Being Lara Croft
By Victoria Von Blaque
Hey, my name is Victoria Von Blaque and I am your average nerd that happens to enjoy video games.
Both my parental units were big kids, so I pretty much had every toy and video game that they thought a little boy should have.
*GASP*.
My parental units wanted to ignore the fact that I was trans and let’s be honest, it was the 80s. There was no handbook for raising a queer child, let alone the possibilities of that child being trans! CIS male heteronormative activities never appealed to me. My parental units wouldn’t buy me a Barbie, so I got creative and gravitated to video games. Back in the 80s, they didn’t have character customization including gender but they did start featuring playable female characters.
Lara Croft-inspired character
It wasn’t until Tomb Raider came out that I realized, I don’t want to just play as her, I wanted to be her! Lara Croft was fucking sex personified and I needed to be her. Playing as Lara, I got to live the life I knew I wanted but was always told was wrong. Granted she’s a rich white woman with a body built for sin but she was the closest thing I had as an outlet for my dysphoria. I knew no matter how much people talked about or bullied me, when I got home I was able to be my authentic self.
To this day, video games are still an outlet for my stress and depression. I know that on any given day I can get on Mortal Kombat, Injustice or even PVP on DCUO and take my frustrations out on some misogynistic, racist, transphobic asshole. I swear there’s nothing more gratifying than hearing a man’s frustration on the mic when he finds out a black trans woman whipped his ass in video games, lol.
About the Author:
Victoria Von Blaque has gone by many names as she navigated her discovery as a transgendered woman, especially during her sex work phases, which started after graduating from college in 2004. Born and raised in Long Beach, Long Island, the art of seduction and manipulation came very easy to her. In a time when Eurocentric standards of beauty dominated porn, she became the internet’s first BBW trans porn star! After finding her niche and refusing to sell out to a man, she started her own company, Femme Fatale, LLC. She had her hand in just about every opportunity in the trans adult entertainment field, ranging from video porn to phone sex, and everything in between. In 2014 she retired from adult entertainment but has been a continuous advocate for the industry.
In 2015, Victoria shifted her focus and started working for a nonprofit. The center’s goal is to protect LGBTQ youth from the harms of homelessness and empowering them with the tools needed to live independently.
Her life experience as a transgendered woman, cultural enterprise consultant, and someone who has experienced discrimination makes her an invaluable resource to the TGNC community.
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