Interview with Braylen

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

Braylen: Hello Monika! Thank you for having me!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Braylen: Sure, a 24-year-old aspiring model, bi-racial background, and just an all-around free-spirited individual. I hope that was enough.

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

Braylen: I decided to share my transition on YouTube with hopes that it would shine a little more light on Transgenders and some of what we have to go through on a day-to-day basis. I also feel my videos can help new Transgenders in their development as I have talked about hormones and important topics regarding our health in a few videos.

Interview with Paula Nielsen

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Sister Paula Nielsen with whom I would like to discuss the role of religion in the life of the transgender community. Paula is also known as America's foremost transgendered evangelist. She was born in Portland, Oregon. In the 1980s, she performed a regular nightclub act at the legendary drag club, Darcelle XV in downtown Portland.

After starting her career as "the world's first trans-evangelist", Paula was invited to a series of television shows including the Joan Rivers Show, The Daily Show with Craig Kilborn, and Saturday Night Clive for the BBC. Her Sister Paula Show was also seen on cable access stations in Seattle and Los Angeles. She is the author of The Trans-Evangelist: The Life and Times of A Transgender Pentecostal Preacher (2012). Hello Paula!

Paula: Hello Monika!

Monika: You have just published your autobiography titled “The Trans Evangelist”. How would you recommend the book to the readers of this interview?

Paula: It is a chronicle of seven decades. The 1940's through the 2lst Century. What it was like to grow up trans in the 1940s and 1950s when the word trans was unheard of. It has a history of religious movements and the changing explosive times throughout the decades.

Transitioning my identity to Paula in 1963 was much different than it is today. I am hoping that future generations of trans youth will appreciate what trans pioneers went through to pave the path for them.

Interview with Toni Newman

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Toni Newman, an American author, and activist. Born in Jacksonville, NC, Toni is a graduate of Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. We are going to talk about her memoirs and the challenges of being a transgender woman. Hello Toni!

Toni: Hello Monika glad to talk to you.

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

Toni: Well I am the author of "I Rise - The Transformation of Toni Newman" and work for Equality organization now fighting for equality of LGBT folk. I write a blog for Huffington Post and I am Community Editor for Proud to Be Out-The Digital Magazine. My goal is to complete my law degree and work for transgender rights and full equality for the transgender community.

Interview with Abbie Pope

Monika: Today I would like to invite you for my chat with Abbie Kathryn Pope, a transgender lady and the author of the blog titled “Threads of Gender”. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon where she works in the high-tech industry as a computer engineer. Hello Abbie!

Abbie: Hello to you too!

Monika: What are you doing these days?
Abbie: Well, a lot! I’m moving to Portland, OR from LA in a few weeks. I started a new blog at somebeautifullife.com which is less trans-oriented and more geared towards personal and spiritual growth. And you know, just keeping the wheels turning to survive as a trans woman in America.

Monika: You are a computer engineer. Could you tell me why there are so few ladies that are successful in the IT business?

Abbie: It’s really quite unfortunate. I think there is a ton of cultural bias against genetic women pursuing careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) fields. One of the few silver linings of growing up trans is that there were never barriers to pursuing these fields.