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Calpernia Addams, 36, was born a male. She has since transitioned to female. Hormones, implants, surgery and all. She is now looking for love, and the LOGO network is airing a "Bachelorette" type program to help her find it. Is her true love out there?
Transgender girl meets 8 boys who know, from the get go, exactly what they are dealing with. This comes as a welcome reprieve to Calpernia, who says it has been a struggle dating.
The Tennessee native served in the Navy during the first Gulf war, where her relationship with an Army private led to a brutal gay bashing that killed him. His death drove her to become a transgender activist, and inspired a 2003 movie entitled "Soldier Girl".
She moved to L.A. to pursue and acting career, but found the dating scene far less than what she had hoped for.
She says she gets alot of attention from men, but she is hesitant to tell them the whole truth about her gender reassignment. She will usually wait until the third date to bare her soul, and the revelation of just what she is all about usually puts an end to the phone calls from her male admirers.
Not so with "Transamerican Love Story" which is scheduled to air in February of 2008 on the LOGO channel. (MTV's cable network targeted at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender viewers). The premise of the show is not so different from the other reality series of the same genre. The single bachelorette is introduced to 8 bachelors, and through a series of group and individual dates, she eventually narrows the pack to the one man she feels she can have an ongoing relationship with.
The 8 bachelors are in their 20's and 30's, and attempt to win the affections of Calpernia in various ways. In one episode, the men are challenged to lure her in ways that would appeal to her Southern upbringing.
Addams is certain it will be more fun and free-wheeling than the typical reality dating show, and is hopeful it will help people see that the transgender dating scene isn't all that out there.
"People come to the idea of transsexual person with a lot of preconceptions. They're going to be carrying a lot of baggage from shows like Jerry Springer," she said. "When they actually see the show, they're going to be surprised. They're going to see a girl next door from the south living in L.A. and trying to date."
So, how do you feel about this show? Have we evolved to the level that this will be totally acceptable, or will there be a backlash when this program actually hits the airwaves?
