Interview with Christine Psaila

Christine Psaila is a woman whose story unfolds not through spectacle, but through quiet courage, reflection, and an unwavering commitment to honesty. After spending decades living in the shadows of expectation and survival, she emerged with a voice shaped by resilience and compassion, one that speaks gently yet powerfully to anyone who has ever felt unseen. Her memoir, 35 Years in Hiding, is not just a recounting of transition, but a deeply human exploration of self-acceptance, healing, and the slow, often fragile process of learning to live truthfully. Christine’s journey reminds us that authenticity does not always arrive loudly, sometimes it arrives softly, in the form of self-trust, gentleness, and the courage to finally take up space as oneself.

 

At the heart of Christine’s story is a profound sense of emotional clarity and kindness toward both her past and present self. She speaks with rare honesty about vulnerability, not as weakness, but as a strength carefully earned over time. Through her words, readers are invited into the inner landscape of a woman who learned to listen to herself after years of silence, and who now values peace over performance. Christine’s perspective offers reassurance rather than instruction, presence rather than certainty, making her journey deeply relatable to anyone navigating identity, loss, or becoming.

Interview with Vonni

Some lives unfold quietly, like a soft melody in the background of the world. Others crash in like a glittering confetti cannon, leaving everyone breathless and dazzled. Vonni belongs to the latter. Born in Manchester, England, she arrived in Australia at eleven, but it was Adelaide that shaped her, with its sunburnt streets and narrow expectations, where a young girl first learned that being different could be dangerous, and that humour, courage, and imagination were survival tools. From those early days, Vonni’s path was never ordinary. Bullied at school, she learned to navigate a world that often misunderstood her, eventually stepping into the dazzling yet perilous nightlife of Adelaide in the 1970s. Behind the flashing lights of La Belle, she discovered herself, performing pre-surgery, mastering the art of illusion, learning that striptease was theatre, wit, and resilience all rolled into one. Her journey took her to the glittering touring stages of Melbourne’s Les Girls, to the chaotic, high-stakes strip clubs of Kings Cross, and even inside the walls of Long Bay Gaol, always moving, always sparkling, always refusing to be invisible.

Along the way, Vonni found mentors, friends, and family in feathers and diamonds. Debra Legae, her fairy godmother with a ledger and scissors, taught her the art of makeup, stagecraft, and financial survival. Carlotta, the goddess of Australian drag, whose phone call changed Vonni’s life, led to a friendship that has lasted decades. Together, these experiences forged a woman whose career spans half a century, from cabaret and burlesque to international stages, from running nightclubs to making history as the first Australian transgender woman to play Bernadette in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Vonni’s story is glitter-strewn, chaotic, hilarious, and profoundly human. It’s about courage and artistry, heartbreak and triumph, and the way one woman, by sheer force of personality, talent, and tenacity, turned her life into a stage worthy of applause. Tonight, we settle into her world. The lights dim, the sequins catch the glow, and we talk with Vonni, a living archive of Australian queer performance history, still daring, still sparkling, still unapologetically herself.

Interview with Meredith Lee

Growing up in California in the 1970s and 1980s, Meredith had little exposure to openly LGBTQIA+ lives, encountering gender and sexuality only through the narrow, often misleading lens of media. It wasn’t until she moved to Australia, nearly thirty, that Meredith began to explore the truths that had been quietly forming inside her. In the process, she discovered that her identity did not have to be confined to a single form. What emerged was not a replacement of one self with another, but a dual existence: Meredith alongside Derek, each fully real, each fully valid. Through her memoir, Double Exposure, and her thoughtful presence online, Meredith challenges the conventional notion that gender must be singular or fixed. Her story is not only about fashion, names, or appearances, it is about the deep, daily negotiation of selfhood, the joy of being seen, and the courage it takes to show the world that a person can exist in multiple, beautiful ways. She speaks openly about the interplay between visibility and vulnerability, the pressures and privileges of “passing,” and the delicate balance of honoring both her past and present selves.

