Monika: Apart from Freier Fall, did you participate in any other film or media projects?
Johanna: No, but after publishing my two TS/TG print books Mythos Geschlechtswandel (1992) and Künstliche Geschlechter (1995), I appeared many times on TV talk shows like Hans Meiser (RTL), Ilona Christen (RTL), Arabella Kiesbauer (ProSieben), Vera in ’t Ven (SAT.1), DAS-N3-Talk (NDR), and others. People were also interested in my life because I appeared – in their eyes – so “normal” and authentic, just as I was during my years as a dancer. That’s also what connects Johanna Hackl and me: our “normality”!
Monika: Looking back, what would you say was the most challenging part of your coming out journey?
Johanna: The way people, and even my bank, treated me after the bankruptcy of my nightclub Cruising Checkpoint in Hamburg. Suddenly, it became clear to everyone that I was transgender, and that caused a problem for many of them.
Monika: How do you view the current situation for transgender women compared to what you experienced in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s?
Johanna: It has become easier to change your identity because acceptance, circumstances, and society have changed more positively in the meantime. You can be, for instance, a steward at “Austria Airlines” and then become, without losing the job, a stewardess like nice and very “normal” Johanna Hackl in Vienna.
Johanna: No, but after publishing my two TS/TG print books Mythos Geschlechtswandel (1992) and Künstliche Geschlechter (1995), I appeared many times on TV talk shows like Hans Meiser (RTL), Ilona Christen (RTL), Arabella Kiesbauer (ProSieben), Vera in ’t Ven (SAT.1), DAS-N3-Talk (NDR), and others. People were also interested in my life because I appeared – in their eyes – so “normal” and authentic, just as I was during my years as a dancer. That’s also what connects Johanna Hackl and me: our “normality”!
Monika: Looking back, what would you say was the most challenging part of your coming out journey?
Johanna: The way people, and even my bank, treated me after the bankruptcy of my nightclub Cruising Checkpoint in Hamburg. Suddenly, it became clear to everyone that I was transgender, and that caused a problem for many of them.
Monika: How do you view the current situation for transgender women compared to what you experienced in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s?
Johanna: It has become easier to change your identity because acceptance, circumstances, and society have changed more positively in the meantime. You can be, for instance, a steward at “Austria Airlines” and then become, without losing the job, a stewardess like nice and very “normal” Johanna Hackl in Vienna.
But if I consult internet forums, I can also ascertain that a lot of young transgender people haven’t the foggiest idea of what “sex change” means concerning physical, psychological, and social risks. They only want “to have,” and everybody must “help” them reach their “sex change” purposes. I always say: the sex change phenomenon has got a strong religious component in the meantime, “believing” instead of “knowing”!
|
| Photo by Werner-Viktor Schwalbe of Trier. |
Monika: What are your thoughts on transgender beauty pageants?
Johanna: I think that it will be the same problem as other “beauty pageants.” The girls there, transgender or not, are far away from “normal” women, giving them a bad conscience and making them forget their own possibilities. You can compare it with my time as a striptease dancer. At night, I was a beautiful and sexy striptease dancer thanks to a lot of special “tricks,” and in the daytime, I was a “normal” woman like all the others around me. That will also be the case at transgender beauty pageants. It’s a make-believe world, not a real one. It’s “showtime,” but only for a short time.
Monika: Are you involved in politics in any way? Have you ever participated in lobbying or advocacy campaigns? And do you think transgender women can make a difference in politics?
Johanna: The first question: No! The second question: No! The third question: Forget it! Beware of transgender in politics!
Monika: Could you share what role love has played in your life?
Johanna: I was really loved by my mother, also after my identity change. But falling in love was not so important for me during and after my change, because I had a very exciting life, with new contacts every evening and a lot of sex. I enjoyed my sexual life in all dimensions and was completely happy. When I was older, I loved my little Yorkshire Terrier, Alexander, who accompanied me for nearly 18 unforgettable years. Little Alexander died four years ago, but I still talk with him and sometimes let my tears come. And of course, I love ABBA, and I have adored Amanda Lear since I heard her wonderful song “Follow Me” for the first time in 1978. She is a truly formidable woman and a real entertainer. Thank you, Amanda Lear!
Monika: Do you enjoy fashion? What kind of outfits do you usually wear? Are there any particular designers, colors, or trends that you love?
