Anastasia Le, 29
Radio presenter and advocate
Female with a trans experience
She/her
Anastasia was dressed to the nines with hair and make-up perfectly done by a friend for the night out at Poof Doof. With the music pumping, the crowd in ecstasy, there was an air of dangerous excitement and possibilities.
As she waited for a couple to finish their dangerous liaison in the toilet cubicle, Anastasia was approached by the resident drag queen enquiring what her name was.
“I was shocked and flattered at the same time… she thought I was a performer and so I explained that I was just dressing up as a girl for fun and told her my Vietnamese name,” Anastasia remembers fondly.
“She decided that I should have a fabulous name and christened me Anus-to-Asia!”
It was a defining moment in Anastasia’s transition to womanhood.
The years leading up to that point were filled with heartache and hardship, as her family disowned her for accepting her own true self. Empowered by her new sense of self and stoic determination, Anastasia fought against the odds and embarked on a journey of self-acceptance, healing and more recently advocacy for other trans and gender-diverse people.
“I only discovered recently that my name means “resurrection” or “rebirth”. It couldn’t be more perfect!” Anastasia concludes.
Photo notes:
Thank you to the management of Poof Doof for allowing us to shoot on site. Anastasia can be heard hosting the program Transgender Point of View which airs on Thursdays at 8pm on Joy 94.9FM or joy.org.au