Interview with Caroline Cossey - Part 2

Monika: Are there any transgender women today whom you particularly admire or respect? It seems that, in the past, role models like Christine Jorgensen, April Ashley, and yourself were more relatable, you were ordinary women who suddenly found yourselves in the spotlight, which made your stories feel authentic and inspiring. These days, some transgender celebrities seem distant or overly polished, making it harder for everyday people to connect with them. What’s your take on that?

Caroline: Each and every transgender person who has been public has contributed in an enormous way. They have come from all walks of life and made themselves visible across different careers. That visibility continues to pave the way for acceptance, and I truly believe every voice helps change the world for the better.

Monika: The transgender community is often grouped together with the broader LGBTQ spectrum. As the penultimate letter in that acronym, do you feel the transgender cause is able to stand out and promote its own issues effectively within the larger LGBTQ movement?

Caroline: Yes, I think so. As minorities, we can move mountains when we fight together for more legal recognition and equality. At the end of the day, it is about fighting marginalization. Whether that’s about race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or anything else is secondary. Unity is our greatest strength, and when we support one another, progress becomes unstoppable.

Monika: Are you actively involved in any lobbying or advocacy campaigns? And do you believe transgender women have the power to create meaningful change in the political arena?

Caroline: I do what I can, and whenever I can, as much as possible. Sarah McBride, who is the National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, is working wonders. It’s imperative we’re seen everywhere. It is the only way we’re ever going to right the misconceptions. Representation matters deeply, and when transgender women take their rightful place in politics, they pave the way for true equality.

 

Caroline with her sister.

 

Monika: Could you share your thoughts on the role love has played in your life? How important is it to you personally?

Caroline: Love is so important. That doesn’t mean everyone is going to find it in other people, but we all need love in our lives, to give love, to receive love. There’s nothing more powerful. It’s the love in my life that makes me feel whole. It always has been. Love is the force that gives meaning to our struggles and joy to our victories.

Monika: Would you say your mother and sister have been your closest soulmates throughout your life?

Caroline: I’ve always admired my mother for her strength and determination. She made it through the Depression and the Second World War. It instilled in her some wonderful survival skills, along with a deep respect and appreciation for the gains that many take for granted. I shared so much with my sister growing up. She was my confidante. We dressed up and played with dolls together, developing a very close bond from an early age that grew into a lifelong friendship. Their unwavering support has been a constant source of comfort and courage for me.

Monika: You’ve written two books, Tula: I Am a Woman (1982), which I’m particularly fond of, and Tula: My Story (1992). Then in 2015, you released a third book also titled My Story. Does this latest edition include new experiences or insights that weren’t covered in your earlier biographies?

Caroline: I thought about extending My Story since its original release in 1992, but I decided to keep it as it was to preserve the story of that time. It had come to my attention that the books were being sold at exorbitant prices, so in 2015, I released My Story as a Kindle eBook and as an audiobook on audible.com to reach new generations and make it more affordable, easily accessible, and widely available. I wanted to ensure that my story could continue to inspire and educate people around the world.

Monika: You sold the movie rights to your life story. If given the choice, would you prefer your character to be played by an unknown transgender actress or by a well-known cisgender Hollywood star?

Caroline: I will be happy as long as I’m played by an actress and not an actor. Ultimately, what matters most to me is that the portrayal is respectful and authentic.

Monika: Are you currently working on any new projects, or is your focus elsewhere right now?

Caroline: At the moment, I’m a full-time caregiver for my mother, who is bedridden and 90 years old. With the help of my husband, I’m managing, though it’s very challenging. My mother gave me so much love and support when I needed it most, and it’s been my turn to care for her over the last ten years or so. There are a couple of projects in the works, but they’re not my priority right now. I hope to return to them when the time is right.

Caroline with her husband.

Monika: What advice would you give to transgender girls and women who are struggling with gender dysphoria?

Caroline: You are not alone. There is so much information and help available, just reach out. And always remember, chin up, because we have nothing to be ashamed of. Finding support and connecting with others who understand can make all the difference.

Monika: My pen friend Gina Grahame once told me that we should never limit our potential because of the body we were born in or by what we see other transgender people doing. She said our dreams shouldn’t end on an operating table, that’s actually where they begin. Do you agree with this perspective?

Caroline: Yes, I absolutely agree. Your gender is just one part of your entire being. Our true potential lies in what we believe and how we pursue our dreams beyond physical transition.

Monika: Caroline, thank you for the interview!

Caroline: My pleasure.

END OF PART 2

Back to PART 1

 

Main photo credits: Sofia Sanchez Mauro Mongiello Source: Facebook.

All the photos: courtesy of Caroline Cossey.

© 2017 - Monika Kowalska

 

I remember vividly the moment I discovered Caroline Cossey’s books in a second-hand bookshop. I saw Tula: I Am a Woman and Tula: My Story sitting there on the shelf, and I bought them right away. I was completely blown away by what I was reading. Until then, I had often felt as though I were alone in this world, but suddenly here was another woman whose story reflected so much of what I was trying to understand about myself. Caroline became a tremendous inspiration to me.

Caroline Cossey’s first autobiography, Tula: I Am a Woman, was published in 1982, at a time when very few transgender women had the opportunity to tell their own stories to a wide readership. Written under her famous modeling name, Tula, the book recounts her childhood, her growing awareness of her identity, her transition, and her emergence as a successful fashion model. It also describes the difficulties she encountered while building a career in an industry that placed enormous importance on appearance, while keeping her transgender history private. Tula: I Am a Woman offered readers an unusually personal account of a transgender woman who had achieved the femininity and professional success she had once dreamed of.

Almost a decade later, Cossey revisited her story in Tula: My Story, published in 1991. The second autobiography provided an opportunity to look back on the events of her earlier life with greater distance and to bring her story up to date. It also reflected the dramatic changes that had taken place after her transgender history became public, including the intense media attention that followed. While the first book focused strongly on her journey toward becoming the woman she knew herself to be, Tula: My Story offered a more mature perspective on fame, relationships, privacy, and the experience of living openly with a transgender identity.

Read together, the two books form a remarkable record of different stages of Cossey’s life. Tula: I Am a Woman captures the hopes, struggles, and achievements of a young woman establishing herself in the world, while Tula: My Story revisits those experiences from a later perspective. For transgender women who grew up with few visible role models, both books provided something particularly valuable: the chance to encounter the life story of another woman who had travelled a path that, for many readers, had previously seemed almost impossible. For me personally, discovering those two books was much more than finding something interesting to read. It was the feeling of finding an older sister in the pages of a book, and realizing that I was not alone.

There was also something deeply empowering about seeing a transgender woman tell her own story and take ownership of the way her life was presented to the world. Caroline did not simply describe the difficulties of being transgender; she showed what could come after those difficulties. Her books gave me a sense that I could dream bigger, that I could build a life, find love, be feminine, be successful and simply be a woman. In that sense, Tula: I Am a Woman and Tula: My Story were more than autobiographies to me. They were books that gave me hope, confidence and a glimpse of the woman I might one day become.