 

Yet at every turn, her reflections are filled with warmth, humor, and a quiet wisdom that draws people in and makes them feel seen themselves. Meredith’s experiences with love, intimacy, and community have shaped her understanding of human connection in ways that are unconventional yet profoundly human. She has discovered the power of online and real-life networks in giving her both courage and a sense of belonging, and she continues to find inspiration in the stories of others navigating their own complexities. Her life is a vivid example that authenticity is not a destination but an ongoing, evolving journey. By living openly as both Meredith and Derek, she invites others to question rigid assumptions about identity, to embrace their own contradictions, and to find joy in the fullness of who they are. Her story is at once intimate and universal, a reminder that complexity does not dilute authenticity, but enriches it, and that the courage to be oneself can ripple outward, inspiring and liberating those around us.

Interview with Kyle Mewburn

Monika: Kyle Mewburn is an Australian-New Zealand writer, journalist, traveler, teacher, and transgender activist. She is the former President of the New Zealand Society of Authors (2012-2016). Her books have won many prizes and awards. She lives in Millers Flat, Central Otago, and writes junior fiction books. In 2021 she published her memoir “Faking It: My Life in Transition”. Hello Kyle! Thank you for accepting my invitation.

Kyle: It's my pleasure.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Kyle: I could probably say a few million words about myself. But I think your intro is a pretty good summary. Though I might add I live on a 2-hectare property near a tiny rural community at the bottom of the South Island of New Zealand with my wife, Marion, two cats, two goats, a pair of sheep and 20 chickens.

Interview with Katherine Wolfgramme

Monika: Katherine Wolfgramme, an Australian trans advocate, award-winning gender diversity consultant, and trans awareness trainer, is with me today to talk about her amazing advocacy work and challenges related to being a transgender woman. Katherine is the Board Director at Qtopia Sydney Pride Museum, Ambassador of the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation, and Sydney World Pride Rainbow Champion. She used to hold different advocate positions in Australia, including the Ambassador of The Gender Centre, Board Associate of Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, Public Officer of Wear It Purple, Producer of Sydney Transgender Day of Remembrance, and contributing writer and journalist for Star Observer based in Sydney. She is also a proud and prominent member of Sydney’s LGBT community. Hello Katherine!

Katherine: Hello Monika, thank you for the lovely introduction!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Katherine: I was born in Fiji in 1972 and arrived in Australia in 1974, I was born with gender dysphoria and transitioned when I was 18 in 1990, much has changed in 33 years and I am very pleased to have witnessed positive change for the Transgender Population in Australia.

Interview with Linda Montana

Monika: Linda Montana, an Australian transgender activist, beauty pageant queen, stage artist, tennis player, and the star of the 'Les Girls' cabaret, one of Sydney’s original and most famous cabaret shows, is my guest today. Linda arrived in Sydney’s western suburbs from the Philippines in the late eighties and since then she has been an active member of the vibrant trans community in Sydney. Hello Linda!

Linda: Hi Monika! Greetings from down under. I just want to thank you for this opportunity.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Linda: Gosh, where does it start? Lol Besides what was mentioned above, I also compete in tennis tournaments, which include global sporting events and straight tournaments. I'm off to Hong Kong in November to compete at the Gay Games. I guess my most successful event was the World Masters Games 2010 - the silver medal in Women’s Doubles and bronze for Mixed Doubles.

Monika: Woow! I am impressed! When did you start playing tennis? Is it fair to say that you are a semi-professional player?

Linda: No, I wouldn't say that! Lol. I competed at both “straight” and LGBTQIplus tennis tournaments both local and international. Renée Richards was the pioneer in this field and is my inspiration.

Interview with Sarah Coffey

Monika: In the country of my guest today, people are enjoying autumn now. Sarah Coffey is an Australian transgender activist and the author of “Sweetgrass: The Girl in the Dream” (2022). Hello Sarah! Thank you so much for accepting my invitation. 

Sarah: Thank you for having me, I don’t really see myself as an activist, just a voice, hoping to be heard.

Monika: It seems that your book generates a lot of interest. You are invited by many media to share your story and promote your book. Is there any question that you have already been tired of answering? I will try to avoid it.

Sarah: In fact, you’re only the fourth media, so, no I’m not yet tired of questions.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself? 

Sarah: I’m a 62-year-old woman living in Queensland’s tropical north. I completed my transition in 2012 and see myself as an ordinary woman with an extraordinary past. No longer trans. I’m single and attracted to women.