Interview with Vanessa Joy

Monika: Today I have invited Vanessa Joy, an American podcast hostess, transactivist, and politician. Vanessa is known for participating in Transcending Humanity, a podcast group of Transgender/Nonbinary/Gender friends, and her Vanesstradiol YouTube channel where she chronicles her transition. A couple of weeks ago, she ran as a Democratic candidate for the Ohio House District 50, but was disqualified from the ballot for omitting her previous name. Joy was one of four transgender candidates running for state office in Ohio, largely in response to proposed restrictions of the rights of LGBTQ+ people. She is also the stepdaughter of GOP state Representative Bill Roemer. Hello Vanessa! Thank you for accepting my invitation.

Vanessa: Thank you for reaching out!

Monika: It has been a couple of weeks since you were disqualified from the ballot. It must have been a bitter experience. 

Vanessa: It was very disappointing, yes. I was caught completely off guard; I figured that if I was going to be disqualified it would have been because I did have enough valid signatures. I did have enough, this obscure law was a complete surprise. It was too many people, really, which is why it became such big news for four weeks!

Interview with Nyke Slawik

Monika: There are some moments in the history of the transgender community that could be defined as game changers or landmarks that allow us to measure how successful we have become as a community as well as change the way we are perceived by society. The year 2021 was a special moment in Germany where Nyke Slawik and her fellow politician Tessa Ganserer together became the first openly transgender people elected to the German parliament. Today I have the pleasure of talking to one of them, Nyke Slawik, a German politician and member of the Bundestag representing the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on the Alliance 90/The Greens list. Hello Nyke!

Nyke: Hello Monika!

Monika: It has been almost two years since you became a member of the German Parliament. I guess you must have had some expectations about the job. Did something surprise you?

Nyke: Yes, how little time there is to get everything done. Time and priorities are of the essence, especially if you don’t wanna burn out. In my first year in the Bundestag, I was a bit overwhelmed by everything.

Now I’m focussing on just a few projects that I can handle. First of all the ‘Selbstbestimmungsgesetz’ (self-id law) for trans people in Germany, the national action plan ‘Queer Leben’ (Queer Life) that is aimed at improving the lives of LGBTIQ people in Germany and making public transport more accessible to everyone.

Interview with Divina Loloma

Monika: Today let me take you to Fiji, an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. This is where I am meeting our sister Divina Loloma. Divina is a transgender politician and activist. She is the first known transwoman to have contested Fiji’s General Election, under the National Federation Party banner. Hello Divina!

Divina: Hello Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Divina: l am Divina Loloma, a Fijian lslander and transgender woman. 

Monika: Many of us live the lives of wives, mothers, and daughters, trying to forget about our past. You have decided to be an advocate of transgender rights and be vocal about our positive image in society. Have you ever felt the temptation of being in the closet, being a woman rather than a transgender woman?

Divina: I am a mature transwoman with a goal to always make a difference in the ever-changing world.

Interview with Jamie Shiner

Monika: Today I am talking to Jamie Shiner, an American activist, and former politician from Wisconsin. Jamie was the first transgender delegate to the Democratic National Committee in the history of Wisconsin politics, and she was elected in a contested election to represent Congressional District 8 of Wisconsin. In addition, Jamie was the second vice chair of the Democratic Party of Brown County and she ran for the office of the second Vice Chair of the State Party and Democratic National Committee.

Jamie is a 50+ year member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 324 of Michigan. She operated some of the biggest construction equipment that is used. Her specialty was operating large cranes. She was a CCO Licensed Crane Operator at one time. Yes, she tried really hard to be a tough guy for over 30 years and it never worked for her. SheI took early retirement when she went full time and went into nursing as a CNA. Hello Jamie!

Jamie: Hello Monika!

Monika: Could you introduce yourself to our readers?

Jamie: I am 69 years old, born in 1953 in a small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. At the age of 4, I realized I had a body that did not match my inner self. I hid it as my greatest secret for most of my life. I got married in 1978 and had one daughter in 1985. I stayed drunk quite often to bury who I know I really was. I never crossdressed during this time of heavy drinking.

Interview with Christin Sophie Löhner

Monika: Today let me present a charismatic woman from Germany. Christin Sophie Löhner is a German author, politician, activist and feminist, blogger, speaker on transgender topics, and expert in web development and server administration. In 2019 she published her autobiography „trans(*)parent: Wie eine Normvariante der Natur ihren Weg findet”. Hello Christin!

Christin: Heya Monika! Thanks for being with you. It is a pleasure for me to answer all your questions!

Monika: Did I miss anything in my introduction? You are a woman of many talents. :)

Christin: Haha, thanks! I'm asked from time to time how many hours my days actually have. My main daily business - besides my full-time job of course - is all about my own German-wide organization for self helping groups and peer support.

Interview with Lisa van Ginneken

Monika: Today I am going to introduce you to Lisa van Ginneken, a Dutch politician, human rights advocate, and LGBTQI+ activist. Lisa is the President of Transvisie, an organization that supports the trans community in the Netherlands. This year she is running for a Member of Parliament seat, representing D66, a social-liberal political party in the Netherlands. Hello Lisa!

Lisa: Hello Monika! I feel very honored to be here today with you and your readers. 

Monika: We are meeting a couple of weeks before the General Elections in the Netherlands. Our whole trans community is keeping fingers crossed for you, and I am very grateful that you have found some time to present yourself to the readers of my blog. Why do you want to enter the world of politics?

Lisa: Politics might feel a world apart from our own daily lives sometimes, but it is not. It affects our lives hugely, not only through the decisions politicians make but also by the example they set with their behavior. The tone of public debate really worries me, in the Netherlands and worldwide. In my years of advocating transgender rights in the Netherlands, I got familiar and intrigued with the ways of politics. And it felt like this is the right point in my life to put forward this and other experiences I have.