Munroe Bergdorf has warned that the “ramifications of transphobia” will be felt by all LGBTQ+ people unless the community comes together.
The model and activist is one of the UK’s most high profile trans figures and has worked tirelessly to fight for equality in the country.
In 2021, she received the GAY TIMES Honour for British Community Trailblazer and, speaking at the event a year later in November 2022, explained that she sadly “wasn’t in a good place” at the time.
“I was finding my career really difficult in navigating it, in navigating success but also being, you know, not in a good place,” she told GAY TIMES on the night’s green carpet.
“And…there’s been such a big arc of, you know, self-empowerment and self-belief and just going through so many different checkpoints to get to where I am today. And I feel really, really happy and supported and hopeful for the future.”
Munroe’s debut book, Transitional, is set to be released by Bloomsbury on 16 February 2023.
She shared that she is “excited about touring” and is happy to have “a lot to look forward to” as the year comes to an end.
The UK saw political turmoil in recent months as the country went through three prime ministers in less than two months and rhetoric surrounding trans rights was at the forefront of leadership debates.
Reflecting on this, Munroe said: “I think that we are now seeing the fruit of the seeds that have been planted for a long time and, unfortunately, this is what the trans community has been talking about for a very long time.
“And…I hope that people are starting to listen to us now and see that we haven’t been hysterical all this time. We’ve been talking about very real ramifications of transphobia that is being disseminated by the media, supported by the government and propped up by a lot of people in positions of power.”
The star then urged people to “take transphobia seriously” and “understand that it is trans people today, but it will be gay people next.”
“And then after that, it’ll be the next vulnerable person, then the next vulnerable person,” she continued. “So, we really need to understand that we are in this together. And if we don’t fight together, then we’ll be picked off one by one and divided.”
To follow all of the action from GAY TIMES Honours sponsored by Meta Quest at Magazine London on 25 November, check out our Instagram @GAYTIMES. For the latest winners, performances and special moments from the night click here.
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