As last month was dedicated to Trans visibility, we spoke with one brave Transwoman who wants to shed light on what it means to be authentically herself unapologetically.
Monica Seemion says she and her mother always knew that she was different. Assigned the sex of male at birth, she says that her (now dead) name was Julian Seemion. She would later legally change her name to Monica Amiya Seemion. Even as a child, Monica was fascinated with beautiful hairstyles and flashy women's clothing. She always had a flair for pizzazz and style and it began to have a great influence on her life.
Even though she was indeed different, the now makeup artist says her mother's love for her never wavered or faltered as she says her mother loved her as she always had, unconditionally. Unfortunately, other members of her family would not exhibit those same arguments or feelings and after her mother's untimely death. Monica says out of her mother's six children, (one of her brothers is deceased), she has only her sister's acceptance and respect to call her own. She says that her sister has even taken on a "second mother's" role in her life.
However, Monica says that unfortunately, many people who are transgender lack this type of love and acceptance. Monica also says that growing up and being who she truly was on the inside and out made for a very difficult life. She grew up in an era that made it extremely difficult to be yourself if it somehow went against the grain of didn't toe the line with what was considered normal. With the addition of being from a small, rural town in Louisiana, she says that just existing from day to day was often an ire-wrought experience. Monica was never invited to parties or extracurricular activities and was often ridiculed for being different. Monica says she felt that she was always talked about negatively among others. Some peers would even go out my their way to call her horrible names such as "The Freak", "Punk Julian* and "The F***ot.
The makeup artist says she always felt that most of her peers and other townspeople were close-minded and downright hurtful not to mention disrespectful and judgemental. But there was one person who she was initially afraid of that took Monica under their wing and told her to always be herself and taught her about the power of keeping it 100 percent real and authentic. Monica is thankful that times have changed and that representation for Trans people has progressed in a more positive direction. Monica says that people can now turn on their television and see people such as TS Madison on their screens showing you that people of Trans experience are not all sex workers (she says she's not shaming anyone who is) and get inspired that they too can be anyone they want to be. She also lists Janet Nick among her favorite food models who continues to break the mold of normalcy by directing shows and becoming a New York best-selling author. Monica feels that people are being fed more information on what it's like to be a Trans person and she says with more education, the better the overall understanding will be. She also says that she feels like the location of states factors into behaviors toward people who identify with alternative lifestyles as well and she counts the southern states as some of those who have further to go when it comes to understanding non-conforming people, particularly those of color.
A sad reality of Monica’s life is seeing many of her friends perish from senseless violence. She recalls one particular time when one of her close friends, who was also Trans, was brutally beaten and later murdered on May 18, 2019. The MUA wants her friend to be remembered as a comedian who loved to tell jokes and how she loved to dance to any beat! She also says that she'd like her to be remembered as she always was, a sweetheart.
Monica also offers advice to anyone who sees someone who is Trans or if you just can't figure out if someone is indeed Trans. She says in either case, just know that that person is being who they are. She also says, “Being Trans is extremely difficult and it takes a strong person to live this life and to go through rejection and hate. Keep in mind that they are facing ridicule, finger-pointing, and eye rolls on a daily basis. Just know that they are living their authentic life and don't forget to ask yourself, “Are you?””
To contact Monica A. Seemion, you can reach her on her social media pages at:
Facebook:@Monica Amiya Seemion
Instagram:@ms_badazz4990
