Model Emira D’Spain: Interview about transgender identity

You might recognize Emira D’Spain for her GRWM beauty videos, or you might know that she’s Victoria’s Secret’s first black transgender model. On TikTok, she shares different aspects of her transgender identity with her millions of followers, and ahead of Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, she spoke to PS about her journey. herself, sexual arousal, etc. Read it all, in her words, below.

When did I first feel sexually excited? My parents were very accepting of me, so for me, that’s actually when I’ve always felt the most sexually excited. Just being with my family. And knowing that that’s not an experience that many LGBTQ children and adults go through is what makes me more and more grateful for the many people I meet in the community. It’s something I hold very close to my heart.

Lady Gaga isn’t a weirdo, but she’s someone I always look up to because she had such a huge influence on my adulthood. In middle school, when Gaga first topped the charts — the era of “Born This Way” and all those songs — she made me feel empowered to be myself. yourself and live your truth.

These days, I’m known for more than just being transgender; Many viewers don’t even know I’m transgender. I feel like whenever I talk about it, it’s almost like, “Oh, wow, I didn’t know that about her.” I think that’s always really interesting. I think most transgender creators consider it part of their content, and it’s something I talk about from time to time. I think it’s great that I do that, because people who didn’t know that about me now have a different opinion of me. But for now, it’s inspiring to see other queer creators achieving so much success: people living their lives and building their careers.

My own message to other young trans people is that it will be okay, things will get better. If you’re struggling with people accepting you, you accepting yourself, you living your truth – things actually work out in the end. Of course, it’s hard to remember in the moment, but with time, life will unfold the way it’s supposed to. Just give yourself grace and give yourself time.