Interview with Fernanda Milán

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Fernanda Milán, a Guatemalan native, the first transgender person to be granted asylum in Denmark. Hello Fernanda! 

Fernanda: Hi Monika! Thank you for your time and for being so patient with the delay of the interview. I hope you are fine!

Monika: The fight for your asylum in 2013 was a challenging task. Let’s go back to those times. Could you say a few words about your life and Guatemala and emigration to Denmark?

Fernanda: Well, as you say the fight for the asylum was very challenging in so many ways. As for Guatemala, it is a difficult place for a transgender woman. I would like to be more general about the issue of living there because this is the context that I happen to have shared with so many people.

It is an environment of rejection by your family circles, friends, education institutes, and workplaces. When you decide to start transition or to come out of “the closet”, you live ostracized from everything that you know because in general all the girls back there feel that they were born female, which is in contrast with the public opinion that being a trans woman is a choice.

Interview with Madi Madsen

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Madi Madeleine Kruse Madsen, a Danish transgender activist, and owner of a beauty parlor. Hello Madi!

Madi: Hi Monika – thank you for inviting me to do this interview.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Madi: I am 55 years old now, and I spend the first 50 years of my life living as a man – even though I have always known that I would prefer to be a woman. So I have spent the last 5 years transitioning from man to woman.

Monika: You are the owner of a beauty parlor. Which special treatments do you offer to your customers?

Madi: We actually have two beauty parlors – and we do a total of 40 - 50 treatments for customers each day. I have been working with this for about a year now, and I have expanded the business from one small shop doing about 5 treatments every day to where we are now – 10 times as large.

We mainly offer 3 types of treatments – normal facial treatment, massages, and slimming treatment with Lipo Laser and Cavitation equipment.

Interview with Mana Weindel

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Mana Weindel, a young video blogger that documents her transition on YouTube. Hello Mana!

Mana: Hello, Monika! Thank you for the interview, it is an honor to be able to participate. 

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Mana: Sure. I live in Denmark by myself in an apartment, and I have a lot of friends, which I love very much. I am not exactly big on words but I will do my best. 

Monika: Why did you decide to share your transition details on YouTube?

Mana: I have seen a lot of transition videos myself, so maybe I got the idea from there. I have always loved attention, though I'm very critical about myself.

Monika: At which stage of the transition are you right now?

Mana: At this point I have been on HRT for about 5 months, and even though it might seem longer I can only say I know my makeup.

Monika: Are you satisfied with the results of the hormone therapy and GRS?

Mana: Yes I am, very. GRS is not until later though, but I am getting to it.

Interview with Maria Haaning

Monika: Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Maria Rose Löwe Haaning, a Danish young lady setting an example for young transgender women all over the world. She is the youngest Danish transgender girl to undergo an MTF transition. In addition, Maria is the author of "Ham og Mig" (2012) and is known for her participation in many media interviews in Denmark. Hello Maria!

Maria: Hi Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about your career so far?

Maria: Well, I am still very young so my career is still in progress, but so far I have done numerous TV appearances on Danish television. I am giving lectures across the country about my personal transition story and I have published my own autobiography titled 'Ham og Mig', which in English translates into 'Him and I'. The book tells the story of how I became the youngest Danish person to ever go through a complete MTF transition.

Interview with Lizethe Alvarez Echeverry

Monika: Today we are going to Helsingør in Denmark to meet Lizethe Alvarez Echeverry, a remarkable woman and transgender activist born in Colombia. Lizethe participated in many initiatives targeting the improvement of transgender rights in such countries as Colombia, Spain, Germany, and Denmark. Hello Lizethe!

Lizethe: Hi Monika! Thanks for the invitation!

Monika: You have worked for over 20 years for different organizations that defend human rights in such countries as Colombia, Germany, Spain, and Denmark. Could you say more about these organizations and your work there?

Lizethe: It was a great experience for me, where I learned a lot about human rights in different periods of my life. For example, in Colombia I worked in the field of HIV/AIDS; in Germany, I worked for the rights of transpersons and in Spain, I focused more on labor insertion for immigrant transpersons. Now in Denmark I work for the visibility and human rights of transgendered couples.