Four women with the same problem, their teen boys all want to be girls. A full episode of The Geraldo Show dated July 28th, 1995.
“I consider myself a girl. I always wanted to be a girl…”
On stage we first meet the adults then Stephanie, Angie, Lisa and Carlisa. The former sons and nephews discuss why they want to change their sex, what in their lives led to now. As the first segment draws to a close celebrity transsexual Jahna Steele comes in bearing gifts from Hawaii.
Coming back Jahna is asked, after the sex change operation has she has she actually had sex with a man? Another audience member wonders if the father figures were present. Back on stage Nikki is introduced to the panel, along with boyfriend Mike, Nikki has been identifying as a woman and might proceed with the operation. An aunt of one of the boys closes the segment saying she should be able to do whatever she wants.
“Is this you’re image of American women? Because I don’t see American women looking the way you look…”
In the midst of audience questions an emotive women gets up and defends the panel, Arielle Sinclair an entertainer from Rhode Island. They need support more than anything else.
Some don’t understand how a male identifying as female dating a male isn’t just a homosexual relationship. The conversation continues to simmer as we hear tales of discrimination and woe which influenced the decisions for a new sexual identity.
Jahna Steele talks about her childhood, that boy she was is dead and gone, it’s not who she is. Confronted with a childhood photo Jahna says she would’ve made fun of the child in the picture.
Arielle says an operation isn’t what will make them happy, and if they can come to grips with the fact that they’ll never be a woman, it can help them deal with everything else. Jahna strongly disagrees about never being a woman.
This classic and entertaining 90’s television episode informed the American public of emerging sexual identity realities. Some of the viewpoints here then became core arguments on both sides of the 2026 sexual identity debates.
This day, Geraldo’s Television History.