Interview with Renee James

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Renee James, a Chicago-area writer, former magazine editor, and owner, the author of "Coming Out Can Be Murder" (2012), a veteran of the Vietnam conflict, licensed hairdresser, blogger, and wilderness adventurer. Hello Renee!

Renee: Hello Monika, and thank you for your interest!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Renee: I am a grandparent, now in my sixties, married and still devoted to my wife, and trying to be a successful novelist. My understanding of my transgender nature is a still-evolving mystery, but I'm finally at a point where I enjoy the complexities it brings to my life (except when I use the ladies' room in a straight restaurant).

Monika: Is there anything like transgender literature? What does it mean to be a transgender writer?

Renee: It seems to me that there is a very rich body of transgender non-fiction, especially autobiographies. I haven't found much in the way of transgender fiction, and I think this is a terrible shame. Storytelling is the best way to connect the straight world with our world, and it's not happening. That also contributes to the dearth of screenplays and stage plays that feature strong, effective transgender women.

Interview with Treva Angelina Askey

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Treva Angelina Askey, a British army veteran who completed tours in Kenya and the Falklands Islands and operational tours of Bosnia; her story was featured in the book titled “Too Deep: My journey as my husband becomes my beautiful wife” (2013), written by her wife Victoria Askey. Hello Treva!

Treva: Hello Monika, a pleasure and a privilege to complete this interview for you.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Treva: I am a retired British Army veteran going through the transition. I am very shy and quiet; I also keep myself to myself outside of the family home. I have taken on the role of housewife since marrying my wife Victoria in September 2011 allowing her to achieve her goal of becoming an author.
I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen trying out new foods for the family to enjoy or hate depending on how many chilies I use lol. I am also trying to become a gardener so I can grow my own vegetables but I am failing at that one lol. I have a couple of old Lambretta scooters that I enjoy fixing and riding as my hobby.
Monika: What inspired your wife to write a book about your transition?
Treva: I will let my wife answer this one.
Victoria: After researching about the transition road I found it was all negative, I wanted to show people that it’s not all bad, that love can overcome any obstacle that’s put in your way. I was also amazed at the number of partners that run when they are told that their other half is transgender and it doesn’t have to be like that. I was also inspired by Treva’s courage and how she could have lived her life not telling anyone until she told me.

Interview with Amanda Watson

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honour to interview Amanda Nicole Watson, a USN Veteran, healthcare worker, activist and transgender woman from California, USA. Hello Amanda!

Amanda: Hello Monika, what an honor for you to ask me for an interview, I feel humble in this moment. I think talking about one’s self is always challenging.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Amanda: Gladly, I am a 46 year old transgender woman, living California’s Central Valley. I work in the healthcare business. In my line of work I try to be an outspoken advocate for LGBT related issues in healthcare. As well as taking away the stigma that some try to place on transgender people.
Monika: At what age did you transition into woman yourself? Was it a difficult process? Did you have any support from your family or friends?
Amanda: My transition did not fully start until I was in my thirties. I had known since age 5 that I was a little girl. However, the world around did not seem to embrace the same thoughts. Around the age of 15 I had a traumatic event that occurred. This event made me despise weaknesses that I saw within myself.
In addition, I was filled with confusion over my gender and sexuality. This took me years to overcome, undoing self hatred and stereotypes. Shortly after getting out of the US Navy, I started to realize that I was not alone. Friends in the San Diego community helped my through the process. As well as a supportive family, who have continued to do their best to support and love me.

Interview with Erica Elizabeth Ravenwood

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

Erica: Hi Monika. Thank you so much for asking me to do this. I’m just a little fish in a big sea really.

I do have to correct the term video blogger though. That would suggest I actually talk to the camera, which really isn’t my style of video. Rather, I use music and images to help me tell my story.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself? 

rica: Few words LOL. You don’t know me very well Monika. I’ll try to keep it pretty basic. I was born in 1965. A difficult period to grow up transgender since the information and resources didn’t exist back then like they do today. But growing up in the 70’s was also a magical time. I was 12 years old when Star Wars came out, for crying out loud. What better era was there to be a kid?

That being said, as many transgender girls do, I grew up without friends, I’ll go into that more in a later question.

I hid, buried, denied all that I could as I got older so that by the time I met my future wife I had a pretty decent alter persona going that at least allowed me to pass as male. I found the strong silent type the easiest to pull off. If I said little I would have less of a chance of giving my true thoughts away.

Interview with Dr. Lynn Walker

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honour to interview Dr. Lynn Walker, an American transgender activist, educator, retired US Army officer, and bishop in the Orthodox Catholic Church of America. Hello Lynn!

Lynn: Hi Monika. It’s very good of you to invite me.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Lynn: I live in Brooklyn with my spouse and two cats, teach occasionally, and direct a couple of housing programs for a non-profit AIDS service organization.
Monika: Why is God so merciless towards transgender people, placing their minds in the opposite gender bodies?
Lynn: I don’t necessarily agree that God is merciless. It seems to me that nature and the creator love variety, and in the last hundred years or so we’re seeing that more clearly. Gender identity is not A or B, but may be better represented as a spectrum – far more nuanced than the scale developed by Dr Harry Benjamin.

Interview with Mikki Whitworth

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Mikki Whitworth, an American transgender writer, author of "Masks of a Superhero", featured in Topside Press‘s “The Collection: Short Fiction from the Transgender Vanguard” (2012). Hello Mikki!

Mikki: Hello, thank you for this opportunity to reach out to my readers and the community at large.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Mikki: What can I say about myself? I guess the one part of my life that stands out is that I am a disabled American veteran. I served my country in my youth. Now 25 years later, I am still picking up the pieces of that service. I have been with a wonderful man for 18 years, he has stood by my side through understanding my mental illness, standing next to me through transitioning, and returning to college at nearly 40.

Monika: How did you start writing?

Mikki: I started writing as a way to deal with my illness. I began writing with a group of veterans at my local veteran’s hospital. My first two major works were entered into the VA National Creative Arts Festival. They won silver and bronze medals. I knew I was doing something right and thus began my goal to write more and better, which eventually led to my desire to return to college.

Interview with Marlo Bernier

Monika: Today I am going to introduce you to Marlo Bernier, an American actress, writer, producer, US Air Force veteran, and creator of Myrna, an original drama television series.

She was born in Nashua, New Hampshire. After her USAF service, she spent a couple of years in Germany, playing music in a few bands on the club circuit until the end of 1985. She settled down n Baltimore, spending the better part of a decade on the stage, delivering great stage work in AXIS Theatre's; Angels in America, Love! Valor! Compassion! and God's Country. Hello Marlo!

Marlo: Hi Monika!

Monika: What are you doing these days?

Marlo: Well right this minute I’m attempting to behave during this interview – we’ll see at the end what the verdict will be.