Shea Diamond’s story was almost too sad to be
told...“Almost” being the operative word. She ran away from home at age 14 and found shelter as a ward of the state until the age of 17. In desperation, she decided to commit armed robbery to pay for sex reassignment surgery, ultimately spending almost 10 years incarcerated in prison for it. Thank- fully released—what a relief—Shea moved to New York and discovered there a core group of trans women. Then through cupid’s bow of love; produc- er, songwriter and muse Justin Tranter discovered the power and the passion of Shea Diamond. She is a warrior, a strong spirit with a simply remarkable strength found within her voice. An extraordinary voice which touches the soul. The Rage Monthly had the distinct pleasure in all regards to share her story.
Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. Thank you for giving a trans woman visibility.
Oh please. It’s my honor. When I first heard you singing onSeen It All with your song “American Pie” I thought of the qualities of Della Reese, Nina Simone and Sarah Vaughan in your voice. That’s a striking combination to hear from you. To be among those greats… I’m honored.
The EP is very strong and powerful. There are elements in your song “American Pie” that reminded me of a song Shirley MacLaine sang called “I’m a Person Too.” Part of the lyrics to that are “I’m a person too. I’m a human. A someone. To me I’m important. Not something you spit on or hide in a corner. I got me some rights.” Wow, oh wow.
Who came up with the concept for the video for “American Pie?” There were some of these brilliant people who were involved in the making
of that. All of which are amazing friends of Justin (Tranter) and all a part of the community. Everybody brought their know-how and their professionalism and their brilliance to it. We went back and forth with ideas, so it would be a collective idea. I thought it was beautifully done. Please tell me about the importance and joy in your life in regards to Justin Tranter. Oh my god, Justin! He is a visionary, Justin is an angel. Literally, I don’t know what
we’ve done to deserve him but Justin is a literal angel. For me to have been seen or known by this guy… he’s an amazing person. Beyond being brilliant in music, he’s an amazing human being. Beyond that, he’s become a friend and more so… family. I know everybody in Justin’s family and everybody in his family knows me by name. We eat together, barbeque
together...vegan of course. I’ve become this weird fixture in this white family and it’s definitely amazing. You are striking. Truly. I am gushing over you. Oh my god, Thank you so much. I love it. That’s never a bad thing honey. You can never make a woman feel bad with compliments I think.
DIAMOND by bill biss
SHEA HERI AM
AUGUST 2018 AUGUST 2018 | | RAGE monthly monthly 25
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