Interview with Deena Kaye Rose

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Deena Kaye Rose, an American writer, lecturer, one of the most recognized Nashville songwriters of her time with over 400 songs published and around 200 of those recorded and released worldwide, the author of the biographical book titled “Some Days Are Diamonds” (2016). Hello Deena!

Deena: Hi, Monika! It is an honor to be invited to share a bit of my humble story with you. Thanks, bunches.

Monika: You are a woman of so many talents! Could you say a few words about your fantastic career?

Deena: Well, I appreciate your very kind words. I have often thought that even a stray dog finds a ham-bone now and then! So I have stumbled upon some minor successes in the world of entertainment.

Interview with Debbie Ballard

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Debbie Ballard, an American IT architect consultant, writer, the author of the biographical books titled “Debbie's Secret Life: LGBT in Stealth” (2013), and “Living in Stealth: Undercover (2015)”. Debbie was also a leader in the commercialization of the Internet (1992-1996), Linux and Open Source (1996-2004), Globalization (2004-2013). Hello Debbie!

Debbie: Hi Monika, it’s a pleasure to be able to participate.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Debbie: I’m a transgender woman. I knew that I was a girl inside by the time I was 2 years old, several times during my life I reached out for help, and because of laws and restrictions on the medical profession, I was forced to keep my gender Dysphoria a secret. I started to transition in 1988 and was about to start HRT when I was faced with the choice of giving up transition or never seeing my children again. Shortly after my daughter graduated from college, in 2009, I began to transition again. I went full-time in 2013 and have been living as a female ever since.

Interview with Christie De Vries

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Christie De Vries, an Australian writer, former nurse, showgirl, the author of the biographical book titled “Down the Rabbit Hole...: An Autobiography by Christie De Vries” (2015). Hello Christie!

Christie: Hi Monika! So lovely to meet you. Must say I'm chuffed that you contacted me from Poland!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Christie: Hmmm, I guess I'm just like everyone, trying to find sense in a very crazy world. I try not to watch too much news, the events in the world are just overwhelming. Being Transgender certainly isn't an easy life path to choose. There seems to be more tolerance to transgender children these days and that's wonderful.

It was a difficult journey and I wouldn't want to ever have to go through all that again! These days, I enjoy writing, spending time with my dog Jess and see a few select friends. I love the beauty of nature and flowers.

Interview with Alana Joy

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Alana Joy, a commodity trader, musician, photographer, hiker, writer, and dreamer, the author of the biographical book titled “Dreamy Morning” (2015). Hello Alana!

Alana: Hi Monika, thank you so much for asking me to do this interview. It is an honor and a privilege to be here.

Also, I want to thank you, Monika, for creating such a wonderful website. There is a wealth of knowledge and information here, thanks to the collective experiences of all of these wonderful ladies.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Alana: As of this writing, I am a 60-year-old transwoman. As a nature lover, I am fortunate to live in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A., where the city has preserved many hundreds of acres of natural desert land, within the city limits. There are many hiking trails, which I hike often to keep in shape. I am a very artistic person, who loves music, photography, and the art of charting and trading.

Interview with Tina Madison White

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview transwoman Tina Madison White. She has carved out a career as a commercial and investment banker, management consultant, business information manager, and organization strategist. She is the author of the memoir titled “Between Shadow and Sun: A Husband's Journey Through Gender - A Wife's Labor of Love” (2015). Hello Tina!

Tina: Hi, Monika! It is a pleasure to talk to you.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Tina: Certainly. I have had a wonderful life so far. I have five children and five grandchildren. My wife, Mary, and I have been together for eighteen years. Last week another tourist remarked, “you two cannot possibly have been married so long: you are too happy!”

Interview with Reena Gibson

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Reena Gibson, a British writer and author of her new biographical book titled “The Long Road Ahead” (2015), as well as lead singer and guitarist of the Birmingham rock band Milestone Road. Hello Reena!

Reena: Monika, thank you so much for the interview, I’m overwhelmed that you’ve asked me.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Reena: How long do you have? Seriously, I could chat for England! I’m just over three years into my second transition as a woman, I first came out when I was 24 which was 21 years ago, and a time which was still very unaccepting for people to come out to society as trans. This time around has still met with some rather difficult challenges, I have a family now which has added strain on all sides, there have been times of self-doubt and indeed there have been a few times where I’ve just wanted to give up on life altogether. But really though, I’d call myself just a “normal” woman, trying to find her way through life like anyone else.

Interview with Katherine Cummings

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Katherine Cummings, an icon of the Australian transgender movement, librarian, sailor, activist for transgender people, award-winning author; she works at Sydney’s Gender Centre – an organization set up in 1983 to help people with gender issues – and is the information worker and edits the Centre’s quarterly magazine Polare.

Hello Katherine!
Katherine: Hello Monika. I am honored (and flattered) by your introduction. You could just have said, as Deirdre McCloskey did in her book, Crossing, that I am a gender saint (please don’t guffaw too loudly).
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Katherine: If there is such a thing I’d say I am a fairly typical transgender. My wish to be female goes back as far as memories go but I only found out that my impossible dream could be a possible dream when I was seventeen, in my first year at university, when Christine Jorgensen was outed. Up to that point I had known about gay people, female impersonators, and intersex (although we didn’t call them intersex in 1952) and knew I was none of those things.

