult part of coming out?

Elaine: Telling my parents was very difficult. It was three hours of confessions and crying. It was one of the most emotionally exhausting experiences of my life, but also one of the most important.

Monika: After your SRS, you not only flourished as a woman but also stepped into modeling. With your striking beauty and intelligence, do you consider your modeling career a success? 

Elaine: I was offered a modeling contract but I wanted a steady income so I never signed with an agency. Thank you for the kind words. Still, the experience gave me confidence and a sense of pride in how far I had come. 

Monika: How do you view the current situation of transgender women in American society?

Elaine: I am really pleased that trans women are becoming known in America. I especially am proud to see that kids under the age of 12 years are able to live their life like people from my generation weren’t able to. I think that trans women, in particular, will be respected when, for example, straight men are not ridiculed for dating and marrying trans women, but instead it is calmly accepted. Progress is happening slowly, but I can see encouraging signs of change in attitudes.

Monika: Do you feel that the transgender cause is usually represented alongside the wider LGBT community, and as the last letter in the acronym, is the transgender community able to promote its own cause effectively within it?

Elaine: I think it is often confused with sexual orientation. We need to educate more people that it is a gender identity issue. Greater understanding will allow us to stand more strongly on our own while still working in solidarity with the rest of the community.

Monika: How important has love been in your life?

Elaine: In order to remain a teacher in a public high school, I remained in stealth for my entire career, and having a same-sex relationship would have cost me my job. There were no out teachers at my school in rural Michigan. I would not have been hired and, if they had found out I was trans, I would have been terminated immediately. The sacrifices I made in my personal life were painful, but they were necessary for me to sustain my career.

 

Another good photo from the modeling portfolio.

 

Monika: How do you feel about the way transgender stories and characters have been portrayed in films, newspapers, and books so far?

Elaine: I will be glad when the characters are seen as important for reasons other than the sensationalism of having someone trans in the plot. Authentic representation would allow audiences to connect with our humanity instead of just our gender identity.

Monika: Many transgender women choose to write memoirs to share their experiences. Have you ever considered writing one yourself?

Elaine: No, there are plenty of great books written already, such as “I Am Jazz” for children. I feel my role is more about living openly and supporting others rather than writing my own story.

Monika: Are there any projects you are currently working on that you would like to share?

Elaine: I am being featured this week in an Oregonian newspaper article about the daily lives of trans people. My YouTube website, Essence of Elaine, is used to give a more mature perspective of being trans. It has become a meaningful way for me to reach people and share my experiences in real time.

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

Elaine: Talk with your guidance counselor or trusted teacher; talk with your parents if you are able; use YouTube and the internet to get information. Enlist these people to get into a gender identity program. Be careful and be smart about it. Remember that you are not alone, and there are supportive communities ready to help you through it.

Monika: Elaine, thank you so much for sharing your story and insights with me today.

Elaine: Thanks so much! The honor is mine! Talking with you has given me another chance to reflect on how far we have come and the work still ahead.

All the photos: courtesy of Elaine Walquist.

© 2016 - Monika Kowalska

 

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