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Pride Spotlight: Corey Rae

We’re back with another Pride 2019 Spotlight. In partnership with @makerswomen, we have had the pleasure of interviewing Corey Rae (she/her). You might have heard of Corey as she was the first Transgender prom queen in the nation. We got to catch up with the model and activist about the importance and visibility of trans people.

You’re the world’s first transgender prom queen, that’s an amazing feat! Now you’re working on a movie called QUEEN. Tell us more about that.

Yes! QUEEN is a coming of age story based on my Prom victory. It’s a project I’ve been working on for three years with a friend from high school, Harry Tarre. The script we created was recently optioned by Red Crown Productions, and we are very excited to be making this into a soon-to-be seminal feature film with them.

Why is it important for us to understand the difference between non-operative and post-op transgender people?

There’s a conversation happening within the transgender community right now regarding the limits of pre-operative and post-op labels. We have to consider those who don’t need or want to have top or bottom surgeries but are also trans because they identify with something other than the gender assigned to them at birth. For me, a vagina meant being a woman. But that is not the case for everyone, nor does it have to be. Contrary to popular belief, genitals do not define a man or woman—your soul-being does. It’s important for our culture to start adapting terms such as non-operative with respect to those who aren’t just “pre” or “post” surgery in their transition.

When it comes to redefining confidence, patriarchal standards can be very damaging to the trans community. What has your experience been with passing privilege?

Passing privilege is primarily based on a person’s socioeconomic and genetic makeup. I’m a transgender woman who technically never had to come out because I am “passable” or “unclockable.” In college, it was important not to disclose my true gender identity for safety reasons, but now I think passing culture is quite damaging. Transgender people don’t need to “pass,” just as we don’t need to have surgery. As transgender women, we don’t need to walk sexier, heighten our voices, or feminize our faces. Like all women, we don’t need to meet the conventional standards of beauty as deemed by society in order to be seen, validated, accepted, supported, loved, and equal.

What do you hope people in the LGBTQIA+ community take away from your story?

Anything is possible—you can become your own dream come true, with hard work and dedication. Speak, write, think, create, and manifest whatever good you want to bring into existence, and give it your entire heart and soul. Never give up. It’s all about confidence, persistence, and thoughtfulness. Also, surround yourself with positive, uplifting people.

Thank you! You can follow Corey as she continues to work on projects that support the LGBTQIA+ community and their stories. Tumblr, how do you support trans people? Use the #tumblr pride to share.

This interview has been condensed for clarity.