Interview with Alexus Sheppard

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Alexus Sheppard from the USA. Alexus recently published her memoir, From Both Sides Now, which is available from Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, and Nook. She is a published author, educator, transgender activist, blogger, and happily married woman with two beautiful grown daughters. Hello Alexus!

Alexus: Hello, Monika. And thank you for this interview.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Alexus: My life has been a series of contradictions and expansions. Since I grew up on a farm in rural Kansas, I was raised much like any other conservative, Midwestern, Christian child. But even with this very structured childhood, I was aware at an early age that something was different about me. As a result, I never felt that I “fit” into any particular group of children. This inner angst was the early seed of my life as an “outsider” and decades later would lead to the start of my spiritual journey away from a conservative and traditional life.

Interview with Riki Wilchins

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Riki Wilchins, an American LGBTQ rights activist, one of six activists named by TIME Magazine among its "100 Civic Innovators for the 21st Century," founder of The Transsexual Menace, Camp Trans, GenderPAC, and author of "Read My Lips: Sexual Subversion and the End of Gender" (1997). Hello Riki!

Riki: Hello Monika!

Monika: Do you still wear the Transsexual Menace logo? :)
Riki: Alas, no – I haven’t had an occasion to wear mine lately.
Monika: Here is my favorite quote of yours from Read My Lips: "Academics, shrinks, and feminist theorists have traveled through our lives and problems like tourists on a junket. Picnicking on our identities like flies at a free lunch, they have selected the tastiest tidbits with which to illustrate a theory or push a book." Is it still valid?
Riki: I think it’s finally improved. Folks realize we’re not just some gender-weird tribe for them to cut their professional teeth on.

Interview with Monica P Mulholland

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Monica P Mulholland, a writer and transgender activist living in New Zealand. She is the president-elect of Queenstown Rotary Club, the co-author of the book titled “ME!: The gift of being Transgender” (2016), available only on Amazon as a Kindle book. Hello Monika!

Monica: Hi Monika, I am deeply honored to be nominated to be included on your Heroines page. I think it is extremely important for TG people to have role models. Role models have an important part to play in helping reduce the terrible suicide rates that plague our community. Thank you so much for doing this work!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Monica: I am a late bloomer. I am soon to be 60 and started my societal transition a year ago. I do not regret it in the slightest. The general consensus is that I am a much happier and outgoing person since I started living as my true self. It is never too late to be yourself.

Interview with Kira Darling Brand

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Kira Darling Brand, a writer, YouTube vlogger, the author of the biographical book titled "Becoming Her: From Man, To Woman: Part 1" (2016).

Kira: Hello, Monika! Thank you so much for this opportunity to shed a positive light on an oppressed and highly misunderstood group of people. I was absolutely thrilled to hear from you!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Kira: Certainly. I am currently 28 years old and struggling to find a stable career in the largely trans-phobic workforce of Alabama. I'm working towards establishing my career in writing, which includes books, short stories, and several genres of music. I am also a YouTube personality and video blogger, with a small following of about 2,200 people, who enjoy my comedy, political satire, how-to guides, and civil rights activism.

Interview with Emily

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Emily, an American video blogger that documents her transgender transition on her YouTube vlog called It's Emily!. Hello Emily!

Emily: Hi Monika! It's a pleasure!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Emily: Certainly! I started transitioning about a year ago. I'm 31 years old and from Boston. I'm a very outgoing and confident person, which was not always the case! I'm just living and loving life!

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

Emily: To be perfectly honest, it was something I did randomly for myself. I felt like I wanted to document my transition so I could see how far I've come and so I would not forget just how much has changed and to have something to look back at during the challenging times of my transition. It wasn't till after a few weeks in I started seeing others enjoying them and subscribing, which makes me love doing them even more now.

Interview with Scottie Madden

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Scottie Madden, an American writer, showrunner of adventure reality TV, director, and producer of many documentaries, and the author of “Getting Back to Me: From Girl to Boy to Woman in Just Fifty Years” (2015). And she writes a weekly blog called "Raised By Wolves" and Zuzubean Press. Hello Scottie!

Scottie: Hello, Monika! And I'm honored to be speaking with you - you've kept some amazing company through your blog here - talk about collective wisdom and experience! 

Monika: You can boast of a splendid career in film-making. Do you regard yourself more as a producer, director, or writer?

Scottie: I have always used the term "storyteller" - I grew up in the fine arts with an incredible master artisan as my mentor, and I apply the same aesthetic to my filmmaking - Gerhard inspired and implored me to push both whatever medium I was/am using at the time, be it clay, gold, television screenplay or adventure reality series and the entire story unfolding before me to create something that is the fullest experience possible for the audience.