Interview with Katie Bainbridge

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Katie Bainbridge, a Scottish writer, blogger, and the author of the autobiographical book titled “Flowers and Tightropes” (2015). Hello Katie!

Katie: Hi Monika! Thanks for asking me to do this interview.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Katie: I'm a 47-year-old, transgender woman. I was born in Scotland and I now live in Cornwall. I am a writer, author and I also work part-time as an administrator.

Monika: Why did you decide to write your autobiography?

Katie: Well, I didn't just decide. It sort of evolved. Every Monday, Anja, my friend, and housemate, have a creative evening (her idea originally) and we produce and perform pieces of work for it. Anja started the evenings because she wanted someone to perform to and I wanted to take part so, I started writing pieces about my life. After a year and a half of these evenings, I found I had myself a book.

Interview with Lucia Richardson

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Lucia Richardson, an application architect, a Canadian writer, blogger, the author of the biographical book titled “Lucia: The Life of a Transgender Person” (2015). Hello Lucia!

Lucia: Hi Monika. Thanks for the opportunity. As always, it is nice to have a voice, and thanks for taking the time.
Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Lucia: I graduated from the University of Moncton (1999) in New Brunswick, Canada with a BSc. Major Computer Sciences and Minor in Informatics Management. My mother tongue language is French and I have been working as an IT professional for the past 18+ years. I have worked for the Government and for various financial/insurance companies throughout Canada and the US: Sunlife, TIAA CREF, Fintrac, and Farm Credit Canada. 
Also, I have worked as an IT Consultant for OAO Technologies, CGI, and Keanes Canada (now better known under the name: “NTT Data”) and also with Pason Inc. (Oil Industry) and AT&T (Telecom).

Interview with Nicola Jane Chase

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Nicola Jane Chase, a British writer from near Liverpool, who currently lives in New York. A former globe-trotting DJ and radio personality, she is the author of “Tea and Transition” (2015). Hello Nicola! 

Nicola: Hey Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Nicola: That's always hard! But I'd say I am a supremely content New York woman with a transgender history.

Monika: Why did you decide to write your autobiography?

Nicola: In fact, it started out as a journal, a diary, I didn’t set out to write a book. It was relatively early in my transition and I realized that I was having experiences and going through events that had never happened before and may not happen again. Starting hormones, the first therapy session,  and so on.

Interview with Sophia Gubb

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Sophia Gubb, a writer who is British by birth but living in Germany, the author of the biographical book titled “Stubborn Soul” (2015). Hello Sophia!

Sophia: Hi there :)

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Sophia: Um, I have lots of identities, but I'm not sure what to say that really speaks about who I am. I'm a writer, a speaker when I can manage it, and am very passionate about trying to help the world however I can. I'm into spirituality, personal development, animal rights (including vegetarianism/veganism), and LGBT topics. That said, right now I'm recovering from the most intense part of my gender transition and trying to find some kind of stability in my life, so I'm not working at full capacity.

Interview with Jer'Ell Hartsig

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Jer'Ell Hartsig, an American writer, the author of the biographical book titled “The Wind that Ruffled the Field” (2014). Hello Jer’Ell!

Jer’Ell: Hello Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Jer’Ell: I can say that at this time in my life I’m very happy and have no regrets. I have become the person I always knew I could be. The journey that I took to becoming Jer’Ell can be followed in my book, ”The Wind that Ruffled the Field”.

Monika: Why did you decide to write your autobiography?

Jer’Ell: I felt my story would not only be inspiring but also enlightening to those people struggling with gender dysphoria and also their family and friends who have someone in their lives who may not be understood as a transgender person. Also, there is a hook to the story that needed to be told that Hollywood did not want you to know.

Interview with Grace Anne Stevens

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Grace Anne Stevens, an American writer, speaker, trainer, blogger, design engineer, and senior engineering manager, with two patent awards. Hello Grace!

Grace: Hi Monika, It is a pleasure to chat with you here. Thank you so much for inviting me.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Grace: I consider myself incredibly blessed to have transitioned as a “senior” while working in two workplaces and have lost no one in my life.
Monika: Your resume shows over 40 years in high tech, building successful teams and processes in both startup and large companies; holding Director and VP positions … 
Grace: Yes it does. It took me a long time to realize that even with this apparent successful career there was still something missing. The biggest realization was taking action to discover what that was both in my personal life as a transgender woman and my work and training. I really took to heart the famous quote from George Elliot – “You are never too old to be what you might have been.”

Interview with Lexi Jean McPherson

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Lexi Jean McPherson, a British writer, the author of the biographical book titled “HE wants HER” (2014). Hello Lexi!

Lexi: Hello Monika. Thank you for the interview! I am very grateful.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Lexi: Well my name is Lexi Jean. I’m a 31-year-old transgendered woman. I have been living as a woman for several years. I work at an elderly housing association.

