Transgender Songwriter

[Paula Angel]

When I began songwriting, I pretty much wrote songs in a female's point of view. It was more comfortable for me to write that way than trying to write in a way a guy would write. I knew since I was 5 that I should have been born female. But I grew up in a town called Indio, which is located 15+ miles from Palm Springs, and Indio was more of a macho, conservative, latino town that didn't have many LGBT people living there. We pretty much migrated to Palm Springs, or better, to San Francisco just to be safe. So I couldnt really be out as a youth. My family are pretty much Semi-Homophobic and If they knew that I was Transgender, they pretty much would have had me committed or to see a priest. Lucky for me, that didnt happen.

I've always wondered if there was a certain boundary that has never been crossed before when it came to sexuality and music. I used to listen to songs from people like George Michael, Elton John and KD Lang. Most of their songs were pretty much Boy-Girl attraction. Never once have I heard a song that was a Boy-Boy storyline, or Girl-Girl. Maybe if we count in 'All The Things She Said' by T.A.T.U. My songs were mainly Girl-Boy songs, coming from a girl. It was pretty awkward singing my songs to family and friends without them asking me "Why is there so many BOY's and MAN's in your songs?".

I want to see if anyone feels the same way when it comes to music, songs and sexuality.

[Roberta Zenker]

How about: "I kissed a girl, and I liked it." When I sing other songs that I like I always changed the male pronoun to female. It works.