Calpernia Sarah Addams (born February 20, 1971) is an American actress, musician, spokesperson and activist for

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

rights and issues.

Early life

Addams grew up in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. She served as a

Hospital Corpsman A hospital corpsman (HM r corpsman is an enlisted medical specialist of the United States Navy, who may also serve in a U.S. Marine Corps unit. The corresponding rating within the United States Coast Guard is health services technician (HS ...

with the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

. During her last year in the military, she

came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

as a

transgender woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and so ...

. Addams chose the name "Calpernia" from the

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

play ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

'' (a variant spelling of Caesar's wife Calpurnia) and its appearance on a tombstone in the film ''

The Addams Family ''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over ...

''.

Career

In 2002, she formed

Deep Stealth Productions Andrea Jean James (born January 16, 1967) is an American transgender rights activist, film producer, and blogger. Education James grew up in Franklin, Indiana,Bartner, Amy (June 3, 2016)"Transgender activist amid Hollywood's transition" ''In ...

in Hollywood with

Andrea James Andrea Jean James (born January 16, 1967) is an American transgender rights activist, film producer, and blogger. Education James grew up in Franklin, Indiana,Bartner, Amy (June 3, 2016)"Transgender activist amid Hollywood's transition" ''In ...

. Deep Stealth creates educational and entertainment material around gender-identification issues and the experiences of differently-gendered people. Addams and James coached Felicity Huffman for her

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-nominated performance as a transgender woman in the film '' Transamerica''. At the Sundance debut of ''

Soldier's Girl ''Soldier's Girl'' is a 2003 biographical drama film written by Ron Nyswaner and directed by Frank Pierson. It is based on a story of the relationship between Barry Winchell and Calpernia Addams and the events that led up to Barry's murder by a ...

'', Addams met Jane Fonda, whose son

Troy Garity Troy Garity (born July 7, 1973) is an American film actor. He is primarily known for his role as Isaac in the ''Barbershop'' film series and as Barry Winchell in the television movie ''Soldier's Girl'' (2003), where he was nominated for a Golden ...

had played Winchell. Fonda suggested Addams mount an all-transgender production of ''

The Vagina Monologues ''The Vagina Monologues'' is an episodic play written in 1996 by Eve Ensler which developed and premiered at HERE Arts Center, Off-Off-Broadway in New York and was followed by an Off-Broadway run in at Westside Theatre. The play explores c ...

''. The production was to contribute funds and help raise awareness of

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often con ...

; it became the subject of the 2006 documentary film '' Beautiful Daughters''. A reality television series entitled '' Transamerican Love Story'', featuring Addams choosing among eight suitors, debuted February 11, 2008 on

Logo TV Logo TV (often shortened to Logo, and stylized as Logo.) is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched in 2005, Logo was originally dedicated to lifestyle and entertainment progr ...

. In April 2008, Addams performed alongside Fonda,

Glenn Close Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, Close has garnered numerous accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards ...

Salma Hayek Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

, and others in a tenth-anniversary production of ''The Vagina Monologues'' at the

Louisiana Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...

. In May 2008,

PFLAG PFLAG is the United States' first and largest organization uniting parents, families, and allies with people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+). PFLAG National is the national organization, which provides support t ...

(Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) chose Addams as PFLAG's spokesperson for their educational campaign, ''This Is Our Love Story''. Addams said, "I hope ''This Is Our Love Story'' will help young transgender people as they come out. By seeing the happy, confident woman I've become, I hope I can act as a role model for these young people at a critical moment in their development." Addams writes a blog on gender issues for '' Psychology Today''. Addams has released a single entitled "Stunning", available on iTunes. Addams co-produced the song "The Vagina Song" by

Willam Belli Willam Belli (, born June 30, 1982), mononymously known as Willam, is an American drag queen, actor, singer-songwriter, reality television personality, author, and YouTuber. Willam came to prominence as a contestant on the fourth season of '' ...

, from his debut album '' The Wreckoning'', and made a cameo in the song's music video. In 2015, Addams appeared in the international premiere of "Trans Scripts" a new play by Paul Lucas at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. The production received 24 four- and five-star reviews, a Fringe First Award, a High Commendation from Amnesty International and was shortlisted for the Feminist Fest Award, the Best of Edinburgh Award, and the Holden Street Theater Award.

Personal life

In 1999, while working as a performer, Addams began dating PFC Barry Winchell. Word of the relationship spread at Winchell's Army base where he was harassed by fellow soldiers and ultimately murdered. Winchell's murder and the subsequent trial resulted in widespread press and a formal review of the U.S. "

Don't Ask, Don't Tell "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on military service of non-heterosexual people, instituted during the Clinton administration. The policy was issued under Department of Defense Directive 1304.26 on Decemb ...

" (DADT) military policy, ordered by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

.Black, Chris (December 13, 1999)
Pentagon to review 'don't ask, don't tell' policy.
CNNBecker, Elizabeth (February 2, 2000). Pentagon Orders Training to Prevent Harassment of Gays. ''The New York Times''Pear, Robert (December 12, 1999). President Admits "Don't Ask" policy Has Been Failure. ''The New York Times'' The case became a prominent example used to illustrate the failure of DADT to protect LGBT service members. Addams' and Winchell's romance and the crimes of their abusers are depicted in the film ''

'', released in 2003. Addams was portrayed by

Lee Pace Lee Grinner Pace (born March 25, 1979) is an American actor. He is known for starring as Thranduil the Elvenking in ''The Hobbit'' trilogy and as Joe MacMillan in the AMC period drama television series '' Halt and Catch Fire''. He has also a ...

. A subsequent ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' article, "An Inconvenient Woman", documented the marginalization and misrepresentation of transgender sexuality even by gay rights activists.

Works

* Calpernia Addams, ''Mark 947: A Life Shaped by God, Gender, and Force of Will'' (Writers Club Press, 2002).

References

External links

* * *
Calpernia Addams: Widowed by Hate
– Podcast interview

{{DEFAULTSORT:Addams, Calpernia 1971 births Living people Writers from Nashville, Tennessee American fiddlers American non-fiction writers Transgender actresses Transgender military personnel Transgender women musicians Transgender writers Transgender rights activists Participants in American reality television series United States Navy sailors Actresses from Tennessee American LGBT military personnel American LGBT writers LGBT rights activists from the United States 21st-century American actresses Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee LGBT people from California LGBT people from Tennessee LGBT memoirists American film actresses American child musicians Writers from Los Angeles Actresses from Los Angeles Musicians from Los Angeles Female United States Navy personnel Activists from Los Angeles Activists from Tennessee American women memoirists 21st-century violinists United States Navy corpsmen 21st-century American memoirists 21st-century LGBT people American LGBT actors