"This book is a collection of interview transcriptions designed to share the life and story of Tona Brown, a transgender musician of color. In working to build this book, St. Louis writer and musician Chris King conducted dozens of interviews with Tona. In the span of four years, they compiled nearly eight hours of interview transcriptions. These transcriptions are reproduced for you here, having been edited for clarity and flow only; no original content has been removed."
"The conversation is supplemented with quotes from, and narrative informed by, academic research, scientific data, and the lived experiences of the Transgender community. Most importantly, this book is filled with Tona’s honest responses to Chris’s often penetrating and personal questions.
You will learn the brutal realities of the experiences shared by so many transgender men and women, and especially by Black transgender women."
In 2014 I interviewed Tona and asked her about what it means to be a transgender artist: "What it means to me to be a transgender artist is I have the opportunity to dispel the negative stereotypes about our people. I don't think I consciously make decisions based on being transgender when picking musical opportunities unless they are within the LGBT community or an opportunity to speak out as an activist. The music is my primary focus when choosing to play a particular role or picking a piece of music to perform."
Asked about what was the hardest thing about her coming out, she said: "Knowing that as an African American transgender woman life would be three times harder. I also knew that I would not have the traditional career that most of my colleagues had. But I was OK with it.
As Shirley Verrett advised me: "There are plenty of opportunities for us all but YOU must find your own niche in this industry". I feel very confident that I have found that niche and enjoy a successful career."
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Photo via Heroines of My Life
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