((PKG)) REUTERS PHOTOGRAPHER
((TRT: 06:28))
((VOA Russian))
((Topic Banner: Being Oneself))
((Reporter: Anna Nelson))
((Camera: Vladimir Badikov))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((Main character: 1 female))
((NATS))
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
I’m Gina Chua.
((Courtesy: Reuters))
I'm executive editor at Reuters. You know, when I was
young,
((End courtesy))
I didn’t feel like I was like everybody else. I don't know what
age that would be. Eight, nine, 10, you know, something like
that. I don't think I really knew what it was. And, you know,
and if you think back to those days, which was the 1960s
and the 1970s, there just really wasn't a lot. There was no
internet, there was nothing you could look up,
((Courtesy: Reuters))
you know, to really start to understand that I was
transgender.
((End courtesy))
So, I'm from Singapore. I was born in Singapore. All males in
Singapore have to join the army and so, I was in the military
for two and a half years, started working as a computer
programmer for a bit and then as a journalist and then went
off. I won a scholarship to go to Columbia Journalism School
in New York, so I came for a year. That was, that scholarship
was paid for by Reuters. And then nine months after that, I
became editor of The Asian Wall Street Journal. Did that for
eight years, moved to New York for The Wall Street Journal,
became Deputy Managing Editor after a couple of years and
then left in 2009 and went back to Hong Kong to be Editor-
in-Chief of the South China Morning Post. And in 2011,
came back to Reuters in New York and I've been here since.
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
You know, how did I manage it through all of the years? I'm
very good at compartmentalizing. It’s like, this part of my life
here and then it's done and now I'm in this part of my life
here. And, you know, slowly over the years, you try to pull
them closer together and that's, I think, what has happened
to me as well, until you come to this moment where you say,
“Look, I have one life. I don't have two lives.”
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
The pandemic has gotten in the way of this transition. In
some ways, the pandemic has been really good. And that's
not to downplay all the suffering that's been caused. But
because you are at home and you're spending time away
from other people and the only thing that people see of you
is, you know, this much on a screen, you can really start to
just settle into a different skin.
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
Eventually, you know, as of late December, just make the
decision to become public and actually transition. And then I
started telling people at work and, you know, especially H.R.
[Human Resources] and my boss and my boss's boss and
so on, about what the timeline would look like. And I started
planning the timeline. Before I transitioned, obviously I was a
little more careful about how I looked on camera. And then
afterwards, I look like this.
((Courtesy: Reuters))
My name was Reg. At the office, I don't think anyone.
((End courtesy))
I certainly am not expecting anyone to react badly. Well,
some people will have trouble with names and pronouns and
so on. But again, you know, as long as people are trying,
you know, that's fine.
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
I look a little different. My name is different. I'm doing exactly
the same things I did before. I still eat the same food. I live in
the same place. I mean, it's, that hasn't changed. And that
part of it, that normality of it, has become fantastic. As I say,
I used to spend
((Courtesy: Reuters))
a lot of my time, a lot of my brain occupied about thinking
about this is, who I am.
((End courtesy))
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
When I went out as Gina before I transitioned, I would open
the door of my apartment and then listen to see if anybody
was in the corridor, so that I could get out without being
seen. I mean, even now, I open the door and sometimes I
think I should listen to this. And I say, “Why am I listening?” I
just go out. Everybody in the building knows me. What
difference does it make?” And so, the normality of it has
been great.
Look, Reuters has been fantastic, right? I mean, all the way
through from the H.R. policy and health benefits and
everything. It's been wonderful.
((NATS))
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
I've had colleagues, I've had friends, I've had strangers even
write to me and say, “You know, my child is trans” or “I have
a friend who's trans” or in some cases, “I'm sort of on the
same journey as well.” And sort of be able to hear their
stories and to reach out and to offer help or advice or
resources.
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
I think a lot of trans people go through cycles where they try
to deny that they are trans. And for trans men, you know, I
think that's turning to becoming much more feminine and
seeing if that's their life. And for trans women, it's becoming
much more masculine. It's joining the army. It's playing
football. It's doing things right. Because you want to “cure”
yourself of this, right? You want to see, you know, you want,
you think there's something wrong with you and so, endless
cycle of questioning yourself.
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
It is the inability to tell people about yourself. It's the sense
that you're hiding something. There's a sense of shame.
Attempted suicide in the trans community is, I mean, it’s
horrifying. You understand that the level of despair that
some people have about this. You can be trans and you can
still get by in the world. You can be who you are and not
suffer for it and you can be, you know, you can be
successful. I think the important thing is, you remove one
element of the unhappiness in your life. That doesn't
necessarily make you happy, but you do get rid of one thing
that's bothering you. You get rid of one thing that is
occupying part of your mind.
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
I just turned 60 a month ago. It was one of the factors in my
decision honestly but I didn't want to get to 65 and say, “Why
didn't I do it?” Life is too short to be somebody that you are
not.
