Interview Of Chelsea Goodwin

NYC Trans Oral History Project

After purchasing a house in Park Slope in the 1980's to be closer to her kids, Dr. Rusty Mae Moore and Chelsea Goodwin opened their home to homeless trans folk. Transy House, as it was called, aimed to be a place where trans people could feel safe from the objectification and harassment. To this day, the continue to live with other trans folks on Long Island, where they've discovered and forged new community affinities. In this interview Chelsea Goodwin speaks passionately of Goth and Pagan culture's relationship to Trans Community as being like "peanut butter and jelly". A seasoned activist, having worked with Act Up, Queer Nation and Dyke Action Machine, her piss-and-vinegar vibrancy emphasizes social change from the ground up, rather than legislative reform. Dr. Rusty Mae Moore came out in her 50's and through parenting, her career and travel to Brazil navigated the particularities of her own transition. Together they share their intimate understanding of Trans Liberation.