“When I made the decision to come out and share my story, I never processed what happened in between. I felt like it was just what I had to do at the time. Writing about it now, there’s a sense of healing acknowledging how much I put myself into in pursuit of a dream.”
-Geena Rocero, episode 336 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
Today, we sit with model, writer, and activist Geena Rocero! At the top, we discuss transgender visibility in the US (3:40), her ‘magical’ upbringing in the Philippines (5:52), and a ceremony that helped her find her true self (9:28). Then, she describes the influence of her trans mother Tigerlily (14:50), her rapid ascent in the pageant circuit (20:40), and memories of the fabled transgender bar Divas (21:52).
On the back-half, Rocero walks through her pivot to modeling in New York City (30:24), feeling like a James Bond-like spy (35:04), making history on the TED stage (36:34), the power of community (44:24), and to close, a powerful passage from her new memoir Horse Barbie (46:44).
Show-notes:
- Purchase Geena’s new book Horse Barbie.
- Learn more about her work and advocacy.
- Watch her powerful 2014 TED Talk.
- Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
- Find resources for LGBTQ youth through The Trevor Project.
- For more talks, hear our conversations with Ocean Vuong, Trace Lysette, Elizabeth Gilbert, Padma Lakshmi, Min Jin Lee, Margo Jefferson, Rupi Kaur, And Ts Madison.
- Order your Talk Easy mug in cream and navy or our vinyl record with Fran Lebowitz.
Illustrations by Krishna Shenoi. Reference image by Filbert Kung.
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