Interview with Dusty Rose Smith

Monika: Today I have the pleasure of talking to Dusty Rose Smith, an American fashion model, and makeup artist. In 2020, Dusty took part in the first-ever Worldwide Transgender Model Search, organized by Slay Model Management, one of the world’s first agencies to exclusively focus on transgender models. Since then she has been modeling for this agency. Hello Dusty!

Dusty: Hello Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Dusty: I would like to say that I am a very real and fun person to be around. I have a dark and sick sense of humor and a love for animals and fashion! My dream in life is to win an Oscar for acting!

Monika: You describe yourself as "a good girl with bad habits". What are these bad habits? I am sure it is not sweets... :) You are ultra-slim.

Dusty: I have a lot of bad habits lol, definitely smoking is probably my worst. I love Marlboro Reds and weed all day every day! Also, I love getting into trouble and finding excitement and adventure.

Interview with Eris

Monika: Today I have invited Eris, an American cosplayer from Seattle and transgender woman that documents her transition on social media. Hello Eris!

Eris: Hiya Monika! It’s great to talk with you.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Eris: Of course! So my name is Eris, exactly like the Greek goddess of chaos and discord (which, if you ask my mother, is quite a fitting name).

I’m a 30-year-old cosplayer, avid anime watcher, and video game player, specializing in Japanese role-playing games. Basically, a big nerd. I was born and raised in New York and just moved across the country to Seattle last year. You can always catch me at the nearest anime convention in some new cosplay.

Monika: What inspired you to share your intimate life moments on social media?

Eris: So I was born in 1991, about two years after the Internet became a thing. The Internet and I basically grew up together as siblings, so I’ve always been online. Social media is great because you can find other people who are into the same hobbies as you very easily.

Interview with Lauren Robison

Monika: Today I am talking to Lauren Robison, an American retired IBM-er, former car racing champion, and transgender woman that documents her transition on social media. Hello Lauren!

Lauren: Thanks so much, Monika! One quick correction, I never was a champion driving the race car. The best I ever did was to finish in 4th place for the season, missing third place by one point. I'm still frustrated by that! What I am most happy about, regarding my experience racing with the Sports Car Club of America, is that I did it. I have loved the sound and the smell of a racetrack for years and years so having the chance to live a dream of mine and see it become reality was really quite special.

After my transition, I had very much lost my sense of community. I needed a new start for my new life with an entirely new set of people. I used to fly full-size airplanes before getting married, so I thought that was perhaps a viable option, but I found myself with nothing to do on a summer weekend, so I took the chance to drive, in my sportscar, out to Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia. Needless to say, I was enthralled with the sights and the sounds, but I was even more excited by the friendly people. This was a place where I could build a new life so I made the leap and volunteered to help. I, an unknown tall woman was welcomed with open arms.

Interview with Stephanie Bruning

Monika: Today I have the honor and pleasure of talking to Stephanie Bruning, an American academic historian, LGBTQ+ activist, and transgender woman that documents her transition on social media. Hello Stephanie!

Stephanie: Hello Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Stephanie: I'm a historian and educator. I've spent most of my career developing instructional content in history for primary and secondary school students. I also sometimes present on topics related to education or on topics connected to LGBTQ+ history (my next presentation will be a workshop on LGBTQ+ history at the Keystone Conference). I started my transition in 2018 but didn't go full-time until 2020 - although I spent the better portion of my life going back and forth on the idea. Day to day, I can usually be found reading, binge-watching TV with my partner, or playing music.

Interview with Christine Zuba

Monika: Today I am talking to Christine Zuba, an American transgender activist and eucharistic minister at Saints Peter and Paul in Turnersville, New Jersey. Hello Christine! 

Christine: Hi Monika. So wonderful to be here, thank you for inviting me. I never really thought of myself as an activist, however I have been fairly visible with my job and my Catholic faith.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself? You are a Pennsylvanian lady, right? 

Christine: I am a 65-year-old transgender woman living just outside of Philadelphia in New Jersey. However, my heritage is Polish. My mother’s maiden name was Ostraszewski. Some of my grandparents came from Poland, or their parents came from Poland. My father lived for a time as a child in Poland, he said they lived in an area near the Czechoslovakian border. I grew up and spent most of my early life in northeastern Pennsylvania. As early as I can recall, about the age of 4-5 years old, I felt different. It took over 50 years, after marriage and two children however, when I finally transitioned at the age of 58. I’ve been in broadcast equipment sales for 30 years, and continue to travel all over the country.

Interview with Cami Richardson

Monika: Today I am talking to Cami Richardson, an American businesswoman, former firefighter, Chief Financial Officer of American Skiing Company, and LGBTQ community advocate. She is the author of the autobiography "Do You Know Who I Once Was?" (2019). Hello Cami!

Cami: Hi Monika! I am thrilled to be able to talk with you today. I hope our conversation will be fruitful for those listening. I have some interesting stories to tell about my life that I think many people will find enjoyable.

Monika: You are a New York lady, right? Could you say a few words about yourself?

Cami: Growing up in New York was an interesting experience. At the young age of 8 years old, I started to wear my mother's underwear and stockings and loved the feeling of wearing women's clothes. I was a good Italian Irish Catholic boy and could not explain why I was interested in wearing my mother's clothes and obviously I could not tell anybody. I hid my secret for 55 years before I finally came out at the age of 63 years old. I think being in a New Yorker actually helped me in that it toughened me as an individual so that I could handle what was to come when I finally did transition.