Interview with Becca Benz

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Becca Benz, an American model, writer, blogger, adult movie actress, Army veteran, trans advocate, and columnist for Transformation Magazine and her weekly column Through The Benz on Grooby.com, and formally for TransGlobal Magazine. Becca also has her own blog at BeccaBenz.com Hello Becca! You look fantastic!
Becca: Hello Monika, and thank you! I was fortunate to be born with good genes and a fast metabolism! Healthy living has also helped, along with working out at the gym six days a week to keep this old body in decent shape!
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Becca: People know me mainly for my modeling and writing under the name Becca Benz, but my real name is Rebecca Pell. The past several years have been full of amazing experiences, but I also led an interesting life before I ventured into modeling. I served in the United States Army, worked at a university managing a research center, managed environmental remediation projects for the federal government, worked as a seasonal wildland firefighter during summer breaks while in college, and worked several summers for the National Park Service on a backcountry trail crew.

Interview with Cassidy McGuinn

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Cassidy McGuinn, an Irish-American blogger from Boston, Massachusetts, that rambles on life, love, music, and baseball (not necessarily in that order) on her blog Cassidy's Quest and YouTube vlog. Hello Cassidy!

Cassidy: Hello, Monika! Thank you so much for this invitation. I am beyond flattered! 

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Cassidy: Let’s see… as you mentioned in your introduction, I’m an Irish-American gal from the Boston area. I’ve also been fortunate enough to live in Seattle and Newport, Rhode Island, two of the most beautiful places in the United States. (For your readers: be sure to try Del’s frozen lemonade if you ever visit Newport. You can thank me later!)

I am indeed a die-hard baseball fan – not just the Red Sox, the team from Boston, but also the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. To be honest, I’ll watch any baseball game. :c)

Hmm… what else? I’ve gotten into running the past few years and absolutely love it. It’s also very peaceful; I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve finished a run and realized I had worked out the solution to some issue I’d been wrestling with!

Interview with Laura Smith

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Laura Smith, a transgender woman that documents her transition on Reddit.com as inharmony123. Hello Laura!
Laura: Hi Monika!
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Laura: I'm 49, single, and have been on hormones for nearly 3 years, and I live in the United Kingdom.
Monika: Why did you decide to share your transition details on Reddit?
Laura: As an older woman transitioning, I wanted to inspire others who transition later in life, and show them, that there is hope even for those late bloomers. So, what better way, was to show people what could be done, with makeup, and our appearance to make it possible to pass and blend in public? 
Monika: I am sure you get many questions from your Reddit audience. What do they ask for?
Laura: Where did I get my hair? What makeup do you use?

Interview with Sheri Swokowski

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Sheri Swokowski, an American advocate for transgender rights and former U.S. Army colonel. She is the highest-ranking, out, transgender US Army veteran in the United States. Hello Sheri!

Sheri: Hello Monika!

Monika: I am so happy to have you here! Let me start with a question about your professional life. You can boast a fantastic military career …
Sheri: I enlisted in the Wisconsin Army National Guard after high school and shortly thereafter started working full time as a federal employee. A dozen years later, I had the best of both worlds, as I was offered an opportunity to go on active duty in support of the WI National Guard.
I was a career infantry soldier who spent almost 35 years in uniform. I advanced through the enlisted ranks, attended the WI Military Academy, and earned a commission as a Second Lieutenant. I made the most of many opportunities and served as a Company Commander with two deployments, although in my day they were to Europe. I served on a two-star staff and was the Force Integrator, Strategic Planner, and finally the J1, Director of Manpower and Personnel.

Interview with Ísabel Pirsic

Ísabel Pirsic is a remarkable Austrian transgender rights activist whose quiet determination is helping shape a more inclusive society in her home country. Based in Vienna, Ísabel is an active member of TransX, an organization devoted to supporting the trans community through personal guidance, public education, and political advocacy, ranging from depathologization efforts to the protection of trans prisoners' rights. Ísabel began her public transition nearly four years ago and has been engaged in activism for the past two. When she’s not attending bi-monthly TransX meetups or pushing for social change, she can be found deep in the world of numbers and theorems, working as a university-based scientist and mathematics researcher. In this thoughtful and engaging conversation, we explore Ísabel's personal journey, the current state of the Austrian trans community, her views on visibility and representation, and the complex relationship between the trans experience and broader LGBTQ+ activism. With honesty, nuance, and a touch of humor, Ísabel offers a glimpse into the life of a woman who balances intellectual pursuits with grassroots advocacy, and does it all with humility and heart.

