Interview with Riki Wilchins

Riki Anne Wilchins is a force of nature in the world of gender activism, a trailblazer whose work has challenged the very rules that society uses to define who we are. Born in 1952, Riki has spent decades asking the questions most people never dare to ask: What does it mean to live beyond the boxes of “male” and “female”? How can we create a world where no one is punished for defying the scripts society hands them at birth? In asking these questions, Riki didn’t just theorize, they acted, they organized, they changed the landscape of gender politics forever. Their activism began with fearless direct action. In the early 1990s, Riki co-founded The Transexual Menace, a bold protest group modeled on Queer Nation that brought transgender rights into the streets and into the public consciousness. They joined forces with intersex leader Cheryl Chase to stage demonstrations that sparked what is now Intersex Awareness Day, and appeared in Rosa von Praunheim’s 1996 film Transexual Menace, capturing the urgency, energy, and humanity of a movement often ignored. From the beginning, Riki’s work has centered on youth, believing that young people, while vulnerable to the pressures of gender norms, also bring fresh eyes and revolutionary potential to society.

 

In 1995, Riki founded the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition, or GenderPAC, the first national organization dedicated to gender rights. Under their leadership, the organization expanded from transgender advocacy to a broader mission: protecting anyone facing discrimination or violence because of their gender identity or expression. Riki helped corporations like IBM and JP Morgan Chase adopt inclusive employment policies, created the GENIUS Index to rank schools on gender inclusivity, and launched the GenderYOUTH Network, empowering student groups in over 100 schools to foster safer, more welcoming environments. Their work has influenced public policy, corporate culture, and educational systems, proving that activism can ripple far beyond the streets. Riki has also been a pioneer in research and storytelling. From publishing the first national survey of trans-related violence to the reports 50 Under 30 and 70 Under 30, which documented the tragic impact of gender-based violence on young people, Riki has used data to shine a light on injustice and push for legislative change, including the Matthew Shepard Hate Crime Act. They have also brought humor and performance into activism, debuting The MANGina Monologues, one of the first transgender standup shows, blending artistry and advocacy in ways few could imagine.

 

A founding member of Camp Trans and a key organizer of National Gender Lobby Day, Riki’s influence is both broad and deep. Time magazine recognized their impact by naming them one of six “100 Civic Innovators for the 21st Century.” Behind these achievements is a mind forged in academia and business alike: Riki holds a bachelor’s degree from Cleveland State University, a master’s in clinical psychology from the New School for Social Research, and founded a Wall Street consulting firm before committing to activism full time. Their life’s work is a relentless push toward a world where people are free to live authentically, where gender norms no longer dictate worth or opportunity, and where courage and creativity are the engines of social transformation. To know Riki is to understand that activism is not just about protest, it is about imagination, resilience, and the audacious belief that society can evolve for the better. 

 

Monika: Today, I have the pleasure and honor of interviewing Riki Wilchins, an American LGBTQ rights activist, one of six community leaders named by TIME magazine among its "100 Civic Innovators for the 21st Century," founder of The Transexual Menace, Camp Trans, and GenderPAC, and author of Read My Lips: Sexual Subversion and the End of Gender (1997). Hello, Riki!

Riki: Hello, Monika!

 

Available via Amazon.

 

Monika: Do you still wear the Transsexual Menace logo?

Riki: Alas, no, I haven’t had an occasion to wear mine lately.

Monika: One of my favorite quotes of yours from Read My Lips is: "Academics, shrinks, and feminist theorists have traveled through our lives and problems like tourists on a junket. Picnicking on our identities like flies at a free lunch, they have selected the tastiest tidbits with which to illustrate a theory or push a book." Do you feel that observation still holds true today?

Riki: I think it’s finally improved. Folks realize we’re not just some gender-weird tribe for them to cut their professional teeth on.

Monika: It’s been over 20 years since you and Denise Norris created The Transexual Menace. How do you remember those early days of activism?

Riki: I think it’s interesting that it’s finally getting recognition. I do wish we saw trans people picketing more, especially in this time of resurgent street activism in the U.S.

Monika: How would you define The Transexual Menace’s legacy today?

Riki: I really don’t know. I think we’re still finding out.

Monika: The 1990s saw the launch of the first Southern Comfort Conference, the creation of organizations like Transgender Nation and The Transexual Menace, the first Transgender Day of Remembrance, and numerous transgender marches and parades. What do you think sparked such a rapid expansion of the transgender movement at that time?

Riki: That’s a great question I ask myself sometimes. The community had been so determinedly non-political. I think there was just a critical mass of people at the right time. And once you did one political thing, doing the second or the third became easy and obvious.

Monika: You were one of the first transgender activists to recognize the importance of political action and lobbying. With the creation of the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC) in 1995, the transgender community began engaging directly in politics. Considering that American politics is shaped by interactions with numerous interest groups pursuing specific agendas, how successful was the transgender community in navigating that landscape?

