Monika: Beyond giving interviews, how else did you work to oppose the legislation?
Carla: Of course, I rallied people on social media to contact the legislators by email or by phone and tell them to vote against the bill.
Monika: What ultimately happened to that bill? Was it ever passed into law?
Carla: The bill was killed in committee. It just so happens that I was doing an interview in front of the committee room doors while the legislators were waiting to enter. I'm hoping many of them watched me speak and took my words to heart. I honestly believe it was the best interview I ever had. That interview never aired because an hour later the bill was killed when one of the sponsors pulled their support. While some equality-minded citizens hammered on their legislators to distance themselves from this bill, ultimately, I believe, it was the threat of losing federal school funding for violating Title IX law that deterred them the most.
Monika: You serve as a Board Member at the Tennessee Equality Project. Looking back, how would you describe the organization’s accomplishments in recent years?
Carla: TEP has grassroots chapters all over the state performing advocacy for the LGBT community. Wherever there is a need, local citizens organized by TEP are there. Every year a different handful of asshole legislators tries to make a name for themselves by picking on the most vulnerable people in the state: LGBT people. It gets them a lot of press and, no doubt, donations. Sometimes TEP is successful at rallying enough support to get a harmful bill killed and sometimes we aren't.
Monika: With a new U.S. President in office, many fear that transgender rights could be rolled back. How do you see the situation?
Carla: That is the understatement of the year.
Monika: From your perspective, do Republicans and Democrats approach transgender rights in significantly different ways?
Carla: Absolutely. The Republicans, along with evangelical groups, try and determine the best way to use us to increase their donations. They then pursue legislation to legitimize us as a threat to life in the United States.
The Democrats, on the other hand, do little other than run interference and try to block those Republican actions against us. Some communities and states that have a Democratic majority, on occasion, push for legislation that benefits our community, but it is rare.
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| Not bad for 45 years old. |
Monika: In American politics, different interest groups push for their specific goals. How effective has the transgender community been in advocating for its rights?
Carla: With the right administration, like the Obama Administration, it proved very fruitful. However, we didn't really want much... just the right to exist and an equal chance as everyone else.
Monika: Despite that, some say the transgender community is now thriving. We even have the first transgender doll on the market, based on Jazz Jennings. Do you think these changes are substantial, or are we just scratching the surface?
Carla: The transgender community is absolutely not thriving. The one thing we are doing is becoming more visible. However, the threats to our survival, while greatly diminished under President Obama's term in office, are still very real. Our people, especially transgender women of color, are still being killed. Employers still feel empowered to terminate us if we come out or refuse to hire us. We still face discrimination in housing and public accommodation. We are far, far from thriving. What we are doing is surviving, which is a very different state of affairs.
Monika: On a lighter note, I know you’re a big fan of Power Girl. Are you also excited to see Wonder Woman (2017), with Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman?
Carla: I was one of those people that was totally against Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. However, she really surprised me. I think she did great. I'm really looking forward to her new movie and I hope the writers show us a powerful, self-sufficient woman that embodies the feminist spirit of Wonder Woman.
As for Power Girl, she'll never be in a live-action movie. She's far too badass and would make the other heroes look like pushovers.
Monika: Carla, thank you so much for sharing your time and experiences with us.
Carla: The years keep passing by and I'm not getting any younger, but I know there is more left in me. It is my life's goal to ensure that today's generation of transgender youth will one day know a world where they are treated as equals. I feel like I have enough interesting stories in my life that I have a book in me somewhere that is yearning to be written. One day, maybe, I may like to hold public office. Until then, I'll keep trying to do what I can.
All the photos: courtesy of Carla Combs.
© 2017 - Monika Kowalska
 Interview of 2013 |
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