September 8, 2026 • 10 mins
Today we shine a light on Tamara Adrian, the first openly trans woman to be elected to office in Venezuela.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Annie.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
And Samantha.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
And welcome to Stuff Mom Never Told You, a production
of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And welcome to another activist around the world. And today
we are featuring a Venezuelan politician, lawyer, activist and advocate
and speaker. Tamara Adrian. So Adrian made history in Venezuela
when she became the first openly trans person elected to
office in Venezuela. So we love history makers. Adrian was
(00:39):
born in Caracas, Venezuela to a Roman Catholic family. And
she went through her childhood and young adult life knowing
she wasn't what she was assigned. So she didn't feel
like what she was assigned at birth was correct. And
she knew she was different. She would go to college
and even go on to graduate from law school in France.
She would get married and have children, but felt as
(01:01):
if she was not being her true self. She would
eventually separate from her wife and start her transitional journey. Now,
she had told articles before that she really felt like
she was experimenting with hormones. because she knew that she
wasn't man. She knew she wasn't a boy as she
had been assigned at birth, but didn't know what to do.
(01:22):
So she was kind of experimenting already. Here's what she
told theheroines.blogspot.com when they interviewed her about her coming out.
I think that my worst fears never came true, and
I believe this happens to anyone. You are fearful of
coming out because you imagine the worst possible outcomes. In reality,
some bad things may happen But at the same time,
(01:44):
so many wonderful things begin to unfold. You realize that
coming out was necessary to become a real person, not
just kind of an impersonation. It's not easy, I know,
but it's essential for growth. Some people say it's necessary
to fulfill your purpose in this world. In a way,
I think my purpose is to help people understand that
gender is not the same as sex. Again, that's something
(02:06):
that we have talked about repeatedly and understanding that, yes,
gender is not the same as... She fully transitioned in
2002 and since then has become a leader and advocate
for the queer community in Venezuela. So here's a bit
from her interview with Alturi.org about her journey as an activist.
I have known since I was four years old that
(02:26):
I'm transgender. Later in life, after returning from law school
in Paris and experiencing the benefits of the patriarchy as
a heterosexual middle-class man, I began transitioning in the late 1980s.
Once I began transitioning, for the first time in my life,
I felt discrimination, bias, and exclusion. This propelled me to
fight against the deeply rooted discrimination towards women and the
(02:47):
LGBTIQ plus community by joining civil society organizations and engaging
in politics. In 2002, I completed my gender-affirming surgery while
authoring articles about the totalitarian regime gaining power in Venezuela
and joining the United Nations Committee of Human Rights. So
she worked with organizations such as the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans,
(03:07):
and Intersex Association, Pan American Health Organization and has been
a special advisor on human rights for the World Health Organization.
And in 2005, she was able to go to the
Council of Human Rights and speak about and for trans people.
So this is from StanfordDaily.com. She said, I had two
minutes to talk about the situation of trans people around
(03:29):
the world. At the end of the session, one member
told me, now I know why this is an issue
for human rights, but it still might take 15 to
20 years to talk about this issue. took one year.
When you have a pressing situation and you have a
critical mass of activists and people engaged in the field,
you're able to talk very rapidly about trans issues at
the international level. And this is why every single body
(03:51):
of the UN has issued its own perspective on gender
identity and gender expression. And that's a change that's impacting
the day-to-day life of people all around the world. Because
when you talk about trans issues, you understand it's not
a choice. And I think that's such important words. Now,
one of the things that she has really become a
big part of is speaking out for trans rights. And
(04:14):
she seems to be doing that through the UN and
different world organizations like we mentioned before. She's doing it
even today. I just saw her in Amsterdam.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
She was the keynote speaker there.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
You weren't in Amsterdam, but you.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Let me dream. Okay.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
All right.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
No, no, I'm just kidding. I saw it on her
Instagram that she was in Amsterdam. Speaking as a keynote speaker.
Not too long ago. I was not there.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
One day, maybe.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Someone take me there. Anyway, moving on. And with her
work in 2015, Adrienne made history as the first openly
trans woman to become an elected official in Venezuela. So
here's a bit from Out.com when she was first elected.
