Interview with Hannah Decker

Monika: Today my guest is Hannah Decker, a Canadian transgender woman that documents her transition on Reddit.com. Hello Hannah!

Hannah: Hello Monika and thank you for contacting me. It never occurred to me that anyone would want to interview me but I’m happy to share my story.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Hannah: I am a 59-year-old freelance photographer/designer living in Canada. I have been married for over 20 years to a wonderful woman. I transitioned socially 9 months ago and started on hormones almost 6 months ago.

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

Hannah: I did it for one reason. To hopefully inspire others who are doubting themselves like I was. I usually post in r/translater because I’m “older” and I found that people of my age needed more inspiration and hope than younger people. When I receive comments saying I have inspired them I feel so good. Unlike many people, I make a point of posting before and after photos to show the incredible change that can happen when you believe in yourself and follow your heart.

Interview with Danielle Marie

Monika: Today I am going to host a special guest. Danielle Marie is an American transgender woman that documents her transition on Reddit.com. We are going to chat about her transition journey and inspirations. Hello Danielle!

Danielle: Hello Monika! Thank you very much for reaching out to me. I appreciate the opportunity to share my story with others and I love that you're helping provide a platform for people to share their journeys with others.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Danielle: So I am a 33-year-old trans woman. I'm coming up on a year of HRT in January of 2021. It's definitely been an interesting year to start transitioning during, for sure. I am pretty geeky, and have a passion for entertainment. Whether that be movies, television, books, comics, or video games, entertainment has always been of interest to me.

Interview with Eirin Grinde Tunheim

Monika: Today I am taking you to Tromsø, a city in northern Norway, which is a major cultural hub above the Arctic Circle. This is the town of Eirin Grinde Tunheim, a young Thai-born girl from Norway, beauty pageant queen with university degrees in dentistry and economics. In 2019, Eirin competed in the Norwegian edition of the Miss Universe Pageant to become the first transgender woman in the history of this competition. She speaks five languages, and I am happy that one of them is English, so I can share her amazing story with you all. Hello Eirin!

Eirin: Hello, Monika. Thank you for inviting me for the interview.

Monika: You were born in Thailand. When in 2006 you came to Norway with your whole family, what did you expect to see and achieve in the country that is so different from Thailand?

Eirin: Back then, my mom told us that Norway is a country where the weather is very cold with less sunlight. My siblings and I watched the Narnia movie and tried to have that expectation. However, we did expect to live in a country with a good education, health system, and quality of life. I grew up with my grandparents and father, therefore I always wished to live with my mom wherever she lived.

Interview with Cynthia Luna Frost

Monika: Today I would like to share with you the story of Cynthia Luna Frost, a young Swedish vocalist, poet, and alternative model. Cynthia is the founder and vocalist of the band called Snow I.U. and the founder of the Snowfest festival. Hello Cynthia!

Cynthia: Hello! Thank you for having me!

Monika: You are a woman of many talents. Do you feel more like a band vocalist or poet?

Cynthia: I see myself as a source of inspiration. Be that by being an entertainer with my musical works, an eloquent writer with my lyrical and story-driven poetical narratives, or as a gracious alternative model in front of the lens of a camera. I seek to inspire and empower people, to show the world that being different and unique is something that we all should strive for. I want people to be the best version of themselves.

Interview with Krysten

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Krysten, an American transgender woman that documents her transition on Reddit.com. Hello Krysten!

Krysten: Hello Monika! Thank you for asking to interview me.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Krysten: Sure, I'm a trans woman located in the state of Pennsylvania. I am presently 38 years old, starting to socially and medically transition at 36. I was married for 6 years prior to deciding to transition. I also work as a licensed therapist, being certified in trauma therapy. I'm also a huge fangirl at heart.

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

Krysten: I started to share on Instagram back in February of 2019. The original intention was to get feedback anonymously so I could become comfortable prior to coming out to others. At first, it was to test makeup attempts and to get a true picture of how steep of a journey I had ahead. I'm happy that early criticism was kind.

Interview with Ella Marques

Monika: It has been three years since my last interview with Ella Marques, a Portuguese-American writer living in Boca Raton, Florida. In 2017 Ella published her biographical book ‘I was born a boy, from Venus. It’s time to be yourself’. Today’s interview has been triggered not only by the fact that I missed her but also her two newly-released books: “Coming home to Venus” and "Eva's world". Hello Ella!

Ella: Hi Monika, It is such a pleasure to be here with you.

Monika: How are you holding up in the pandemic times?

Ella: Business-wise it has been a disaster but from my own personal perspective it has been an incredible year. I usually travel a lot, about every second week and in March we had a lockdown here in the US, so I took advantage to finish my second book “Coming Home to Venus”, then I got the idea to write a fiction novel Eva’s World.