Couples Therapy' is pretty big for me because it's opening the door to a new audience - a hip-hop following, which I feel is a bit more judgmental toward the LGBT community.
I want to just be able to act and be like the girl next door or the cute babysitter or the busy mom who's fun or who knows, maybe something super dramatic, somebody who's really insecure and angry.
I like to jump around, and it takes a long time for people to catch up to me sometimes.
For me, I've tried to always live in the moment and I don't think that much about what is law, what is written down.
I don't want to reclaim the word 'tranny.' I don't want anyone to refer to me as 'tranny.'
I want to be respected as a woman, as a mother, as a wife. That's why I transition.
I've always had a 'stand up for the people' type of personality.
I want to inspire strength. I also want to inspire people to create their own happy reality.
My family is very supportive, lucky for me.
I know during my transition it was difficult for me to stop believing I would be stuck unhappy forever, but that's not true. Physical changes take a while but internal feelings of changing and finding your peace can take way longer.
I don't dedicate my whole life to being a trans advocate. But I do believe that me, and how I represent myself and how I am honest and open to everybody, I do feel like I'm doing something for the trans community.
I'm not Laverne Cox. I'm not Janet Mock... I'm just a girl from New Jersey who has experience and lived.
My experience started in the gay nightlife/drag life. I was just as consumed in ignorance about what is offensive to transpeople because at that time I hadn't found myself. I was living as a drag performer only.
Respectable transwomen were not as visible and very unclear in how they defined themselves. I had no one to look up to, pre-transition.
If I ever feel like I don't know what to do next, I always think about WWJD, like 'what would J-Lo do,' 'cause J-Lo for me is like the epitome of feminine sensuality, mixed with show stopping beauty.
I would say what's really interesting about me personally is that I've taken my transgender experience, and I've looked at it on the bright side, on the positive side.
I think that for a lot of people, I inspire them to be themselves.
When it comes to beauty, I try to teach my step daughters to embrace themselves the way they are,and to have fun.
I don't view myself as a 'trans actor' or a 'trans model.' I mean, I am - it's part of who I am - but it's not something that solely defines me.
If people can understand me and accept me as a woman, I'm going to get booked for more jobs.
