Sharing our platform with next-gen voices for change, Munroe spoke with Travis about her new book ‘Transitional’, experiences of coming into herself as a trans woman and relationship with fashion. The audience included members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies from our shared networks, who enjoyed vegan bites and Kylie Minogue Rosé.  

Discover some of the key highlights and quotes from the evening below. 

On her book, ‘Transitional’ 

MUNROE BERGDORF: “I really feel like I went on a journey with writing this book – within myself, but then also within the UK. Things have got tremendously fucked up when it comes to, you know, basic decency or extending basic decency to trans people and allowing us to have autonomy and allowing us to even, you know, to use the bathroom and participate in sports. To be joyful, be angry... it’s always sort of put in a direction that it shouldn’t be. 

So I feel like now is a really good time for the book to come out, just to show that there’s real people behind all of these talking points that are often being spoken about by people who aren’t trans, and understanding what it means to be trans, what it feels like to be trans, what are the implications of transphobia, and how can we envision a world where trans people aren’t having to reduce themselves to the top layer of their identity. That trans people actually have ambitions, and we want to do things outside of our identity and be seen as more than our identity.” 

On her fashion dreams 

MUNROE BERGDORF: “It’s been an extremely difficult trajectory within my career but, also, you know, as a community and to be able to represent my community within fashion. I mean, that had nothing to do with me being trans, that was to do with me being me and living out a dream that I’ve had for years. That was like my dream, ever since I was little. Well, not that specifically, but to be able to be walking with supermodels and to be within the fashion industry... to be able to live out my dreams that I had as a child. We should all be able to do that. 

The thing about transphobia, much like racism, like Toni Morrison said, is that its main functionality is it stops you from doing what you’re supposed to be doing and, as trans people, we end up having to explain all the time: what is transphobia? What is transphobic? It’s just great to be able to hopefully provide an example to people of that: you can do what you want to do as well. 

When it comes to going out and dressing up, it's really just me expressing joy and having fun and connecting with people. I love the fashion community. I've definitely found my people: a bunch of people who have, in their own way, experience their own trauma, but also everybody that works in fashion has such interesting stories and they're dressing up or expression of self is something that has often come at a cost. And I feel like it's that connection that I really enjoy.” 

On the next generation 

MUNROE BERGDORF: “We were talking about the idea of legacy earlier and being friends with, like, Yasmin Finney and all of the younger trans folk that are coming up now. They don’t have to struggle like we did, but then we also didn’t need to struggle like people in the HIV and AIDS crisis. So, it’s that process of continuously passing the baton that I’m really invested in and looking at the impact of the work that we’ve done since the transgender tipping point, which feels like a lifetime ago. 

I think it’s really important to just have that intergenerational exchange, making sure that we are including trans elders within the conversations that we’re having. They’re including us within the conversations they’re having and making sure that Gen Z are aware of the context that we are experiencing so far, and so forth, making sure that the community is cohesive.” 

MUNROE BERGDORF: “But I think that fashion is a great way to bring it back to the point. I think, you know, fashion is a great way to do that because what other industry do you see where women and queer people are the ones calling the shots? And that's incredible to me. I think that that's something that's beyond inspiring because we are really creating a world that doesn't exist yet. But we're showing people that's possible, and I just don't think I'll ever be tired of that because the way that fashion moves is always going forwards. Nevertheless, backwards references but never regresses. And I think that's something that's really incredible.”