For nearly 55 years, music was Nikita Carter’s language. As an avant-garde improvising saxophonist and composer, she thrived in a world of sound, vibration, and connection, creating bold, unconventional music that spoke directly to the soul. In August of this year, she added a new title to her creative résumé: published author. Her debut book, a project nine years in the making, grew out of a period of solitude when she had no one to confide in and was trying to make sense of her life. Much of it reflects on her gender transition in her 60s, placing her among the relatively small number of people who transition later in life. She describes that experience as carrying both the advantages and the scars of living for decades in a privileged role, and then stepping into an identity with profoundly different societal power dynamics. The transition brought significant losses. Many former friends, collaborators, and professional contacts disappeared from her life, and her career in music suffered as a result. She also faced risks that had not been part of her life before, including ridicule, social invisibility, and even the threat of physical violence. Among the most frightening episodes she recalls was being wrongfully arrested and imprisoned in Mexico.
When you first look at Giselle Donnelly’s résumé, you might expect to meet someone who only speaks in policy briefings and Pentagon jargon. She’s an Emerita Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a specialist in national security and defense, a former staffer on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, and the co-author of major strategy documents that helped shape American military thinking. She’s also worked as a journalist and editor, covering everything from the Gulf War to Somalia, and has been at the center of Washington’s biggest debates for decades. In short: Giselle knows her stuff. But that’s just one side of her story. The other side is deeply personal, and a lot more colorful. In 2018, after years of living a secret life, Giselle transitioned and began living openly as a trans woman. She credits her wife, Elizabeth Taylor (yes, that’s her real name!), with guiding her out of the shadows. Elizabeth runs a makeover studio for transgender women, and she spotted the truth about Giselle before Giselle herself did. Together, they’ve built a life filled with love, laughter, and music.
Stephanie Dunn is a remarkable woman whose journey of self-discovery and courage has spanned decades, culminating in the full embrace of her authentic identity. Born in Aldershot, Hampshire, in 1962 and raised in nearby Fleet, Stephanie spent much of her early life navigating feelings she could not yet fully understand. She grew up in a family of four siblings, including two brothers and a sister, whose loss she still feels deeply. Despite these challenges, she built a successful career and family life, marrying young and raising two children, Richard and Eleanor, who are now grown and supportive pillars in her life. For many years, Stephanie lived in denial about her gender identity, immersing herself in her career as an engineer and later at British Airways, as well as in traditionally masculine hobbies such as motor sports and American football. Yet, beneath the surface, the woman she always was continued to emerge quietly. It wasn’t until her children were grown and she became an empty nester that Stephanie allowed herself to explore this part of her identity, beginning with tentative crossdressing and gradually discovering the joy and freedom it brought her.
In every generation, there are individuals whose journeys carry the weight of both personal struggle and communal resilience. Andrea Christine Brookes is one such voice. Born in 1961 to a mother who was a teacher and a father who served as a Chief Petty Officer in the Royal Navy, Andrea grew up in the English Midlands in what, from the outside, looked like a fairly ordinary upbringing. Yet behind the curtain of a “normal” childhood lay questions of identity that surfaced as early as age seven, when Andrea first began cross-dressing, long before there was public language or cultural understanding for what she was experiencing. Like many trans people of her generation, Andrea entered puberty in a world devoid of resources, where curiosity and self-expression were often stifled by silence, shame, and stereotypes. Still, the urge to live authentically kept resurfacing, a quiet but unshakable truth that refused to be buried. Andrea’s path, however, was not a straight line. She built a successful career in IT, became a wife, and later a widow, and even weathered some of life’s darkest storms, including periods of deep depression and moments of contemplating suicide.
Emi Japonka - one of the first transgender people in Poland to publicly share her story. An activist for the LGBTQ+ community, co-founder of the country’s largest online support group for transgender people, and the initiator of numerous aid projects. Editor of the TransNews portal, columnist, and author of the world’s first mental guide on gender transition, "Tranzycja" (Transition), as well as the book "Zrozumienie" (Understanding). Her work encompasses both support initiatives and cultural events. She has participated in projects such as the “Rainbow Christmas Eve,” was a panelist at a conference held at the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, and a special guest at the New Horizons Film Festival, where she shared her knowledge and experience following a screening of the film "Girl". She also lent her voice to the theater play "We’ll Eat Your Children! With Onions" and co-led career activation workshops for transgender people. Privately, she is passionate about cinema, photography, and spiritual development, with a deep fascination for Indian culture. She speaks about her transition in Poland with her characteristic distance and sense of humor - the “joy” she went through is something she now uses to support and inspire others.
Born and raised in Manila, Tiffany Rossdale has called Tokyo home for over 25 years. A true renaissance woman, she has lived many lives, first as a celebrated figure in Japan’s vibrant VIP nightlife scene, and now as a transformational lifestyle coach and LGBTQ+ wellness advocate. After arriving in Tokyo in the late 1990s, Tiffany quickly became one of the city’s most recognizable socialites, curating dazzling fashion events and luxury parties under her brand Tokyo Fashionista for five-star hotels, top fashion labels, and mega-clubs. She has worked alongside international talents including Kat DeLuna, Vita Chambers, and Lavelle Smith Jr., famed choreographer to Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and Beyoncé.
In 2010, Tiffany turned her passion for music into a DJ career, spinning at exclusive parties in Tokyo, Beverly Hills, and Miami. But her path took a deeply personal turn when the pandemic prompted her to launch Breakfast With Tiffany Show, a podcast focused on LGBTQ+ wellbeing, spirituality, and personal growth. Tiffany’s own story of transformation is nothing short of remarkable. Assigned male at birth, she transitioned after arriving in Japan, following her heart from a job in an electronics factory to dancing in a transgender cabaret. Her journey included modeling, heartbreak, substance abuse, and ultimately, a spiritual awakening. After a painful breakup and a series of personal struggles, Tiffany chose to leave her nightlife persona behind, embrace sobriety, and rediscover herself through meditation, personal development, and a silent retreat in Bali. That pivotal time led her to a new purpose: helping others find peace, purpose, and self-love.