I am originally from Bradford, West Yorkshire. I moved to Manchester in 2004. I lived here for 11 years but I have been living now in Salford for over 6 years now.

Interview with Jameela Maxwell Boardman

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honour to interview Jameela Maxwell Boardman, a British free thinker, scientist, spiritualist, and the author of the biographical book titled “Jameela's Journey: From Jonathan to Jameela” (2010). Hello Jameela!

Jameela: Thank you for inviting me.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Jameela: In hindsight, I think that it would be more accurate to call me a Third Gender person rather than Transsexual, but unfortunately that option is not legally open to me in my country (Britain).

We are all a combination of Nature and Nurture, and I feel now that the hiding of my male part after transition, is just as much a distortion as the hiding of my female part was before! I often use the simple phrase: A "Balance of Yin and Yang" to quickly explain my feelings. It never was a sexual issue, rather a spiritual wholeness that I sought. That sounds as though it wasn't much of a problem, but it was! I knew that something major was wrong, and I had to move in the direction of the feminine.

Interview with Vennessa St John

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Vennessa St John, an American vlogger, actress, model, the author of "Third Sex Life, Venomous, and After Effects" (2014). Hello Vennessa!

Vennessa: Hi Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Vennessa: Every time I am asked that I never know what to say!

Monika: Why did you decide to write your autobiography Third Sex Life (2014)?

Vennessa: It’s not really an autobiography. It doesn’t go into explicit detail about every aspect of my whole life and who I am. It concentrates on personal observations and personal experiences I have had growing up, living and working as myself.

I would say it’s more of a study or maybe a thesis although much of it is autobiographical. I wrote it because lately there has been a lot of press about TG rights and the struggle for equality and it seems (to me at least) that many people on both sides are limiting the scope of the issues in a very dangerous way.

Interview with Vanessa Lopez

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honour to interview Vanessa Lopez, a Chilean-born model from Sweden, TV celebrity, beauty pageant queen, the author of "Jag har ångrat mig" (2014). Hello Vanessa!

Vanessa: Hello Monika! Thank you for the introduction! 

Monika: Let’s start with your autobiography first. Why did you decide to "Jag har ångrat mig"?

Vanessa: Thank you, Monika! The English version would be: “I Changed My Mind”. A TG sister of mine told me once about the native American two-spirit people. I started to investigate the two-spirits through books, and I found out that what she told me was true! Native Americans had multiple genders in their society. The basic were woman, man, female men and manly female, who were all socially accepted.

Interview with Ann-Christine Roxberg

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honour to interview Ann-Christine Roxberg, a lecturer, theologian, and priest from Sweden. She is also the main character of her daughter’s book titled “Min pappa Ann-Christine” (2014). Hello Ann-Christine!

Ann-Christine: Hello Monika! What an unexpected pleasure to be interviewed by you! 

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Ann-Christine: I am 60+ with three daughters and three grandchildren. I have been working as a priest for 36 years. Last summer I resigned and now spend my time lecturing about trans and related issues, especially trans and the Bible. I am engaged to Eva.
Monika: When did you decide that priesthood would be your vocation?
Ann-Christine: It was shortly after college.
Monika: You can boast a very solid education background …
Ann-Christine: Well, I believe it is on average when you compare it with the academic background of others.

Interview with Angela van Bebber

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Angela van Bebber, a Dutch transgender activist from Tilburg, the Netherlands, businesswoman, blogger, the author of “Eindelijk, ik lééf!” (Finally I live). Hello Angela!

Angela: Hello, thanks for the interview. 

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Angela: Well, where do I start. I’m 62 years old. Transsexual. Got out of the closet in 2001. Had my surgery in 2006. Life hasn’t been easy for me. I still have repercussions. In general, I’m doing fine. Nowadays I give lectures and I’m sharing my experiences at schools. I wrote a book about my life as it’s already mentioned. I have a website allesmagerzijn.nl. In English, you can say: It’s all good.

Interview with Natalie Colleen Gates

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Natalie Colleen Gates, an American writer, blogger, the author of Straight Boy/Queer Girl: A Memoir. Hello Natalie! 

Natalie: Hi Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Natalie: Oh my God, I'm so bad at things like that. You'd think being a blogger and having just written a memoir I'd be better at it. I don't know: I'm 32. I live with my dog Victoria Elizabeth in Richmond, Virginia.

Monika: Why did you decide to write your autobiography “Straight Boy/Queer Girl: A Memoir“ (2014)?

Natalie: To make money [laughing] at first. I've been blogging for a long time and people for the most part like my writing I thought I should take some of the energy I put into blogging and write a book. As I got into the project I realized it was important because I was writing the trans* memoir I wish existed before I transitioned.

All the memoirs I've read start with the trans* person in the present after they've transitioned. I didn't want to do that. I wanted to share my experience of thinking I might transition but not being sure about it. I really wanted to share with my readers how I came to the conclusion that I needed to transition.

I also wanted to share how what I was going through as a closeted trans* person was similar and how it was different from other closeted people's experiences.