Suzie St James is an Australian transgender woman and veteran showgirl whose career developed alongside Sydney's vibrant cabaret and female impersonation scene of the 1980s and 1990s. Born and raised in Sydney, she spent her childhood both in the inner suburbs and in Granville in the city's west. From a very young age, she knew that the male role expected of her did not reflect who she was, and she began dressing in her mother's clothes at about the age of four. Her school years were marked by bullying, and at sixteen she left home and began her transition without the support of her family. Instead, she found encouragement and practical support from other transgender women. As a young person, Suzie saw a showgirl performing and immediately became captivated by the world of cabaret, deciding that this was what she wanted to do. She entered Sydney's showgirl scene during the 1980s, a period she remembered as exceptionally busy, when venues throughout the city employed large numbers of performers and it was possible for showgirls to work seven nights a week. During that decade, while still establishing her sexuality and identity, she began building a career that would eventually take her throughout Australia.
