Interview with Emma Smith

Monika: Today let me introduce you to Emma Smith. Emma is a British journalist, podcaster, and trans woman that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Emma! Thank you for accepting my invitation.

Emma: Thank you for asking me!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Emma: I’m never any good at this bit. I’m 30 years old, I’m originally from Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the north-east of England, and now I live in Manchester. I’ve worked for a whole bunch of newspapers and websites in the UK, and now I work for the BBC Sport website. Since joining in August I’ve written about everything from Premier League and WSL football to trans table tennis players and ice hockey teams. It has been fun.

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

Emma: I don’t actually share that much intimate stuff on social media, I like to keep private stuff private for the most part. The most intimate thing I ever shared was when I came out to the wider world as trans in November 2019, and that was more to get that out of the way more than anything else. Otherwise, I just share nice outfit pics on Instagram or stories I’ve written on Twitter. It means I, mostly, avoid the pointless arguments that can crop up.

Interview with Lea Aymard

Monika: My today’s guest is a Slovenian transgender rights activist. Lea Aymard is a Program Coordinator at Transfeminist Initiative TransAkcija Institute, an organization that provides support, empowerment, and alliance of transgender and gender non-conforming persons in Slovenia. It is the first and only non-governmental organization devoted specifically to the human rights of transgender persons in Slovenia. Hello Lea! Thank you for accepting my invitation.

Lea: Thank you very much for the invitation! It’s an honor to have piqued your curiosity!

Monika: I am always eager to learn about how my sisters are doing in other countries. Is it challenging to be a transgender woman in Slovenia?

Lea: Yes, of course! Like anywhere else, trans people are heavily discriminated against in Slovenia. Slovenia is quite unique because of its very small size as a country, a very traditional and homogeneous society, but with a rich queer heritage.

Interview with TS Candii

Monika: TS Candii is my lovely guest today. TS Candii, also known as Kiyziah Vaughn, is an American transgender rights advocate, journalist, and writer. She is the founder of Black Trans Nation, a non-profit organization whose primary objective is to advocate, educate, and motivate the public to take collective action in support of the transgender community, with a particular focus on Black and POC individuals. In 2022, she published her memoir “Becoming TS Candii: My True Transgender Story“. Hello TS Candii! Thank you for accepting my invitation.

TS Candii: Hello Monika! Thank you so much for the kind invitation - it's a pleasure to be here. I look forward to talking today about my memoir, Black Trans Nation, and the importance of advocating for transgender rights.

Interview with Sara-Jane Cromwell

Monika: The lovely city of Cork in Ireland is the home of my today’s guest. Sara-Jane Cromwell is an Irish groundbreaking author and educator, trainer, mentor, and life coach on Gender Identity and Gender Dysphoria. She is also an inspirational figure for people going through many of life’s difficulties. She is the author of "Becoming Myself: The True Story of Thomas Who Became Sara" (2008), "Wrong Body, Wrong Life: Living with Gender Identity Disorder in Ireland" (2010), and "No Ordinary Life" (2021). Hello Sara-Jane!

Sara-Jane: Hello Monika. Thank you for having me.

Monika: You grew up in Ballyfermot, a suburb of Dublin in the 1960s, in a very conservative environment where you're being different was not tolerated at all. The readers may not believe it but you were regarded as "retarded" because you were left-handed…

Sara-Jane: Yes, Monika, unfortunately, all that is true and it caused me huge trauma, which still profoundly affects my life to the present day. Being left-handed in the 60s and 70s was truly terrible and along with being treated as retarded exposed me to frequent bullying and abuse, including beatings at home, in school and while out and about; and a great deal of name calling and rejection.

Interview with Divina Loloma

Monika: Today let me take you to Fiji, an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. This is where I am meeting our sister Divina Loloma. Divina is a transgender politician and activist. She is the first known transwoman to have contested Fiji’s General Election, under the National Federation Party banner. Hello Divina!

Divina: Hello Monika!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Divina: l am Divina Loloma, a Fijian lslander and transgender woman. 

Monika: Many of us live the lives of wives, mothers, and daughters, trying to forget about our past. You have decided to be an advocate of transgender rights and be vocal about our positive image in society. Have you ever felt the temptation of being in the closet, being a woman rather than a transgender woman?

Divina: I am a mature transwoman with a goal to always make a difference in the ever-changing world.

Interview with Shelli Renee Joye

Monika: Shelli Renee Joye, an American scientist, academic, painter, philosopher, and author, is my special guest today. Shelli is an amazing woman being able to explore her talents in such different areas as hard sciences, spirituality, consciousness, and painting. She authored many publications on the physics of consciousness. In 2022, she published her biography “My Transition Journal: A Transgender Arc of Self-Discovery”. Hello Shelli! 

Shelli: Hello Monika!

Monika: Your life is a constant travel. Born in Port O’Spain, Trinidad, you lived in Panama, Florida, New York, Saudi Arabia, London, and now Italy. Is Italy your final destination, the place where you want to settle down for good?

Shelli: Yes, I have fled California with its dreadful forest fires that threatened our cedar cabin every summer, and the redneck Trumpist fundamentalists that in their ignorance are destroying what was once a workable democracy in America.