BlogHer Interviews Author and Activist Calpernia Addams on Living as a Transgendered Women

Palo Alto, CA (PRWEB) May 29, 2008 -- BlogHer, Inc. (www.blogher.com), one of the top women's online networks and the Web's number-one guide to blogs by women, today published an exclusive audio interview with author, entertainer and activist Calpernia Addams to bring her unique perspective on body image to the ongoing "Letter to My Body" initiative. This is BlogHer's third exclusive podcast in support of the campaign, which is designed to inspire self-esteem, realistic body perception and open discussion on body image amongst women.

Calpernia Addams rose to fame in 1999 following the death of her boyfriend, an army private that was killed for his relationship with Addams, who was a night club performer in Nashville at the time. A film depiction of the story, Soldier's Girl, and the public outcry that followed, prompted Addams to become a vocal advocate for transgendered people.

"It is important to provide all individuals with an opportunity to learn more about ways they can maintain a healthy self-image and to encourage the building of communities, like BlogHer, where the topic can be discussed openly," said Addams. "I have fought several battles, both internal and external, to find my own healthy self-image, and know how difficult society and our environment can be in determining one's own identity."

In this interview, conducted by BlogHer feminism and gender editor Suzanne Reisman, Addams responds to diverse questions from the BlogHer Community regarding body image within the scope of gender identity. The interview in its entirety can be found at the following link: http://www.blogher.com/podcast-blogher-talks-calpernia-addams

"Calpernia's story and struggles shed light on some of the most difficult, and often untold, issues surrounding body image today," said Lisa Stone, BlogHer co-founder and chief executive officer. "BlogHer created this campaign to encourage everyone to explore their own self-images, and we hope this interview will inspire everyone to rethink the way we all approach the topics of beauty, body image and gender identity."

Calpernia established "Deep Stealth Productions" with business partner Andrea James, which aims at producing media with an awareness of the contributions made to society by trans people. Besides running Deep Stealth Productions, Inc., Calpernia works as an actress, musician, author and activist for issues regarding transgendered people. Recently, she performed alongside Jane Fonda and a host of other women in the 10th anniversary production of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" at the New Orleans Super Dome to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Calpernia stars in Logo's "Transamerican Love Story", a show examining dating and romance for transgendered people. Her book, Mark 947, details her Southern childhood and service as a field medical combat specialist with the Navy and Marines in Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War. Addams also has a musical career, having released her single "Stunning" on iTunes and several videos on YouTube. She lives in Los Angeles, CA.

About BlogHer

Founded in February 2005 by Elisa Camahort, Jory Des Jardins and Lisa Stone, BlogHer's mission is to create opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community and economic empowerment. BlogHer provides the number-one community and media network of blogs by women via a community hub (http://blogher.com), annual conferences and an advertising network of more than 1,800 qualified, contextually targeted blog affiliates. BlogHer provides the highest quality content on a range of topics, with all blogs continually edited to meet strict editorial standards, including content quality, category relevance and blog frequency.

Contacts:

Kristina Joss                    

Racepoint Group                

kjoss@racepointgroup.com    

415-694-6709                

Elisa Camahort

BlogHer Inc.

elisa@blogher.org

408-504-5708

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