Monika: Is it hard for you to watch yourself on camera?
Rosalyne: And when I watch the clips, I hate my facial expressions. I take the best selfies. I don’t pose well. I wanted to be an actress as a child, and I have come to the realization that I am just not confident enough in so many areas.
Monika: When you look at the young trans people you meet today, what qualities make you think, “She is going to be all right”?
Rosalyne: I can never look at someone and know they are going to be all right. I hope and I pray (not in a religious, godly way) that their guide will get them through. What I do see now, no matter what the legislature is doing or what laws are out there, is that a young person will have a better chance to be if they are surrounded by the love and respect of family. That foundation is everything. And as the world has become more educated in a healthy way, truly understanding the complexities of sex and gender, not just pink and blue, young people have a better chance to survive.
As I said before, although I ran away from home at 16, the door was open for me to come back. Everyone used the right language even if they didn’t understand. That saved my ass. Kids on the street are more challenged. Being in a home where your family is working with you to figure this out… you stand a better chance of surviving.
Monika: The Outwords Archive recorded your story in 2024, more than a decade after our first conversation. What made you decide that it was time to preserve your memories in such a formal historical archive?
Rosalyne: They asked [smiles]. And I believe that, as LGBTQIA is the current acronym of choice, the word “gay” gets intermingled with it, which is so problematic. And as a very, very hetero woman with my history, I believe there need to be more heterocentric stories told. In the 1990s I fought the L&G to be inclusive of the B&T, but not under a fkn GAY umbrella, and that is what has happened. So anytime I can bring my viewpoint to light, I will.
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| “Don’t let anything or anyone stop you from being you!” |
Monika: How open are you about your history in your everyday life?
Rosalyne: And although I am not out in every area of my life, especially in salsa dancing communities… I AM NOT IN EITHER [laughs] If you google me, I am outed. I don’t give a shit. But I am not wearing it as my primary being. I am so many things, and my trans history is my cultural experience of coming into my womanhood. Although I have been wearing presentational attire since I was 5, I also played a good role up until 15. And I think I am still playing a good role.
Monika: We are close to the end of our interview. How has it felt to look back at your life through all these questions?
Rosalyne: Oh, and I can’t believe I am almost finished answering all these fkn questions LMAO… BTW, I adore you for doing this and I adore you for pushing my buttons even though you didn’t know you might be pushing them. And now I have to think about what I have said to all of these questions. Somebody better read this damn thing LOL!
Monika: The United States has gone through several very different periods in the history of transgender people, from the days when simply being visible could be dangerous to the enormous progress we saw in recent decades. Today, many transgender women are watching their rights and recognition being challenged again, and there is a great deal of fear about where this could lead. How do you see what is happening now? Do you feel this is a difficult period that will eventually pass, or do you worry that we could be entering a much longer period of restrictions and hostility, perhaps even something worse? And what gives you hope when you look at the future?
Rosalyne: LIVE YOUR MUTHRFUCKN LIFE and don’t let anyone or anything or any law or anybody stop you. I said this line to a group of performers when I wrote a monologue for “Beautiful Bouquet of Flowers,” directed by Jazzmun Crayton. I said that being someone on the continuum of sex and gender expression and expansion is about freedom. But freedom is not free. The personal is political. Be yourself so that when you turn 80, you are able to say, “I lived my life authentically.” Don’t let anything or anyone stop you from being you!
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| "I am so many things." |
Monika: So much of your story is now part of the history that younger people are studying, photographing and documenting. Does being remembered feel comforting, strange, amusing, or perhaps a little dangerous?
Rosalyne: Fifteen minutes of fame, and then you are forgotten. I am merely a speck of sand on the beach. We all play a part. And if my story inspires someone, that means so much to me. But I have definitely been humbled by California, the aging process, and the loss of all those who loved me the most. I truly hope that after I am long gone, my words, my wisdom and my fabulous selfies entertain, touch, and lift others’ spirits.
Monika: Rosalyne, we have come full circle. Thirteen years after our first conversation, I feel incredibly lucky that we have had the opportunity to meet again and talk about your life, your memories, and everything that has happened since then. On behalf of my readers, and also personally, I would like to thank you for giving us your time and for sharing so much of yourself with us once again. Is there anything you would like to say to the people who have followed your story, or perhaps to someone discovering you and your story for the very first time today?
Rosalyne: Edith Piaf’s NO REGRETS… My dearest Monika, thank you so much for reaching out and for thinking that what I have to say would be, or might be, enlightening to those who follow you. You are just as lovely as your words. And I truly hope all that you do in your life feeds your spirit, so that every day you may put one foot in front of the other, knowing you are making a difference by using this platform, in this context. Thank you so much for allowing me to be myself, to look back, and to get depressed LMAO! Big emoji hug. Until we meet in person!
END OF PART 4
All photos: courtesy of Rosalyne Blumenstein.
© 2026 - Monika Kowalska
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