Transgender woman Tamara Adrienne secured a seat as a member
of the National Assembly. Yesterday, Venezuela demolished its own Berlin Wall,
(05:04):
Adrienne tells Out. Her candidacy already represented a milestone in
Venezuelan politics, but with her triumph, she becomes the first
transgender congresswoman of the nation, and according to her, of
the Americas. That should be noted, she was actually the
second woman, and we've highlighted the first woman before, just FYI.
But I don't think that she knew that at that point,
(05:25):
so there was a correction later down the road. And
a bit more about her campaign. Before becoming a candidate,
Adrienne had already been leading the fight towards civil rights
for the LGBT community. In 2015, she introduced a project
for a marriage equality act that was never addressed. In
the past 17 years, the topic of LGBT rights was
never seriously discussed, she says. Adrian, who has not been
(05:49):
able to attain legal recognition as female under Venezuelan law,
says that an important number of representatives from her political party,
Valentine Popular, and across the opposition coalitions are already aware
of her proposals and that it is just a matter
of time before before the issues finally reached national debate.
I will say also during this time, I believe, she
(06:09):
married her partner for 20 years, making them one of
the first lesbian couples in the politics as well, I believe.
I didn't know that. I was like, oh, that's really sweet.
Love to see that. And with her success in legislation,
she went on to become the first openly trans woman
to run for president of Venezuela in 2023. She didn't win.
(06:31):
But during her run, her activism was a big part
of her platform. So this is from WashingtonBlade.com. One of
her main campaign promises will be to work for the
inclusion of people with disabilities, women, senior citizens, civil servants,
LGBTIQ plus people, people of African descent, indigenous people, and
any group that for whatever reason has been or may
be left behind. So I love that she understood the
(06:53):
bigger picture. I also really love that perspective of understanding
the privilege she had before transitioning and how important it
was to see the differences. Because we know a few
don't understand that level. I think they might now. But,
you know, pre-Trump being elected, that is. I'm not talking
(07:16):
about anybody specific or anything.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Oh, definitely not.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Definitely not. Don't worry about me.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
In one of the articles where she is talking about
her time as counsel and being a representative in Venezuela,
they did ask her that what is something that the students,
whether they're in the U.S. or Venezuela or around the world,
can do to promote or fight for LGBT rights and equality,
equal rights? And she said this. Globally, the fight faces
(07:45):
different kinds of barriers. And she says, I am engaged
at the international level. So I have the opportunity to
understand the struggles in Africa, Latin America, the U.S., Europe,
China and other countries. So I have a global perspective.
I feel that in every single part of the world,
you have people that are willing to be engaged in
this fight. Their ability to create networks and sympathies and
alliances with non-LGBT people is important because this is how
(08:06):
you create a critical mass. I always say LGBT people
are minorities. You do not inherit it. You do not
get it by touching an LGBT person. It's not a
contagious disease. It's something you're born with. In order to
create a critical mass, you must create links with other
social groups, particularly women and other minorities. And I think
that's such a big part. And this was like something
that she said, I want to say like almost nine
(08:28):
to 10 years ago. and saying that this has to
be something that we do as together, as a group,
talking about intersectionality once again. So, you know, I had
to put that in there.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Yes. Yes. Well, clearly, this will be checking back in
on this person. They're doing so much. And that's really,
that's a great story in how much that she has done.
She does.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
She also has a documentary called Oh. And I think
there is a movie called Tamara. She makes a cameo,
but it's loosely based on her life as well.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
I would like to make a cameo in a story
about me if I wasn't like playing me. I'd like
to at least like.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
You do the cameo. I feel like, you know, they
did that in like The Sound of Music too. Different movie,
but just.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Oh, you'll have to tell me about that. I don't
know about that. No.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Okay, keep going.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Okay, yes. That's off the mic conversation.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Well, listeners, please let us know, as always, if you
have any thoughts, if you have any suggestions about who
we should cover next. You can email us at hello
at stuffmonevertoldyou.com. You can find us on Blue Sky at
MomStuffPodcast or on Instagram and TikTok at Stuff Mom Never
Told You. For us on YouTube, we have some merchandise
and we have a book. You can get wherever you
(09:47):
get your books. Thanks, as always, to our super producer, Rima,
and our executive producer, Maya.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
And thanks to you for listening. Stuff I Never Told
You is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,
you can check out the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
if you listen to your favorite shows.