((NATS))
((TRT: 06:28))
((VOA Russian))
((Topic Banner: Being Oneself))
((Reporter: Anna Nelson))
((Camera: Vladimir Badikov))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((Main character: 1 female))
((NATS))
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
I’m Gina Chua.
((Courtesy: Reuters))
I'm executive editor at Reuters. You know, when I was
young,
((End courtesy))
I didn’t feel like I was like everybody else. I don't know what
age that would be. Eight, nine, 10, you know, something like
that. I don't think I really knew what it was. And, you know,
and if you think back to those days, which was the 1960s
and the 1970s, there just really wasn't a lot. There was no
internet, there was nothing you could look up,
((Courtesy: Reuters))
you know, to really start to understand that I was
transgender.
((End courtesy))
So, I'm from Singapore. I was born in Singapore. All males in
Singapore have to join the army and so, I was in the military
for two and a half years, started working as a computer
programmer for a bit and then as a journalist and then went
off. I won a scholarship to go to Columbia Journalism School
in New York, so I came for a year. That was, that scholarship
was paid for by Reuters. And then nine months after that, I
became editor of The Asian Wall Street Journal. Did that for
eight years, moved to New York for The Wall Street Journal,
became Deputy Managing Editor after a couple of years and
then left in 2009 and went back to Hong Kong to be Editor-
in-Chief of the South China Morning Post. And in 2011,
came back to Reuters in New York and I've been here since.
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
You know, how did I manage it through all of the years? I'm
very good at compartmentalizing. It’s like, this part of my life
here and then it's done and now I'm in this part of my life
here. And, you know, slowly over the years, you try to pull
them closer together and that's, I think, what has happened
to me as well, until you come to this moment where you say,
“Look, I have one life. I don't have two lives.”
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
The pandemic has gotten in the way of this transition. In
some ways, the pandemic has been really good. And that's
not to downplay all the suffering that's been caused. But
because you are at home and you're spending time away
from other people and the only thing that people see of you
is, you know, this much on a screen, you can really start to
just settle into a different skin.
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
Eventually, you know, as of late December, just make the
decision to become public and actually transition. And then I
started telling people at work and, you know, especially H.R.
[Human Resources] and my boss and my boss's boss and
so on, about what the timeline would look like. And I started
planning the timeline. Before I transitioned, obviously I was a
little more careful about how I looked on camera. And then
afterwards, I look like this.
((Courtesy: Reuters))
My name was Reg. At the office, I don't think anyone.
((End courtesy))
I certainly am not expecting anyone to react badly. Well,
some people will have trouble with names and pronouns and
so on. But again, you know, as long as people are trying,
you know, that's fine.
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
I look a little different. My name is different. I'm doing exactly
the same things I did before. I still eat the same food. I live in
the same place. I mean, it's, that hasn't changed. And that
part of it, that normality of it, has become fantastic. As I say,
I used to spend
((Courtesy: Reuters))
a lot of my time, a lot of my brain occupied about thinking
about this is, who I am.
((End courtesy))
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
When I went out as Gina before I transitioned, I would open
the door of my apartment and then listen to see if anybody
was in the corridor, so that I could get out without being
seen. I mean, even now, I open the door and sometimes I
think I should listen to this. And I say, “Why am I listening?” I
just go out. Everybody in the building knows me. What
difference does it make?” And so, the normality of it has
been great.
Look, Reuters has been fantastic, right? I mean, all the way
through from the H.R. policy and health benefits and
everything. It's been wonderful.
((NATS))
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
I've had colleagues, I've had friends, I've had strangers even
write to me and say, “You know, my child is trans” or “I have
a friend who's trans” or in some cases, “I'm sort of on the
same journey as well.” And sort of be able to hear their
stories and to reach out and to offer help or advice or
resources.
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
I think a lot of trans people go through cycles where they try
to deny that they are trans. And for trans men, you know, I
think that's turning to becoming much more feminine and
seeing if that's their life. And for trans women, it's becoming
much more masculine. It's joining the army. It's playing
football. It's doing things right. Because you want to “cure”
yourself of this, right? You want to see, you know, you want,
you think there's something wrong with you and so, endless
cycle of questioning yourself.
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
It is the inability to tell people about yourself. It's the sense
that you're hiding something. There's a sense of shame.
Attempted suicide in the trans community is, I mean, it’s
horrifying. You understand that the level of despair that
some people have about this. You can be trans and you can
still get by in the world. You can be who you are and not
suffer for it and you can be, you know, you can be
successful. I think the important thing is, you remove one
element of the unhappiness in your life. That doesn't
necessarily make you happy, but you do get rid of one thing
that's bothering you. You get rid of one thing that is
occupying part of your mind.
((Gina Chua, Executive Editor, Reuters))
I just turned 60 a month ago. It was one of the factors in my
decision honestly but I didn't want to get to 65 and say, “Why
didn't I do it?” Life is too short to be somebody that you are
not.
((NATS))
