Interview with Celeste

Celeste is a vibrant 22-year-old transgender woman from Chicago, currently pursuing a degree in theatre set design. With a passion for cars, architecture, and creativity, she enjoys sharing her transition journey on social media to inspire others, especially those just beginning their own paths. For Celeste, posting is about more than just celebrating personal milestones, it’s a way to offer guidance and validation to early-transition individuals who may be struggling, much like she once did. The name “Celeste” holds deep personal significance for her, chosen after years of reflection and connection to a character she wrote in her fiction. Initially hesitant, Celeste’s parents came to fully support her decision to begin hormone replacement therapy, after a year of emotional discussions. Although she’s faced her share of challenges, like navigating dysphoria, a difficult job experience, and workplace discrimination, Celeste remains hopeful, focused on the joy of being seen as her authentic self. While she’s inspired by figures like Hunter Schafer, Celeste doesn’t follow many transgender role models. Instead, she believes in living unapologetically and encourages other trans women to do the same. For her, the ultimate goal is simple: to be recognized not as a "trans woman," but as a woman in her own right. Through love, authenticity, and unwavering self-acceptance, Celeste is building a future where she can simply be herself, without limits or comparisons.

Interview with Nofar Morali

Graceful, radiant, and deeply authentic, Nofar Morali is a rising star in the Israeli LGBTQ+ landscape. A model, YouTube vlogger, and vibrant social media presence, Nofar opens her life to thousands, courageously documenting her transition with honesty, charm, and heartfelt vulnerability. Her videos are more than just updates, they're lifelines for others walking the same path, especially those still gathering the courage to begin. Born with a free spirit and a deep love for nature, Nofar carries a quiet strength beneath her playful style and signature crop tops. Whether she’s experimenting with colorful makeup or offering transition advice online, she shines with the message that self-love is not just important, it’s everything. Though her journey hasn’t been without pain, including losing the support of her father, she remains steadfast in her belief that what is truly meant for her will never leave.

 

Inspired by trans icons like Dana International and moved to give back to the community that once helped her, Nofar now volunteers with LGBTQ+ organizations in Israel and serves as a beacon of hope for others. She speaks openly about the emotional highs and lows of “passing,” her deep gratitude for the effects of HRT, and the transformational power of embracing your truth, even when the world isn’t ready. Nofar’s life is a vibrant reminder that beauty blossoms in courage, that femininity is expansive, and that visibility, when paired with purpose, can truly save lives. As she looks to the future, completing her medical transition, building her career, maybe even writing a memoir, Nofar remains guided by love: love for herself, her community, and the bright, colorful world she’s helping to reshape.

Interview with Hanne Carrington Reay

Monika: Today I have the pleasure and honor of interviewing Hanne Carrington Reay, a British artist living in Mexico, poet, writer, transactivist, witch, and transgender woman that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Hanne!

Hanne: Hello Monika! Thank you for asking me to take part in your excellent series of interviews. I am from England, I was born in Cambridge but I grew up in the North-East, near Newcastle upon Tyne. I moved to Scotland in 1992 to attend Glasgow School of Art and after I graduated from the University of Glasgow, moved to the US where I lived for 13 years, before moving to Mexico in 2009.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Hanne: Yes, of course. I am an artist and I use my work to talk about my experiences living outside of my culture. I have made installations, sound pieces, and video art, exhibited my paintings in both solo shows and in group exhibitions, plus I have curated exhibitions in Philadelphia and New York City.

Interview with Danielle St James

Monika: Today I have invited Danielle St James, a successful British businesswoman, model, makeup artist, beauty pageant, media celebrity, and transactivist from Barry, South Wales. In 2021, she founded Zoah, a pioneering company that offers lingerie and underwear for transgender women. Danielle is also the founder of Not a Phase, a small charity that is working towards a brighter future for the trans+ community. Hello Dani!

Dani: Hey Monika, wow, what a lovely introduction, thanks for having me!

Monika: You can boast of a fantastic professional career that you have managed to build over the years thanks to your multiple talents. How are you doing these days?

Dani: That's very kind of you to say, I'm doing very well yeah, insanely busy which I'm very grateful for. The last couple of years have been incredibly transformative for me, not only with the underwear line and the charity but personally also. I feel very grounded and self-aware now, which I'm told is also thanks to me getting a little older!

Interview with Atarah Morales

Monika: Today let me present Atarah Morales, a Mexican philosopher, biologist, music producer, and transgender woman that documents her transition on social media. Hello Atarah!

Atarah: Hi Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Atarah: Yeah! I am a very curious woman, which led me to question everything in my life. But above all, creative, loving, strong, and free-spirited. I have a degree in philosophy, and I am currently studying biology.