Hey, this is Annie.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
And Samantha.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
And welcome to Stuff Mom Never Told You, a production
of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And welcome to another activist around the world. And today
we are featuring a Venezuelan politician, lawyer, activist and advocate
and speaker. Tamara Adrian. So Adrian made history in Venezuela
when she became the first openly trans person elected to
office in Venezuela. So we love history makers. Adrian was
(00:39):
born in Caracas, Venezuela to a Roman Catholic family. And
she went through her childhood and young adult life knowing
she wasn't what she was assigned. So she didn't feel
like what she was assigned at birth was correct. And
she knew she was different. She would go to college
and even go on to graduate from law school in France.
She would get married and have children, but felt as
(01:01):
if she was not being her true self. She would
eventually separate from her wife and start her transitional journey. Now,
she had told articles before that she really felt like
she was experimenting with hormones. because she knew that she
wasn't man. She knew she wasn't a boy as she
had been assigned at birth, but didn't know what to do.
(01:22):
So she was kind of experimenting already. Here's what she
told theheroines.blogspot.com when they interviewed her about her coming out.
I think that my worst fears never came true, and
I believe this happens to anyone. You are fearful of
coming out because you imagine the worst possible outcomes. In reality,
some bad things may happen But at the same time,
(01:44):
so many wonderful things begin to unfold. You realize that
coming out was necessary to become a real person, not
just kind of an impersonation. It's not easy, I know,
but it's essential for growth. Some people say it's necessary
to fulfill your purpose in this world. In a way,
I think my purpose is to help people understand that
gender is not the same as sex. Again, that's something
(02:06):
that we have talked about repeatedly and understanding that, yes,
gender is not the same as... She fully transitioned in
2002 and since then has become a leader and advocate
for the queer community in Venezuela. So here's a bit
from her interview with Alturi.org about her journey as an activist.
I have known since I was four years old that
(02:26):
I'm transgender. Later in life, after returning from law school
in Paris and experiencing the benefits of the patriarchy as
a heterosexual middle-class man, I began transitioning in the late 1980s.
Once I began transitioning, for the first time in my life,
I felt discrimination, bias, and exclusion. This propelled me to
fight against the deeply rooted discrimination towards women and the
(02:47):
LGBTIQ plus community by joining civil society organizations and engaging
in politics. In 2002, I completed my gender-affirming surgery while
authoring articles about the totalitarian regime gaining power in Venezuela
and joining the United Nations Committee of Human Rights. So
she worked with organizations such as the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans,
(03:07):
and Intersex Association, Pan American Health Organization and has been
a special advisor on human rights for the World Health Organization.
And in 2005, she was able to go to the
Council of Human Rights and speak about and for trans people.
So this is from StanfordDaily.com. She said, I had two
minutes to talk about the situation of trans people around
(03:29):
the world. At the end of the session, one member
told me, now I know why this is an issue
for human rights, but it still might take 15 to
20 years to talk about this issue. took one year.
When you have a pressing situation and you have a
critical mass of activists and people engaged in the field,
you're able to talk very rapidly about trans issues at
the international level. And this is why every single body
(03:51):
of the UN has issued its own perspective on gender
identity and gender expression. And that's a change that's impacting
the day-to-day life of people all around the world. Because
when you talk about trans issues, you understand it's not
a choice. And I think that's such important words. Now,
one of the things that she has really become a
big part of is speaking out for trans rights. And
(04:14):
she seems to be doing that through the UN and
different world organizations like we mentioned before. She's doing it
even today. I just saw her in Amsterdam.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
She was the keynote speaker there.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
You weren't in Amsterdam, but you.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Let me dream. Okay.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
All right.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
No, no, I'm just kidding. I saw it on her
Instagram that she was in Amsterdam. Speaking as a keynote speaker.
Not too long ago. I was not there.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
One day, maybe.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Someone take me there. Anyway, moving on. And with her
work in 2015, Adrienne made history as the first openly
trans woman to become an elected official in Venezuela. So
here's a bit from Out.com when she was first elected.
