Interview with Pia Notoriyas

Monika: Today we are going on a journey to the United Kingdom where we are going to meet a talented female artist. Pia Notoriyas is a Filipino-born singer and songwriter, model, YouTube vlogger, social media influencer, and transgender activist. Pia is known for The Euphoria Song Project, a song about the discrimination and the empowerment of trans lives, which in 2020 became the transgender anthem of the year. Hello Pia, I am so happy that you have accepted my invitation!

Pia: Hello Monika! Hello everyone!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Pia: My name is Pia Notoriyas. I’m a transgender singer-songwriter and producer, Filipino, and based in the United Kingdom. 

Monika: Why did you choose Pia for your name?

Pia: Choosing your name is probably one of the most important stages in our transition, I wanted something that meant something to me and a name that embodied femininity and my culture, Miss Universe is a beauty pageant competition that celebrates femininity and countries from all around the world compete for the crown, in 2015 the Philippines won miss universe and she happens to be called Pia, and at that moment I knew that as the name I wanted, it represented strong femininity and my culture.

Interview with Mylee Blake

Monika: Today I have the pleasure and honor of interviewing Mylee Blake, an American immersive experience designer and experiential gender and sexuality coach from Colorado, the USA that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Mylee!

Mylee: Hello! Thanks for asking to interview me. I love sharing my story, as other trans women's stories helped me along the way through my transition.

Monika: What does an immersive experience designer and experiential gender and sexuality coach do? Could you say a few words about yourself?

Mylee: Well, as an immersive experience designer, I create worlds and stories for participants to explore, play, and transform their perceptions of "reality". As an experiential gender and sexuality coach, I sort of do the same thing, just with a focus on exploring one's gender and sexuality, with exercises, real-life games, and a little bit of active listening.

Interview with Saigon Le

Monika: Today I have invited Saigon Le, a Vietnamese-born former model, actress, and now aesthetics nurse from the sunny state of California, USA. We will talk about her amazing life experiences and challenges related to her transition. Hello Sai!

Sai: Hi Monika it’s a pleasure to be a part of this so thank you for recognizing your fellow sisters.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Sai: My name is Saigon, I am a transgender female from California. I’m the youngest of nine children but I feel because of my unique circumstances l have the oldest soul.

Monika: You can boast over 10 years of experience as a nurse. Why did you decide to become a nurse?

Sai: Well, first I’d like to emphasize that this career was not born out of self-belief. I had a very troubled upbringing and was on my own at age 17, I found a “tribe” of drag queens and queer club kids that performed at club ARENA and hung out, performed as well as lived together. I wasn’t very good on stage but I was just happy to be there. There was an electrifying and talented performer named Barbarella, she and I became very close. She was my drag mother and taught me how to wear eyelashes, corsets, and wigs.

Interview with Dimitria Sparrow

Monika: Today I would like to present to you Dimitria Sparrow, a Canadian makeup artist, and beauty vlogger. Her YouTube vlog provides trans women and crossdressers with beauty knowledge about makeup, fashion, etiquette, as well as transition challenges. Hello Dimitria!

Dimitria: Hello, Monika! Thanks so much for having me!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Dimitria: I’m Dimitria, I make beauty videos on the Internet. For some reason, I have a vanilla look right now while still being the angsty and neurotic girl everyone knows and tolerates LOL.

Monika: You uploaded your first video to YouTube in June 2020. What inspired you to start your vlog?

Dimitria: Transitioning in itself is very difficult, and presenting feminine is just as hard. Here I was at 19 with no idea how to do makeup, feminize my voice, tuck, or pick out breast forms for myself. It was so intimidating and overwhelming that I decided to educate myself on everything I wanted to know in feminizing my appearance. I wanted to give like-minded people this knowledge to where transitioning on the outside is exciting rather than scary, to alleviate dysphoria and prove that the perfect image of yourself is more than possible.

Interview with Dubrazka Guerrero

Monika: Today I would like to introduce to you an amazing woman. Dubrazka Guerrero is a model and social media influencer from Venezuela. Hello Dubrazka! Could you say a few words about yourself? 

Dubrazka: Hello, I am Dubrazka Guerrero, a beautiful transgirl who lives in the beautiful city of Spain, that is Madrid. I am a transgender girl who happily lives my life on my own terms. Actually, my family comes from Carabobo, Venezuela. Now we are based in Madrid. And we love this city so much. I live with my single dad. He loves me so much even though my mom passed away, so he gives me love and I cherish both my mom and dad. My dad always supported me in every decision in my life. And I believe that there is someone for me, who can understand my feelings and support me in every decision.

Monika: Why did you choose Dubrazka for your name?

Dubrazka: Yes dear, Dubrazka is a very rare name, I feel so special when someone calls me Dubrazka. I wish to have a name that challenges my beauty, my innocence, and my love, and this name completes my femininity. Although it also means love and independence, sharing them with people close to me. I feel like I'm a special girl in every aspect.

Interview with Natalie

Monika: Today I have the pleasure and honor of interviewing Natalie, an American IT professional and transgender woman that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Natalie!

Natalie: Hi Monika and thank you for reaching out to me. I am happy to share a bit of my story.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Natalie: I am a full-time IT professional, occasional illustrator, photographer, writer, programmer, mountain biker, puppeteer, and... I could go on for a bit. I have a bunch of hobbies that for the most part are visual and creative.

Monika: What inspired you to share your intimate life moments via social media?

Natalie: When I first realized I was a woman and decided on transition is the answer to me back in 2007-2008, there was very very little out there in terms of positive stories, access to information or just documented stories. It felt like all you heard about were the cartoon depictions of trans women in media like Jerry Springer or vomit moments in comedies. It felt so empty and hopeless. It made me give up.