Interview with Pam Bennett

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Pam Bennett, an American advocate for the LGBT community, politician, military veteran, and blogger. Hello Pam!

Pam: Hello from Annapolis, Maryland U.S.A. Happy to be here.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Pam: Asking a politician (former, but never say never) to say only a few words is like asking the sun to not shine too much today. My first thought every day is that I am the luckiest person on earth. The job I do is a lot of fun, enhanced by wonderful co-workers and bosses who care about their employees.
I live on a beautiful little peninsula, southeast of Annapolis, in the Chesapeake Bay. My cat, Boo, loves sailing on my boat. All of this is what I think of each morning because I also temper my happiness knowing that so many transgender people around the world cannot even dream of my world. I have had a great life, too many downs, but a lot of ups to make it interesting.

Interview with Maki Yamazaki

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honour to interview Maki Yamazaki, a Japanese-British musician, producer, artist, games developer, trans-feminist, and advocate of queer and disabled people’s rights, the creator of Dr. Carmilla - a retrospective-futurist cabaret, the head of Silvana Studio and games developer.Hello Maki!

Maki: Hi there, lovely to meet you, and thanks for having me!

Monika: You describe yourself as a transfeminist. What does transfeminism espouse?

Maki: Trans-feminism is basically feminism that is fully trans-inclusive. It's not implicitly one kind of feminism but an umbrella term for different types. But the key thing is about trying to make things better for women of all kinds, with the inclusion of trans-feminist writings and ideas (such as 'Whipping Girl' by Julia Serano).

Interview with Naomi Fontanos

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honour to interview Naomi Fontanos, a Filipino trans rights advocate, one of the founders and current Executive Director of the transgender rights group GANDA (Gender and Development Advocates) Filipinas in the Philippines, and blogger. Hello Naomi!

Naomi: Hello Monika. The pleasure and honor are all mine. How lovely indeed to finally have a conversation with you.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Naomi: I grew up in a small town in the Philippines where the country’s superstar also comes from. I was a straight-A student from grade to high school. In high school, I graduated on top of my class and went on to attend the Philippines national university, which is like the Harvard of the Philippines, the University of the Philippines Diliman.

There, I earned a degree in education. I am a licensed teacher and currently work as an education consultant. I love languages, fashion, music, art, and travel. I love to write, read and watch movies in my spare time. Best of all, I love to sing. I love doing karaoke and love spending time with friends this way.

Interview with Miranda Yardley

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honour to interview Miranda Yardley, a British accountant, music magazine publisher, blogger and businesswoman. Hello Miranda!

Miranda: Hello Monika! Thanks for asking me to do this and for helping my voice to be heard.

Monika: You can boast a considerable number of music magazines such as Terrorizer, Dominion, and Sick Sounds, which specialized in extreme music. Has your music preference changed over the years? 
Miranda: Terrorizer is the only one of these magazines that is still regularly published. My taste in music has always been very broad, I’m open-minded to most kinds and I continue to search out both old and new music that interests me.
Monika: How did you enter the publishing business?
Miranda: I had an accounting client who owned Terrorizer and wanted to drop the title. The rest is history!

Interview with Sarah Brown

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honour to interview Sarah Brown, a talented British Liberal Democrat politician and transgender activist, the former Cambridge City Councillor for Petersfield ward, for several years the only openly transsexual elected politician in the UK, listed many times on the Independent on Sunday "Pink List" of the most influential LGBT persons in the UK. Hello Sarah!

Sarah: Hello Monika!

Monika: I was so sorry when I heard that you failed to be re-elected as a Cambridge councillor in May 2014? How would you summarize your term and legacy?

Sarah: Thanks. It was always going to be a tough campaign, given the demographics of the ward I represented and being elected originally during “Cleggmania”. Still, I’m pleased that I managed to do some good during my time as a councillor. The two things I’m most proud of are setting up a fund to help teach disadvantaged kids to swim, and getting a motion to introduce a 20mph limit on all residential streets in Cambridge through the council with unanimous support. There were times when it was really stressful though.

Interview with Katie Leone

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honour to interview Katie Leone, an American writer, former stock broker, teacher, preacher, and wrestling champion. Hello Katie!

Katie: Hi, Monika. Thanks for inviting me over, it’s a real treat and an honor.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?
Katie: I’m a very simple woman. I enjoy keeping to myself for the most part. I love writing stories and try to promote transgender equality through fiction. Most of the time I’m with my f2m boyfriend Felix and we spend time talking and laughing. Hopefully there will be a wedding in the near future. 
Monika: You are the author of 25 transgender fiction novels. When you create transgender characters in your books or projects, do you include any autobiographical elements in their lives or stories?
Katie: It is hard not to include part of yourself in your characters or they wind up coming up flat. A lot of the characters in my books are usually a part of me whether good or bad. We all have those sides of us that we wish we didn’t and I use that to create some of my evil characters. Fiction is a great place to let those demons out because at least you can see it for what it is and address the issues.