Riki: Not very successful at first. Trans was considered so way-out, so on the fringe. No one even knew the issue. But now you see trans included in everything LGBTQ, and we have a (regrettably bad) Republican president who also says “LGBTQ.” Trans is deeply anchored in gay rights, so I think that’s a success.

 

The MANgina Monologues (YouTube)

 

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

Riki: Seeing the Obama Attorney General hold a press conference to call out the needs of trans Americans and say “We see you” was life-changing. I turned to my 10-year-old daughter and said, “Please watch this, honey, mommy has just become normal.”

Monika: Do you notice a difference in how Republicans and Democrats address the needs and rights of the transgender community?

Riki: Republicans would gladly throw the whole gay community under the bus, us included. You see that in all the bathroom bills launched by Republicans to satisfy their base. The Democrats are now fully committed to our rights. 

Monika: Does that mean the next four years could be a particularly difficult time for the U.S. transgender community?

Riki: No one has ANY idea what this president is going to do on any issue, especially this one, I’m afraid.
Monika: Do you think it’s possible in our lifetime to see a transgender woman become President of the United States? Are you smiling?

Riki: I am smiling, but the answer is no. Although I just read we do have our first trans mayor in Texas.

Monika: GenderPAC was also instrumental in helping many corporations expand their employment non-discrimination policies to include gender identity and gender expression. Would you say that is now a common standard?

Riki: It’s completely standard among the Fortune 1000 corporations. And since HRC made it part of the Equality Index, you can’t get a good score without it.

Monika: The transgender community is often described as thriving today. Teenage girls are becoming models and dancers, talented women are emerging as writers, singers, and actresses, and those interested in politics or business are achieving success as politicians and business leaders. How do you assess the current situation for transgender women in American society? Are we just scratching the surface, or is real change happening?

Riki: Both, we are just barely scratching the surface, and change is really happening. That’s the way new issues always are, though.

Interview for Columbus Metropolitan Club
(YouTube)

Monika: If we are just barely scratching the surface, what would you consider a true harbinger of real change?

Riki: It would be nice if the First Lady came out as a trans woman, I think that would be a real harbinger.

Monika: I’ve read that cisgender women gained freedom with the advent of contraceptive pills, while transgender women are becoming freer thanks to advances in cosmetic surgery, no longer constrained by “passing” or “non-passing” concerns. Do you see it that way?

Riki: I wrote a whole piece on early hormone treatment called Transgender Dinosaurs about the changes this will make in the community. I don’t think it’s surgery; it’s the spread of early treatment that will shift everything for future trans generations.

Monika: Okay, trans women may increasingly look like cisgender women, but I worry that they could still face ostracism when they come out. Even very feminine-looking trans women encounter transphobia. Do you think society will eventually accept them as women, perhaps when they can give birth?

Riki: I don’t think that giving birth will make much difference. And in my experience, transphobia is often less for more passable trans women. In any case, I don’t think cisgender acceptance should be at the center of our analysis, our human rights should.

Monika: The transgender cause is usually discussed alongside other LGBTQ communities. Being the last letter in this acronym, is the transgender community able to effectively promote its own issues within the larger LGBTQ movement?

Riki: In the U.S., they’re doing a pretty good job of this. And there is a robust ecosystem of trans-specific organizations for just this purpose.

Monika: At what age did you transition, and was the process difficult?

Riki: 26, and yes, it was a bear!
Monika: At the time of your transition, did you have any transgender role models to follow? And today, are there transgender women you particularly admire or respect?

Riki: There really wasn’t much of anyone back in 1978. I think the courage of some of the trans celebrities today is wonderful. I’m not sure any of them is really radical enough in their politics or their gender to please me. We need some trans women who are openly, proudly genderqueer.

 

EPIP Award (YouTube)

 

Monika: Does the coming out of a TV celebrity contribute to the success of the transgender movement? More broadly, what do you think about transgender news stories or characters featured in films, newspapers, or books today?

Riki: Every celebrity who comes out helps, and makes us more palatable to mainstream society.

Monika: Many transgender women write memoirs. Have you ever thought about writing one yourself?

Riki: I have thought about it, but I find such books boring, and politics and theory so much more interesting!

Monika: Are you working on any new projects at the moment?

Riki: I have a new book coming out later this year on the early years of transgender activism from Riverdale Books.

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

Riki: Courage. It DOES get better. 

Monika: My pen friend Gina Grahame once wrote that we should not limit our potential based on how we were born or by what we see other transsexual and transgender people doing. Our dreams should not end on an operating table; that’s where they begin. Do you agree with this?

Riki: Well said!

Monika: Riki, thank you so much for this interview!

All the photos: courtesy of Riki Wilchins.

© 2017 - Monika Kowalska

 

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