TV personality Ai Haruna talks about her struggle with gender identity disorder

[Shana A]

TV personality Ai Haruna talks about her struggle with gender identity disorder

By Masanori Tonegawa
The Yomiuri Shimbun/Asia News Network
Sunday, Apr 15, 2012

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Diva/Story/A1Story20120415-339837.html

The following is the first installment of a two-part story of how Japanese transsexual TV personality Ai Haruna, 39, suffered from and overcame gender identity disorder.

Ai Haruna sometimes shows her "manly" side on TV variety programs by speaking in a loud, hoarse voice, drawing laughter from the audience.

"I might have taken the long way in coming to terms with my more manly side, which--as much as I hate to admit it--is my attractive feature," Haruna said.

Born anatomically male, Haruna wanted clothes and toys for girls as a child. When playing house, she always played the role of the mother. "I believed that I would naturally be able to become a woman when I grew up," she said.

[Shana A]

Transsexual talent finds the freedom to accept herself

The Yomiuri Shimbun/Asia News Network
Sunday, Apr 22, 2012

http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20120422-341250.html

The following is the second part of a two-part story of how Japanese transsexual TV personality Ai Haruna, 39, suffered from and overcame gender identity disorder.

After the operation, Haruna continued to work at the "newhalfs" (transsexuals and male transvestites) club. When she turned 20, opportunities to appear on impersonation TV programs suddenly increased. One day, she was scouted by a Tokyo entertainment agency. She then left her hometown in Osaka Prefecture for Tokyo.

However, there wasn't as much work in Tokyo as Haruna expected, and she quit the agency about one year later. After that, she worked at various places, including a restaurant in Tokyo, and opened her own small bar about 10 years ago.