Transgender woman Tamara Adrienne secured a seat as a member
of the National Assembly. Yesterday, Venezuela demolished its own Berlin Wall,
(05:04):
Adrienne tells Out. Her candidacy already represented a milestone in
Venezuelan politics, but with her triumph, she becomes the first
transgender congresswoman of the nation, and according to her, of
the Americas. That should be noted, she was actually the
second woman, and we've highlighted the first woman before, just FYI.
But I don't think that she knew that at that point,
(05:25):
so there was a correction later down the road. And
a bit more about her campaign. Before becoming a candidate,
Adrienne had already been leading the fight towards civil rights
for the LGBT community. In 2015, she introduced a project
for a marriage equality act that was never addressed. In
the past 17 years, the topic of LGBT rights was
never seriously discussed, she says. Adrian, who has not been
(05:49):
able to attain legal recognition as female under Venezuelan law,
says that an important number of representatives from her political party,
Valentine Popular, and across the opposition coalitions are already aware
of her proposals and that it is just a matter
of time before before the issues finally reached national debate.
I will say also during this time, I believe, she
(06:09):
married her partner for 20 years, making them one of
the first lesbian couples in the politics as well, I believe.
I didn't know that. I was like, oh, that's really sweet.
Love to see that. And with her success in legislation,
she went on to become the first openly trans woman
to run for president of Venezuela in 2023. She didn't win.
(06:31):
But during her run, her activism was a big part
of her platform. So this is from WashingtonBlade.com. One of
her main campaign promises will be to work for the
inclusion of people with disabilities, women, senior citizens, civil servants,
LGBTIQ plus people, people of African descent, indigenous people, and
any group that for whatever reason has been or may
be left behind. So I love that she understood the
(06:53):
bigger picture. I also really love that perspective of understanding
the privilege she had before transitioning and how important it
was to see the differences. Because we know a few
don't understand that level. I think they might now. But,
you know, pre-Trump being elected, that is. I'm not talking
(07:16):
about anybody specific or anything.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Oh, definitely not.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Definitely not. Don't worry about me.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
In one of the articles where she is talking about
her time as counsel and being a representative in Venezuela,
they did ask her that what is something that the students,
whether they're in the U.S. or Venezuela or around the world,
can do to promote or fight for LGBT rights and equality,
equal rights? And she said this. Globally, the fight faces
(07:45):
different kinds of barriers. And she says, I am engaged
at the international level. So I have the opportunity to
understand the struggles in Africa, Latin America, the U.S., Europe,
China and other countries. So I have a global perspective.
I feel that in every single part of the world,
you have people that are willing to be engaged in
this fight. Their ability to create networks and sympathies and
alliances with non-LGBT people is important because this is how
(08:06):
you create a critical mass. I always say LGBT people
are minorities. You do not inherit it. You do not
get it by touching an LGBT person. It's not a
contagious disease. It's something you're born with. In order to
create a critical mass, you must create links with other
social groups, particularly women and other minorities. And I think
that's such a big part. And this was like something
that she said, I want to say like almost nine
(08:28):
to 10 years ago. and saying that this has to
be something that we do as together, as a group,
talking about intersectionality once again. So, you know, I had
to put that in there.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Yes. Yes. Well, clearly, this will be checking back in
on this person. They're doing so much. And that's really,
that's a great story in how much that she has done.
She does.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
She also has a documentary called Oh. And I think
there is a movie called Tamara. She makes a cameo,
but it's loosely based on her life as well.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
I would like to make a cameo in a story
about me if I wasn't like playing me. I'd like
to at least like.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
You do the cameo. I feel like, you know, they
did that in like The Sound of Music too. Different movie,
but just.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Oh, you'll have to tell me about that. I don't
know about that. No.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Okay, keep going.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Okay, yes. That's off the mic conversation.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Well, listeners, please let us know, as always, if you
have any thoughts, if you have any suggestions about who
we should cover next. You can email us at hello
at stuffmonevertoldyou.com. You can find us on Blue Sky at
MomStuffPodcast or on Instagram and TikTok at Stuff Mom Never
Told You. For us on YouTube, we have some merchandise
and we have a book. You can get wherever you
(09:47):
get your books. Thanks, as always, to our super producer, Rima,
and our executive producer, Maya.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
And thanks to you for listening. Stuff I Never Told
You is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,
you can check out the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
if you listen to your favorite shows.
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