Monika: Given this mixed support, how has the transgender community responded, and what lessons have been learned from these experiences?
Shauna: There were 2,500 of us in the Capitol Convention Center lobbying for marriage equality, with thousands more waiting for seats. The following year, when we gathered to lobby for GENDA, there were fewer than 300 of us. Despite being largely abandoned by some parts of the LGBTQ community, we have kept up the fight for equality with resilience and determination. Strength in numbers is essential, and we are making sure we will never be drowned out again. Our unity and perseverance are the foundations of hope for a more inclusive future. If you want it adjusted to be more formal, casual, or concise, just let me know!
Monika: In recent years, activism and political engagement among transgender individuals have gained momentum. Are you involved in any grassroots or lobbying efforts, and how do you view the growing political influence of transgender women?
Shauna: I am an active member of the Geneva Women’s Assembly. I was invited to speak at the January 20th Women’s Day March in Seneca Falls. Last year, the march drew 20,000 people. A difference in politics? Damn right we do! A number of trans people were elected to office across the country in November 2017, from school boards all the way up to the Virginia state legislature. We are no longer just demanding a seat at the table, we’re building our own. Visibility in public office is how we truly change the game.
Monika: You mentioned the growing presence of trans voices in government. Are you personally taking steps toward political office?
Shauna: I am making my own impact by running for the 54th New York State Senate. Representation matters, and I want to be the kind of leader I never saw when I was growing up. My campaign is driven by the belief that we deserve lawmakers who understand our realities and will fight for justice for everyone.
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| In Transgender Lives at nytimes.com. |
Monika: Do you believe that America will one day elect a transgender woman to the highest office in the land? Could we even imagine a future where she’s not just President, but also celebrated in the public eye, maybe even as First Lady?
Shauna: In your lifetime, I hope so. I doubt it will happen in mine. Still, progress often comes from generations who dare to dream beyond what we were told was possible.
Monika: What are your thoughts on transgender beauty pageants, do they empower women, or do they reinforce outdated ideals?
Shauna: I feel the same way about transgender beauty pageants as I do about all beauty pageants: they objectify women. I think we’ve had enough of that. True beauty, in my eyes, comes from resilience and authenticity, not from a panel’s approval.
Monika: Many trans people describe love as both a source of healing and pain. How would you describe the role that love and intimacy play in your life?
Shauna: Love and intimacy are so terribly important. So many of us feel very isolated from the world. If we are married when we transition, the odds are that our spouses will divorce us. It is easy to slip into a depressed state, thinking that we are not worthy of love or to be loved because we are trans. Having been abandoned by so many, there is a longing for even the basic simplicity of touch. Love, in all its forms, is something I still believe in and fight to keep room for in my life.
Monika: You're clearly a woman of many talents. Could you tell us about the creative projects you're currently working on, especially your writing?
Shauna: I have several books out. Da Rules is the first hundred-plus things I learned when I transitioned. Recycled is a dystopia that takes place in the near future. Exodus is a sci-fi novel about a mission to Mars that went very wrong. It’s the first of what will be a four- or five-book series. The next book, New Frontiers, will be out in early 2018. Writing has been a powerful way for me to express not only imagination but also the lessons I’ve carried through transition.
Monika: Beyond your work as an author, are there any advocacy or political projects that you're particularly passionate about right now?
Shauna: We Exist Coalition of the Finger Lakes is my nonprofit organization. We are dedicated to visibility and outreach for the Transgender and Gender Expansive Community throughout the Greater Finger Lakes Area. As I’ve mentioned, I’m also running for the NY State Senate. This journey will be captured in a book, its working title is A Line Of One. Both my activism and political work are grounded in a commitment to ensure that future generations don’t have to fight the same battles we did.
Monika: What message would you give to young transgender women who are battling dysphoria and struggling to see their own beauty?
Shauna: Regardless of what the mirror says, look closer. See the woman within just trying to get out! You are beautiful! Every step you take is an act of courage, and you deserve to celebrate every bit of progress, no matter how small it seems.
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| Lecturing. |
Monika: Some say that transgender women should never define their worth by what others have accomplished, or even by whether they’ve had surgery. Do you believe it’s important for us to set our own standards for success and happiness?
Shauna: I agree with the first part, and I have issues with the second. If we try to measure our accomplishments by what others are doing, we will never be happy or feel fulfilled. This is what advertisers do, especially in women's magazines! Buy a copy of Cosmo or Elle and rip out every advertisement. Look at how few real articles there are! Advertisers want us to feel less-than. It makes us vulnerable to buying products we don't need or want. Plus, it weakens our self-confidence and inner resolve. Makes us more prone to be subjugated by all types of abusers. The only person we should compare ourselves to is ourselves. "Are we a better person today than yesterday?" is the only question we should ask. That’s the standard I live by, and I encourage others to do the same.
Monika: So rather than comparing ourselves to others, our focus should be on becoming our truest selves?
Shauna: Exactly. This is true whether you are a trans woman or a cis woman. Hell, it's true if you are simply human! Dreams begin the moment you accept yourself and start striving to be truly authentic. That moment of self-acceptance is where the real transformation starts.
Monika: You mentioned you have issues with the idea that surgery is the starting point. Could you elaborate on that?
Shauna: The statement assumes that you need vaginoplasty to be a trans woman. Absolutely incorrect! I know many trans women who are either pre-op or non-operative. These procedures are frightfully expensive, out-of-pocket, major surgical operations! Not everyone can afford them. Not everyone's health allows them to have them. We shouldn’t place the weight of our womanhood on a scalpel, we carry it within us every day.
Monika: Shauna, thank you for the interview!
Shauna: My pleasure!
END OF PART 2
All photos: courtesy of Shauna Marie O'Toole.
© 2017 - Monika Kowalska
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