Interview with Prof. Deirdre Nansen McCloskey

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Prof. Deirdre Nansen McCloskey, a well-known American economist, historian, and rhetorician, LGBTQ activist, the author of 17 books and over 400 scholarly pieces on topics ranging from technical economics and statistical theory to transgender advocacy, including the biographical book titled “Crossing: A Memoir” (2000). For more information about her academic career, see deirdremccloskey.com.

Monika: Let me tease you a bit. Some people say that economists can be compared to weather forecasting guys we see on TV. They are most precise at describing the weather we had yesterday but far from being precise when they have to tell us whether it is going to rain or not tomorrow. Do you object? :)

Prof. McCloskey: A little bit! I wrote a book in 1990 entitled "If You're So Smart" arguing that economists cannot predict profitably, simply because if they could they would all be rich. And, believe me, I am not rich. People, and some economists (when they are also people), think that economics is indeed like forecasting the weather. It is not. The economic "clouds" and "cold fronts" are listening.

Interview with Juno Roche

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Juno Roche, a Writer, and Campaigner, Patron of cliniQ, and a Trustee of the Sophia Forum. Juno writes for a wide range of publications and is currently writing her first book. Juno campaigns for transgender equality focusing on the education and sexual healthcare sectors. Juno has been HIV positive for over twenty years and considers herself a 'long-term thriver'. Juno was a Blair Peach Award winner, one of the most influential LGBTQ leaders in the UK, listed in the Rainbow List 2014/2015 and the World Pride Power List 2015. Juno was shortlisted for the European Campaigner of the Year in 2016 and has just been shortlisted for Campaigner of the Year by Diva Magazine. Hello Juno!

Juno: Hi Monika, it's lovely to chat with you.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Juno: Mmmm, a few words, I'm known really for talking an awful lot so a few words always seem difficult, but I am a happy, energized, and driven woman who wants simply to make a world for trans peeps which is full of aspiration and equal chances and to enjoy my own life.

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.