Interview with Andrea Chrysanthe

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview an American transgender musician and video blogger: Andrea Chrysanthe, who documents her transition on YouTube. Hello Andrea!

Andrea: Hello Monika, it's good to be here.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Andrea: I always had diverse interests so I'm a licensed x-ray technician, medical assistant, and phlebotomist, nearly completed with my bachelor’s degree in physics and teaching, I also am a musician, and audio engineer. I've also done the majority of my own tattoos, myself.

Monika: You like tattoos? You are not afraid that someday you may need to remove them and it will be difficult to do so?

Andrea: I did most of my own tattoos, as I wanted to be able to do personalize them more to reflect my thoughts and experiences more accurately. While I've thought about the implications of removing them, I don't think I will because they've become a part of who I am and they represent a side of me that would otherwise not be visible. I feel I still have a lot more to do.

Interview with Melody Maia Monet

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Melody Maia Monet, an American video blogger who shares her experiences as a transgender woman on YouTube. Hello Melody!

Melody: Hello Monika! Thank you for asking little ‘ol me for an interview.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Melody: Sure. I am a 46 yr old and five years post-op trans woman living in Orlando, Florida. I was born in NYC to Latino immigrant parents and grew up on Long Island in New York State. I went to Princeton University, which is where I met my ex-wife. We were married for 15 years and have a teenage son. We divorced after I came out as transgender, so I moved to Florida where I have a family. I love it here!

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

Melody: I noticed that many of the more prominent transgender people on YouTube are young and tend to be straight and into a glamour type of look. I saw lots of transition-based channels with “this is me after 3 months on hormones” and a lot of sadness and resentment in the mix. I wanted to create a positive-minded channel focused on the everyday realities of my transgender and lesbian life.

Interview with Micheline Montreuil

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Micheline Anne Hélène Montreuil, a Quebec lawyer, teacher, writer, radio host, trade unionist, and politician from Canada. Hello Micheline!

Micheline: Hello Monika; how are you today?

Monika: I am fine, thank you. Could you say a few words about yourself?

Micheline: Well I could say that I am just an ordinary girl, but being also at the same time a little bit special because I am a transgender. Otherwise, on a professional level, I am just a lawyer, a professor of law, management, and ethics at university, a writer, and a lecturer.

Monika: You made yourself known with your struggles for transgender rights in Canada. Could you elaborate on some of your initiatives in this respect? 

Micheline: My first initiatives were about my name. I wished only to add the first name Micheline to my birth certificate to allow me to have a driver’s license under the name of Micheline Montreuil but unfortunately, the Registrar of civil status denied me this right.

Interview with Jessica O’Donnell

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Jessica O’Donnell formerly known as Jessica Cummings. She is an American transgender activist, video blogger, former co-host of Transition Radio. Hello Jessica!

Jessica: Hi Monika! Thank you for providing me with this opportunity to be a part of such a positive outlet for our community. I am truly honored to be included in this!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Jessica: Sure! I am a 40-year-old transgender woman who like others has struggled with my gender and identity my entire life. When I started daycare and through 1st grade, I thought I was a girl but learned very quickly that if I wanted to be accepted by others I had to act like a boy.

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 Simone Whitlow

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Simone Whitlow, a singer, guitar player, transgender activist, former member of the Ishtar hard rock group from New Zealand. Hello Simone!

Simone: Heya Monika lovely to meet you.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Simone: Hmm let’s see, I work a day job I don’t like to define myself. Music runs through my veins though I don’t have the time at present to do much with it. I am passionate, creative, and intellectual and in fledgling steps towards entrepreneurship at the moment. I’m very happily post-transition and in the process of achieving my ideal life unencumbered, however, I have more pieces to the jigsaw than space to lay it down right now.