Interview with Liliana

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Liliana, a young American video blogger from Texas that documents her transition on her vlog on YouTube titled "Sincerely, Liliana". Hello Liliana!

Liliana: Hello Monika! Thank you so much for this opportunity!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Liliana: Well I'm a 23-year-old girl from Texas. I'm a freelance hairstylist/makeup artist and I make beauty as well as transition videos on YouTube.

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

Liliana: Well I remember back when I was still in the early stages of my transition I stumbled across a few trans women who were documenting their transition on YouTube. At the time I was feeling very alone, and even though I had such amazingly supportive friends and family, it was hard to talk to them about the things I was going through. So I turned to these women's videos and it really helped me get through those rough times.

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 Brina Healy

Monika: Today’s interview is with Brina Healy, a remarkable woman, talented film director, and photographer from Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She began her film career in 1978 as "Brian" filming a student short in Kansas while working as a Yearbook photographer on campus. After doing some TV background work in Boston, including children's shows: "Major Mudd" and "Boomtown", she was featured in Happy Madison's film "Grown Ups". Brina is known for producing the hilarious 50's spoof film "Transsexuals from Space" (2012). She holds a second-degree black belt in Shotokan karate. Hello Brina!

Brina: Monika: thank you for the honor and the respect to appear in your publications. Your interest in my career is appreciated.

Monika: How would you define yourself? Are you more of a film producer, paste-up artist, model, or photographer?

Brina: I'd classify myself as a “Creative” (want fries with that burger?) type, so I enjoy spending time in all of these areas. “Paste-up” work is relatively dead in the digital age. Film production is something that sways me greatly—although it's difficult to make a legitimate living at it as a career move.

Basically, many areas that involve the Creative process do not require state or federal licensing, so those markets naturally get flooded. I've been involved with Imagery my entire life and consider Photography/Large Format my first love. One of the most exciting job positions I held involved trafficking building “wraps” for Broadway, Madison Square Garden, and the World Trade Center Concourse.

Interview with Sarah McBride

Monika: Today it is my pleasure to interview Sarah McBride, a young trans-activist from Delaware, USA. Sarah served as Student Body President at American University from 2011-2012 during which time she came out. Since then, Sarah has worked at the White House, the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, and serves on the board of Equality Delaware. I would like to discuss with her the role of transgender women in US politics. Hello Sarah!

Sarah: Hi Monika! It is great to talk to you!

Monika: Why such a young lady as yourself is interested in politics?
Sarah: I’ve been interested in politics since a young age. As an observer, I think politics, government, and history are fascinating. It describes and shows us who we are, at our core, as a people and tells us the story of where we’ve been and where we are going.
I’m an active participant in politics because I genuinely believe that there is no more effective way to change and improve your world than through civic engagement. As they say, “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Interview with Aleshia Brevard: Part 5

Monika: Apart from acting, you directed over 20 theatre plays. How did you find theatre directing?

Aleshia: Directing seemed a natural extension of my years spent touring in dinner theatre. As with most things that occurred in my life, it just sorta happened as a matter of course. The opportunity presented itself and I took it. There had, of course, been courses in directing as part of the curriculum in both undergraduate and graduate school.

Once out in the real world, I gradually began expressing my desire to direct, then negotiating this as part of my contractual acting agreement with several theatres. Nothing ventured; nothing gained. It worked out nicely. I truly love directing, perhaps more than I adore being on stage. Later, when I became a professor of university theatre, the foundation for directing main stage productions was already in place. From time to time, things do just seem to fall naturally into place.