I have been dedicated to music production for the last 10 years. I was a DJ in Mexico City for 5 years, which was wonderful. Thanks to this I met many interesting places, people, and media. Since I started my gender transition, my life has become calmer. Ha!! And I’m 37 years old.

Interview with Alexis James

Monika: Today I have invited Alexis James, an American science nerd, environmentalist, and transgender woman that documents her transition on social media. Hello Alexis!

Alexis: Hi, it's nice meeting you, Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Alexis: As recently as my early 30s I lived as a very heteronormative cis male. I was also raised Evangelical and was very devoted. I read my Bible daily from high school until just before I left the church, went on four mission trips, and towards the end of my time as an Evangelical I was even thinking about full-time mission work.

The mission work plan was really just a last-ditch effort to bury my gender dysphoria, and every life decision I made up until my early 30s was done in part to bury gender dysphoria. When it was apparent my gender dysphoria could not be buried and the claims of the Evangelicals were just factually incorrect (which could merit a separate interview) I decided to transition. I moved across the country to pursue a life I want and learn who Alexis really is.

Interview with Dusty Rose Smith

Monika: Today I have the pleasure of talking to Dusty Rose Smith, an American fashion model, and makeup artist. In 2020, Dusty took part in the first-ever Worldwide Transgender Model Search, organized by Slay Model Management, one of the world’s first agencies to exclusively focus on transgender models. Since then she has been modeling for this agency. Hello Dusty!

Dusty: Hello Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Dusty: I would like to say that I am a very real and fun person to be around. I have a dark and sick sense of humor and a love for animals and fashion! My dream in life is to win an Oscar for acting!

Monika: You describe yourself as "a good girl with bad habits". What are these bad habits? I am sure it is not sweets... :) You are ultra-slim.

Dusty: I have a lot of bad habits lol, definitely smoking is probably my worst. I love Marlboro Reds and weed all day every day! Also, I love getting into trouble and finding excitement and adventure.

Interview with Emilia

Monika: Today I am taking you on a journey to Budapest, a beautiful capital of Hungary where I have the pleasure of talking to Emilia, a Hungarian model, and transgender activist. Hello Emilia!

Emilia: Hello Monika and everyone! Thank you for having me!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Emilia: Since I was a preschooler, I know I don’t feel good myself in my own body and I don’t feel the role I have to play as a boy. In fact, that’s the point of it all, I felt like I was playing a role if I wanted to act like a boy. As early as the age of four or five, playing house in kindergarten - when you pretend to be a family in the household with your friends, acting out housekeeping and different family roles and stuff - I’ve always assigned the roles of the mother or the daughter to myself, and my friends have also assigned them to me. It just felt right you know.

Interview with Eris

Monika: Today I have invited Eris, an American cosplayer from Seattle and transgender woman that documents her transition on social media. Hello Eris!

Eris: Hiya Monika! It’s great to talk with you.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Eris: Of course! So my name is Eris, exactly like the Greek goddess of chaos and discord (which, if you ask my mother, is quite a fitting name).

I’m a 30-year-old cosplayer, avid anime watcher, and video game player, specializing in Japanese role-playing games. Basically, a big nerd. I was born and raised in New York and just moved across the country to Seattle last year. You can always catch me at the nearest anime convention in some new cosplay.

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

Eris: So I was born in 1991, about two years after the Internet became a thing. The Internet and I basically grew up together as siblings, so I’ve always been online. Social media is great because you can find other people who are into the same hobbies as you very easily.

Interview with Lauren Robison

Monika: Today I am talking to Lauren Robison, an American retired IBM-er, former car racing champion, and transgender woman that documents her transition on social media. Hello Lauren!

Lauren: Thanks so much, Monika! One quick correction, I never was a champion driving the race car. The best I ever did was to finish in 4th place for the season, missing third place by one point. I'm still frustrated by that! What I am most happy about, regarding my experience racing with the Sports Car Club of America, is that I did it. I have loved the sound and the smell of a racetrack for years and years so having the chance to live a dream of mine and see it become reality was really quite special.

After my transition, I had very much lost my sense of community. I needed a new start for my new life with an entirely new set of people. I used to fly full-size airplanes before getting married, so I thought that was perhaps a viable option, but I found myself with nothing to do on a summer weekend, so I took the chance to drive, in my sportscar, out to Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia. Needless to say, I was enthralled with the sights and the sounds, but I was even more excited by the friendly people. This was a place where I could build a new life so I made the leap and volunteered to help. I, an unknown tall woman was welcomed with open arms.