BayWindows.com – by Brian Jewell – Arts Writer
Actress/activist breaks new ground with trans reality show
Add another impressive credit to the resume of indomitable actress, author and activist Calpernia Addams. The very out trans woman, whose tragic relationship with murdered U.S. Army Private Barry Winchell was dramatized in the film Soldier’s Girl, and who has since become a leading trans spokeswoman and consultant, stars in Logo’s new dating reality show, Transamerican Love Story. With the help of host Alec Mapa (from Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives) and her business partner and best gal pal Andrea James, Addams will choose a boyfriend from a stable of eight eager hunks. It’s not the first trans dating show, but it’s a far cry from the U.K.’s sleazy There’s Something About Miriam, in which the contestants didn’t know the woman they were trying to impress was a pre-op transsexual. On Transamerican Love Story, Addams has nothing to hide. She was equally up front in an interview with Bay Windows, as she spoke about her mixed feelings about reality TV, dating as a trans woman, and trying to be “America’s Transsexual Sweetheart.”