Monika: Do you think French-speaking cinema has moved away from older stereotypes?
Karine: The break with stories of drugs and prostitution took shape slowly after the release of the French-speaking Belgian film Ma vie en rose (My Life in Pink, by Alain Berliner, 1996), which had an international career. This time, the trans identity is shown during childhood and with kindness. This film, for example, was held in high esteem in France at a time when trans people mostly found stories in the media that were full of ill-treatment.
Monika: How has transgender representation in French literature evolved?
Karine: As regards the stories in literature, autobiographies were often centered on narratives of marginalization and prostitution, for example Le saut de l’ange by Maud Marin (1987). These narratives were necessary to understand the difficulty of being trans in an intolerant society. The autobiographies of Marie-Pierre Pruvot and Coccinelle showed more glamorous faces but sometimes “exoticized,” as presented by the media.
Monika: Do you see new directions or new voices appearing in contemporary trans writing?
Karine: With Delphine Philbert (Devenir celle que je suis – Becoming the One That I Am, 2011), we discover a new form of autobiography. This one is a life narrative that is politicized and very critical.
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| Karine in 2014. |
Monika: How important is love in your life, and how has it shaped your personal experiences?
Karine: That is a difficult question. My answer will be short: I like loving. I have lived with a transwoman in a free relationship since 1996.
Monika: Many transgender women write memoirs. Have you ever thought about writing a book about your own life?
Karine: By publishing my first book in 2008, La transidentité de l’espace médiatique à l’espace public (The Trans-identity from the Media Space to the Public Space), and up to my recent research publications, La Transidentité: Ordre et panique de Genre (The Trans-identity: Order and Gender Panic) and Médiacultures: la transidentité en télévision (Médiacultures: The Trans-identity in Television, 2015), I have taken on many challenges voluntarily, except the autobiography.
Monika: Why have you avoided writing an autobiography until now?
Karine: It is important to exist as a subject of knowledge and not see oneself confined to being an object of knowledge through a life narrative. This interview contributes to that reflection, and it has made me consider the possibility of writing about my own life.
Monika: Are you seriously thinking about pursuing this project in the future?
Karine: Yes, I am beginning to envisage this possibility. Perhaps I want to give my version of the facts and tell the story of my life. I hesitated because my parents are still alive and writing an autobiography would inevitably involve them in a negative way. However, my desire to speak grows stronger, and perhaps elements of my life could be useful to others. I admit that the idea of telling my story still frightens me.
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| "Le kissing!" |
Monika: Are you currently working on any new projects?
Karine: I am thinking of a documentary on the representation of trans people in the media. I also have publications coming up in scientific journals. This year, I would like to dedicate my time to a historical novel that has been waiting in a drawer for some time. It covers the period 1792 to 1855 and takes place in France and Chile. I have been working on it for a little over twenty years, and it is finally time to finish it. Beyond that, I always want to continue working so that trans people do not have to prove their membership in humanity.
Monika: What advice would you give to transgender girls who are struggling with gender dysphoria?
Karine: First, I would like to tell them not to consider themselves sick or abnormal. Their transition belongs to them, and no one has the right to deny their right to be themselves. Their goals should be their happiness and living a full life. Whether they choose to be visible or not, they can be trans and proud. Very egoistically, I would also add: they can be transfeminists too.
Monika: Karine, thank you so much for sharing your time and insights in this interview.
END OF PART 3
All the photos: Courtesy of Karine Solene Espineira.
The main photo credit: Naőel
© 2015 - Monika Kowalska
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