Some interviews feel like work. Others feel like conversation. And then there are those rare moments that feel like sitting across from someone who has unknowingly walked beside you for years. Meeting Meghan Chavalier was one of those moments for me. As a transgender woman, I carry deep respect for the women who came before me, the ones who carved space in a world that was often openly hostile, so that the rest of us could breathe a little easier. Meghan is one of those women. She is not just part of transgender history, she helped shape it, with courage, creativity, defiance, and an unwavering sense of self. What struck me most about Meghan is not just her extraordinary life story, which spans stage performance, film, music, and writing, but her clarity. She knows exactly who she is, and she has never apologized for it. That kind of certainty does not come from ease, it comes from survival, from reinvention, and from choosing authenticity over acceptance, again and again.
There is also something deeply bonding about speaking to another transgender woman who understands the quiet things, the unspoken experiences, the moments of doubt and the moments of joy that only we truly recognize in one another. This interview is grounded in that shared understanding. It is not distant or clinical. It is warm, honest, occasionally funny, and deeply human. Meghan is an icon, yes, but she is also a storyteller, a sister, and a woman who has lived many lives without ever losing herself. I am genuinely fond of her, I admire her strength, and I am grateful she trusted me with her story. This conversation is not just about where she has been, but about what it means to live fully, on your own terms, and to leave the door open behind you for others to walk through. I hope you feel that as you read it.
