Monika: Do you remember the first time you saw a transgender woman on TV or met anyone transgender in person that opened your eyes and allowed you to realize who you are?
Jamie: I met a transsexual woman for the 1st time in the early 2000s, I was so impressed that she was a Professor of Electrical Engineering at Michigan Technological University, my old school. I took her name Dianne as my own middle name at that time. I felt a kinship with her as we were TS and TOOTS from Michigan Tech.
Monika: If my memory serves me well, Lynn Conway, an iconic figure of the US transgender movement, was also a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the same university. Did you meet her in person?
Jamie: I had Lynn Conway as a mentor when I was beginning the transition. She loves the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and we chatted about the UP often. After I had FFS, 4 weeks later I was at the Chicago Be-All in 2006 sitting at a table talking to Lynn. In walked the surgeon who did me and began to talk to Lynn Conway. I looked at him and asked are you not even going to say Hi to me? Hell, he did me 4 weeks previously. His jaw dropped when he realized who I was. He did not recognize his own work. Lynn Conway helped me survive and I will always be so grateful to her.
Monika: Did you have any transgender sisters around you that supported you during the transition?
Jamie: Many. I cared for some after surgeries and they cared for me after I was worked on. They provided support and gave you the feeling I am not alone ANYMORE.
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| Being a grandmother. |
Monika: Do you remember your first job interview as a woman?
Jamie: Yes, I applied for a nurse aide’s position for a home health care outfit called Tender Loving Care in Iron Mountain, Michigan. I got the job too. I loved it.
Monika: When I came out at work, my male co-workers treated me in a way as if the transition lowered my IQ. Do you think it happens because we are women or because we are transgender? Or both? Did you experience the same?
Jamie: No, I did not, as I retired from my occupation as an Operating Engineer and went to nursing school for a CNA. I was only known as a woman by the Charge RN and other aids so I did my job and was happy at work for the first time in my life.
Many Men resent women invading their workspace. I saw that often when working as an operating engineer. I trained some of our first female apprentices, and they were shunned by many other journeymen. I felt bad for them as I always felt I was one of them in mind but not in appearance.
Monika: What would you advise to all transwomen looking for employment?
Jamie: Be yourself and project your skills as an employee. I feel it is best to be hired as a woman but if you can transition and keep your job WOW! I wish I could have done that but I felt it was impossible for me.
Monika: Are you involved in the life of the local LGBTQ community?
Jamie: Not much anymore. I am retired as I will be 70 on May 3rd and want to just live out my life as a regular ordinary woman.
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| Jamie impersonating Peggy Lee. |
Monika: Could you tell me about the importance of love in your life?
Jamie: I love my Partner Teresa and do not know what I would do without her. She is a lot younger (42) than I am and keeps me alive and moving around.
Teresa is also intersexed and grew up with a lot of the issues about her sexuality that I had. She has taught me how to act, dress and behave as a woman and I thank her for it.
Monika: How did you both meet? Was it love at first sight?
Jamie: Teresa told me she loved me at first sight. I take longer than that to love a person. Love grows in me until it is overwhelming. When I love someone it is almost impossible for me to break the bond.
Teresa was the Program Director for an LGBT group called Positive Voice. I was at a party when we first met but resisted her as she was so much younger and so pretty. I never thought I would have a chance to be anything more than a friend. I have known Teresa for over 15 years and I have been her partner for 8. I pray we have many more years together.
Monika: You mentioned that Teresa taught you how to dress. Do you like fashion? What kind of outfits do you usually wear? Any special fashion designs, colors, or trends?
Jamie: I was always conservative in my clothes. I wanted to dress in styles a younger person would wear but felt I was too old to do so. Teresa convinced me one is never too old to wear what one pleases. I now wear what I like, wearing longer wigs and skimpy clothes at times. I no longer feel I need heavy makeup to go out in public. I was afraid of swimsuits and the beach and she convinced me I look a lot better than many women do in a suit. She helped me to love myself and that is important to any human being.
Monika: By the way, do you like being complimented on your looks?
Jamie: I admit, I am a primadonna. As a stage actress and singer, I relish compliments. I also love any compliment I receive telling me I am a beautiful woman. Even when men try to pick me up, I consider it a compliment, a big one.
Monika: Are you an actress and singer too?
Jamie: I was in one play "Hot*l Baltimore" as a male named Suzy’s John and I appeared in "Inherit the Wind" playing a hard right-wing Bible-thumping evolution-hating sarcastic Bitch. I sang a solo piece in this drama.
I enjoyed being a woman on stage and I still audition when a good part appears.
I also impersonate Jennifer Cooledge and singer Peggy Lee. I sing most of Lee’s well-known songs, many of Doris Days too, I sing many old classics and few newer ones. My favorite songs are "All that Jazz", "If I were a Boy", "Sentimental Journey", "Key Largo", "Fever", "A Guy is a Guy", and "I enjoy being a Girl".
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| "I now wear what I like." |
Jamie: I am a terrible writer, I do have strange and unusual stories of my life that I could tell. Who knows maybe someday when I get old.
Monika: What would you recommend to all transgender women that are afraid of transition?
Jamie: Don’t wait any longer than one has to and do not forget it is NEVER too late as long as one is alive. I wish I could have transitioned when I was 12 but alas I did not go full time until the age of 51.
I had FFS and SRS at the age of 53. I am considering some more feminizing surgery this fall if I can get my insurance to pay for it. Never give up on your dreams as your dreams can become your reality.
Monika: My pen-friend Gina Grahame wrote to me once that we should not limit our potential because of how we were born or by what we see other transgender people doing. Our dreams should not end on an operating table; that’s where they begin. Do you agree with this?
Jamie: Oh Yes, I have never been happier with my appearance and the life I led as I am now. I am too heavy, getting a saggy face, and still have little hair on the top of my head. Life is good and I hope there is a lot more to come.
Monika: Jamie, it was a pleasure to interview you. Thanks a lot!
Jamie: It was fun. Good Luck from Jamie Dianne Shiner, the Transgendered Yooper in Titletown.
END OF PART 2
All the photos: courtesy of Jamie Shiner.
© 2023 - Monika Kowalska
Some snapshots from the life of Jamie:
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| With Lynn Coway. |
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