Munroe Bergdorf ‘never thought’ she’d fall in love with another trans woman
Model and activist Munroe Bergdorf has claimed that she hadn’t let herself believe she “deserved love” as a trans woman (BBC Sounds)
Model and activist Munroe Bergdorf has claimed that she hadn't let herself believe she "deserved love" as a trans woman (BBC Sounds)
Model and activist Munroe Bergdorf has said falling in love with a trans woman led her on a journey to self-acceptance.
Talking to Rylan Clark on the BBC, she said that while growing up she “never saw trans women be loved” and “didn’t even know that was possible”.
Now 37, she went on to say: “It was always trans people being mocked, or if we were loved then it was kind of like a secret.” People she did date wouldn’t even wouldn’t hold her hand in public, or would only see her at her home.
The only time she saw a trans woman be loved on TV was Roy and Hayley’s storyline on Coronation Street, but given that Hayley wasn’t played by a trans woman, “as positive as that story was, it still wasn’t real”.
It was her relationship with another trans woman that led her to re-evaluate the negative views about her own identity. “Of course she deserves love. So, of course, I deserve love.
“I never thought I would fall in love with another woman, especially a trans woman, because I hadn’t processed or allowed myself to understand that I, as a trans woman, deserve love,” she said.
“We’re constantly told that trans people are an abomination, that people shouldn’t even be friends with trans people, we shouldn’t employ trans people, we shouldn’t let their kids near trans people. All these awful things that ultimately make you feel unlovable.
“So, when another trans woman comes along, you’ve got all this internalised hatred. Then that whole relationship opened my eyes.”
Bergdorf, whose “intimate” documentary that explores her personal life and activism work, was released earlier this month, advised young trans girls to “prioritise themselves before they start looking to be in a relationship”, adding: “Transitioning is not just a visual experience, it’s a whole transformation of how you see yourself in this world.”
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