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Death, Sex & Money

The Voice of NYC's Subways Comes Out as Trans

Death, Sex & Money

Slate Podcasts

Business, Health & Fitness, Society & Culture, Careers, Relationships, Sexuality

4.67.6K Ratings

🗓️ 26 April 2023

⏱️ 38 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Voiceover artist and journalist Bernie Wagenblast shares her journey to coming out as a trans woman.

Listen to our episode with Jane Fonda here: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/deathsexmoney/episodes/death-and-divorce-gave-jane-fonda-strength

Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out a note from Anna, fascinating listener letters from our inbox, and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter, and follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I think it was my imagination that really drove me and helped me survive because I would

0:06.6

imagine being a girl and then later on being a woman.

0:10.5

That was how I let off the pressure to live this life that I had to live, but at the same

0:20.1

time not deny the way I felt.

0:26.5

This is Death, Sex, and Money.

0:31.2

This show from WNYC about the things we think about a lot and need to talk about more.

0:38.2

I'm Anna Seale.

0:46.7

If you live in the New York City metro area, you might recognize Bernie Wagon Blast's voice.

0:52.8

Right now, the primary way that I show up in people's daily lives is on transportation.

0:58.0

That would include the New York City subway, the air train at Norfolk Liberty International

1:02.4

Airport, and for anybody who's down in South Jersey or Philadelphia, it would be on Petco.

1:07.8

They would hear me making announcements or my disembodied voice at least, making announcements

1:12.6

in those places.

1:13.6

That's interesting.

1:14.6

That distinction between you and my disembodied voice, does that feel separate?

1:19.0

Well, especially on the New York City subway, it feels a bit separate.

1:23.3

It sounds very staccato in terms of how it's presented because it's a computer putting

1:28.3

together all these little words and phrases that I recorded and trying to make a sentence.

1:34.8

So, it would sound something like the next downtown.

1:39.6

Number one will arrive in one minute.

1:43.0

I know that.

1:44.0

That was amazing.

...

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