Model Emira D’Spain: Interview on Trans Identity

You might recognize Emira D’Spain for her GRWM-style beauty videos, or you might know that she was the first ever Black trans Victoria’s Secret model. On TikTok, she shares different aspects of her trans identity with her million-plus followers, and ahead of Trans Day of Visibility on March 31, she spoke to PS about her own journey, gender euphoria, and more. Read it all, in her own words, below.

When did I first experience gender euphoria? My parents are so accepting of me, so that’s, for me, truly when I always have the most gender euphoria. Just being around my family. And knowing that that’s not an experience that a lot of LGBTQ kids and adults get to experience, that’s something that I become more and more grateful for the more people I meet in the community. It’s something that I hold very close to my heart.

Lady Gaga is not queer, but she is someone I always looked to because she had such an impact in my coming-of-age as an adult. During middle school, when Gaga was first topping the charts — the era of “Born This Way” and all those songs — she made me feel so empowered that I could be myself and live my truth.

These days, I have made myself known not only for being trans; a lot of my audience doesn’t even know that I’m trans. I feel like whenever I do talk about it, it’s almost like, “Oh, whoa, I didn’t know that about her.” I think that’s always really interesting. I think most creators who are trans make it part of their content, and it’s something I talk about every now and then. I think it’s cool for me to do that, because people who don’t know that about me now have this different perspective of me. But right now, it’s really inspiring to see other queer creators who are gaining so much success: people living their lives and building their careers.

My own message for other young trans folks is that it’s all going to work out, things are going to get better. If you’re struggling with people accepting you, you accepting yourself, you living in your truth — everything does truly work out in the end. It’s hard to remember in the moment of course, but over time, life unfolds in the way it’s supposed to. Just give yourself grace and give yourself time.