The Heroines of My Life: Andréa Colliaux in the Media

In 2001, Andréa published her autobiographical book titled 'Carnet de bord d'un steward devenu hôtesse de l'air' (2001) - Memories of a Steward Who Became a Stewardess. In my interview with her, this is how she described what inspired her to write it: "I was so tired to hear or read about transgendered persons, things which were not the truth. It was a huge amount of lies and “préjugés” about us. I wanted to tell the truth about our lives, the fact that in France, we were considered psychotic persons. I wanted to help other persons and give them the hope that doing a transition in good conditions was possible, even if it is very difficult..." Book covers via amazon.fr

In 2002, Andréa's story was presented in 'Andréa, née à 35 ans', one of the episodes of the La vie comme un roman TV series. Screenshot via YouTube.

In May 2005, Andréa was featured in one of the episodes of Café Picouly, a French television magazine, designed by writer Stéphane Zagdanski, broadcast every Friday evening on the French public service channel France 5 from 2005 to 2011. Presented by Daniel Picouly, this program was devoted to cultural news. It welcomed guests who come to present their works. These guests came from the world of music as well as entertainment or literature. Screenshot via YouTube.

My first interview with Andréa for my blog Heroines of My Life. We did it on 24 January 2013. When I asked her about her book, she said: "I was so tired to hear or read about transgendered persons, things which were not the truth. It was a huge amount of lies and “préjugés” about us. I wanted to tell the truth about our lives, the fact that in France, we were considered psychotic persons. I wanted to help other people and give them the hope that doing a transition in good conditions was possible, even if it is very difficult..." Screenshot via Heroines of My Life.

On 2/12/2020, L'Union published an interview with Andréa. The title of the article was "Lou-Andréa: Je me suis toujours sentie femme". L'Union is a French regional daily newspaper, headquartered in Reims (Marne). It is distributed in the departments of Marne, Aisne and Ardennes. Screenshot via L'Union.

In 2020, Andréa was recognized for her LGBT+ inclusion work. L'Autre Cercle organizes each year the Role Models LGBT+ and Allies, a ceremony honoring individuals who have distinguished themselves by their leadership in favor of the inclusion of LGBT+ people in the workplace. This event, placed under the High Patronage of the President of the French Republic, takes place around October 11, an international coming-out day. Screenshot via L'Autre Cercle.

My second interview with Andréa, which we did on 4 December 2020. Asked about the situation of transgender women in France, she said: "I can say that things have really evolved, even if around me I have friends who are lawyers, judges, consultants, saleswomen but prostitution and the cabaret are still relevant today. The Covid-19 pandemic has not helped matters and has further widened a wedge between the so-called "rich" and those who find it difficult to live on a small salary." Screenshot via Heroines of My Life.

On 18/5/2021, Andro, a Greek portal, published an article about the LGBTQI+ policy of Air France to commemorate The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, highlighting the story of Andréa. Screenshot via Andro.