Johanna: Yes, of course, I like fashion. But in a more convenient style. Only in my stage years, I preferred expensive leather, silk, and fur clothes from the best boutique shops anywhere. And of course, shoes: 14 cm high heels from Paris! I collected them all those years and sometimes I take them in my hands, it's incredible that I could walk so elegantly and sexily in them. Being 76 years old now, when I look back at all those pictures from former times, I cannot believe that I was ever that attractive and well-dressed woman. “As time goes by!” In my actual life, I wear “between” clothing: “I am what I am!”
Johanna: I think that it will be the same problem as other “beauty pageants.” The girls there, transgender or not, are far away from “normal” women, giving them a bad conscience and making them forget their own possibilities. You can compare it with my time as a striptease dancer. At night, I was a beautiful and sexy striptease dancer thanks to a lot of special “tricks,” and in the daytime, I was a “normal” woman like all the others around me. That will also be the case at transgender beauty pageants. It’s a make-believe world, not a real one. It’s “showtime,” but only for a short time.
Monika: Are you involved in politics in any way? Have you ever participated in lobbying or advocacy campaigns? And do you think transgender women can make a difference in politics?
Johanna: The first question: No! The second question: No! The third question: Forget it! Beware of transgender in politics!
Monika: Could you share what role love has played in your life?
Johanna: I was really loved by my mother, also after my identity change. But falling in love was not so important for me during and after my change, because I had a very exciting life, with new contacts every evening and a lot of sex. I enjoyed my sexual life in all dimensions and was completely happy. When I was older, I loved my little Yorkshire Terrier, Alexander, who accompanied me for nearly 18 unforgettable years. Little Alexander died four years ago, but I still talk with him and sometimes let my tears come. And of course, I love ABBA, and I have adored Amanda Lear since I heard her wonderful song “Follow Me” for the first time in 1978. She is a truly formidable woman and a real entertainer. Thank you, Amanda Lear!
Monika: Do you enjoy fashion? What kind of outfits do you usually wear? Are there any particular designers, colors, or trends that you love?
Johanna: Yes, of course, I like fashion. But in a more convenient style. Only in my stage years, I preferred expensive leather, silk, and fur clothes from the best boutique shops anywhere. And of course, shoes: 14 cm high heels from Paris! I collected them all those years and sometimes I take them in my hands, it's incredible that I could walk so elegantly and sexily in them. Being 76 years old now, when I look back at all those pictures from former times, I cannot believe that I was ever that attractive and well-dressed woman. “As time goes by!” In my actual life, I wear “between” clothing: “I am what I am!”
|
| Photo by Werner-Viktor Schwalbe of Trier. |
Monika: Are you currently working on any new projects?
Johanna: I will continue with writing a new novel about my time as a stage dancer and my experiences with all kinds of men. It is working in my head, and suddenly I will sit down and begin. Till that moment, I have collected all the “plot ingredients” on a lot of little papers and in (long) lists of special expressions. Sometimes I note my “brainstorming” thoughts even in the midst of the night.
Johanna: I will continue with writing a new novel about my time as a stage dancer and my experiences with all kinds of men. It is working in my head, and suddenly I will sit down and begin. Till that moment, I have collected all the “plot ingredients” on a lot of little papers and in (long) lists of special expressions. Sometimes I note my “brainstorming” thoughts even in the midst of the night.
Monika: What would you recommend to all transgender girls thinking about a career in entertainment?
Johanna: I cannot recommend anything about an entertainment career to transgender girls of today because they go their own ways without “looking back.” I can only speak for my own generation, and I reckon that young people, like I used to do in former times, must experience everything themselves. They don’t want to hear!
And don’t forget: The cabaret and nightclub scene of the sixties, seventies, and eighties, when everything was/seemed possible, is over and exists no more. I have been a witness to this wonderful “spirit of the age” of that time, and I am very grateful for all my experiences. Therefore, I created my first Transmythos website and therefore I wrote Schlauchgelüste! In order not to forget about this unforgettable time in which everything was/seemed possible!
Monika: Johanna, thank you for the interview!
END OF PART 2
All the photos: courtesy of Johanna Kamermans.
© 2014 - Monika Kowalska
Some publications about Johanna Kamermans:
No comments:
Post a Comment