Interview with Roxanne Manzone

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Roxanne L. Manzone, a Florida Department of Transportation Roadway Inspector from Ocala, Florida. Hello Roxanne! 

Roxanne: Hello Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Roxanne: I retired from Law Enforcement here in Ocala, Fl, and have lived here for over 40 years, and grew up in New York. I am a “Car Girl” and enjoy displaying my car in car shows. I volunteer at a local soup kitchen once a week. I am a model train enthusiast, and I custom paint scale model trains.

Monika: I saw your short story in The New York Times series titled “Transgender Today.” Why did you decide to come out to the general public?

Roxanne: My attitude is that there is so little information about the Transgender Community, we are all responsible to be visible in a positive way, many people have never met a transgender person, and I want people who meet me to have a positive impression. I wanted people to see that we are everyday people too.

Interview with Jemma

Jemma is a transgender woman in her early 30s who began her transition at age 30. Known online as SuddenlyJemma, she has been candidly documenting her journey on Reddit, offering insight and inspiration to others just beginning their path. By day, Jemma works in a tire manufacturing factory producing colossal off-road mining tires, the smallest one towering at 9.5 feet and weighing nearly 2 tons! Her life outside of work includes caring for her two beloved rescue dogs and a mischievous group of guinea pigs. Starting her transition was a leap of faith fueled by the support she found in online trans communities. Sharing her story is her way of giving back. Over the last 18 months, she’s experienced dramatic physical and emotional changes, from rapid weight loss and unexpected medical setbacks to the surreal joy of looking in the mirror and seeing someone she finally recognizes.

 

Jemma’s resilience has carried her through family rejection, the loss of longtime friendships, and the challenges of transitioning in a conservative, male-dominated workplace. Surprisingly, her job has become one of her safest spaces, a testament to the power of professionalism and quiet acceptance. She draws inspiration from everyday trans voices on Reddit as well as public figures like Michelle Hendley, whose role in Boy Meets Girl was pivotal for her. Though not deeply embedded in organized LGBTQ activism, Jemma takes every chance to lift others up, from sharing resources with newer trans folks to offering quiet encouragement. With a hopeful spirit, she dreams of a future where trans characters in media are treated not as punchlines or metaphors, but as regular people living ordinary (and extraordinary) lives.

Interview with Faye Seidler

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Faye Seidler, an inspirational American transactivist, educator, and writer from Fargo, North Dakota.
Faye: Hi! :)
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Faye: I’m a trans activist, writer, and nerd with a strong belief in a better future. My work primarily focuses on my experiences, humor, and research, all of which seek to create positive change for the transgender community.
Monika: I saw your short story in The New York Times series titled “Transgender Today.” Why did you decide to come out to the general public?
Faye: I saw a serious lack of visibility in our community and that most people were getting their information about trans people from stereotypes they saw on television. I also saw a medical network that told trans people to blend in, deny, or hide their identity. I saw a tremendous amount of erasure for what it meant to be trans and the identity itself controlled and enforced as a stereotypical binary by the medical industry.

Interview with Jessica Harrington

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Jessica Harrington, an inspirational American woman from Reno, Nevada. Hello Jessica!
Jessica: Hi Monika. Thank you for having me. 
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Jessica: I am a 42-year-old trans woman. I have been in transition for almost 5 years and while it’s has been amazing being free, it’s also been the hardest time of my life.
Monika: At what age did you transition into a woman yourself? Was it a difficult process? 
Jessica: I started transition when I was 38. The process itself wasn’t that difficult. I did my research for years beforehand. I knew what I needed, who I needed to talk to, and about what everything would cost me.

Interview with Charlotte Flanigan

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Charlotte Flanigan, a British writer, and the author of the biographical book titled “The Whole Shenanigans: Charlotte's Story” (2017). Hello Charlotte!
Charlotte: Hello!
Monika: You were born in Germany? Could you say a few words about yourself?
Charlotte: Well, I wasn't as such born in Germany but went there from a young age and fell in love with the country and for some strange reason I found speaking the native tongue natural and was surprised by how comfortable it felt.
Monika: Your most visible hobby is tattooing… :)
Charlotte: Yes, tattoos are a big part of my life from a young age. I fell in love seeing the stories behind the tattoos people had got whilst young.