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Estelle Asmodelle

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Estelle Asmodelle (born 1964 April 22), previously commonly known as Estelle Maria Croot, is an Australian model, belly dancer, writer and actress. She is known as Australia's first legal transsexual with the Births, Deaths and Marriages Dept. (NSW Government). As cited by (18th June 1987 - Australian Telegraph Newspaper.)

Estelle is an Australian transsexual who was very instrumental in gaining recognition for transsexual and transgender people through her solo campaign to gain rights for transsexuals. Her activist career began, when she was quite young, in the late 1980s.

Estelle was also labelled by the media as "Australia’s First Sex-Change Pin-up Girl" (May 1986 - Australian Playgirl Magazine for men.). She is said to be the most photographed transsexual in Australia today. (According to The Sunday Times May 1986) All media covers in Australia used this title extensively.

Early life

Born in Bowral NSW and lived in Berrima NSW, Estelle is the first child to Barry and Sylvia Croot, and she has one sibling, a sister named Belinda. A strong student and gifted at Science and Art she attended Chevalier College (then a boys only school) and Moss Vale High School, where she frequently won first place in those subjects.

When she was 16 years old Estelle became seriously ill with Spinal Meningitis (Encephalitis) and spent almost 1 year in hospital. She was bound to a wheelchair for some months and made a complete recovery, to many doctors amazement.

After working briefly in Sydney, she moved to Wollongong, and attended Wollongong University where she studied towards two degrees; Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Mathematics. It had been a long time dream to become a research scientist. Whilst a student she also worked in music ensembles, such as N-letts and Miscellaneous Music composing and playing experimental and sometimes avante garde musical art.

However during the university period she experienced severe discrimination by some members of the academic staff, because of her transsexuality that she left University life and decided to focus on art and music. That passion lead Estelle to become a dancer. She believed that dance was the true artistic synthesis of art and music.

Her dance career

After working briefly in Sydney as an assistant photographer, she attended dance classes at Sydney Dance Company and also with an Authentic Egyptian Dance instructor. A mere 6 weeks after starting Belly Dance classes Estelle gained work as a dancer.

As time passed Estelle worked in many shows both in Australia and throughout Asia. She was always the variety act in such show as; Esma Duo, Paris by Night, Las Vegas Under Lights and then Les Girls. Finally she returned to Australia and worked as solo Belly Dancer.

Her campaign

During Estelle's dance career she travelled to Asian countries and experience many legal difficulties, especially in Singapore where she was detained, because her passport denoted an M for male. She suffered serious problems with various customs officals and so she became determined to change the laws in Australia so as she could live as a normal woman. Given that the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's policy was to issue passports bearing the gender designation F to tanssexuals who could demonstrate that they had completed sex reassignment surgery, it is difficult to understand why Estelle had to travel with a male passport.

Estelle continually sent letters and requests to the Attorney's General's Department of the Australian Government and eventually receive confirmation that her requests were answered. Roberta Perkins and Vivian Sharman, two post-operative women born transsexual, had been lobbying the New South Wales government, especially the Attorney-General of N.S.W., for the right to amend birth certificates since 1984. Their activism had been successful, and Estelle was asked to go to the NSW Department of Births Deaths and Marriages and have her birth certificate amended. It was the first such amendment, making Estelle Asmodelle the first Legal Transsexual by recognition of the new name in the new gender. Months later, as a result of this action, passport sex designation was allowed to be amended as well.

A year later Estelle lobbied for anti-discrimnation laws to be amended and also for the state hospitals ethics boards to allow research into atopic pregnancy for sex-change women. This issue was considered far to controversial and as a result many newspaper and television interviews were somewhat negative.

After a media storm over that period Estelle decided to focus on her career. However her appearances were very extensive including: hundreds of newspapers articles, and hundreds of magazine articles, in magazines the most notable were;

  • CLEO (May 1987)
  • PEOPLE (Nov 1985 & 1993)
  • POST (Dec 1988 Sep 1992)
  • PENTHOUSE FORUM (1986 & 1991)
  • NEW IDEA (March 1986)
  • SHE(July '96)
  • NEW WOMAN (June 1992 & 1998)
  • NAUGHTY SYDNEY (Cover - Nov 1991)
  • TOMADACHI (June 1991)
  • WELLBEING (MAY 1989 & 1993)
  • NATURE & HEALTH (Nov 1997)

and over 100 radio interviews and dozens of television appearances in Australia and Japan, most notable were namely:

  • WHERE ARE THEY NOW?(Channel 7)
  • SEX/LIFE (Channel 10 TEN)
  • MIDDAY SHOW with KERRI ANNE (Channel 9)
  • WORLD VIEW (NHK Japan)
  • BEAT TAKEASHI (NHK Japan)
  • GOOD MORNING AUSTRALIA (Channel 10)
  • DAY BY DAY (Channel 9)
  • VOX POPULI (SBS)
  • A CURRENT AFFAIR (Channel 10)
  • MIDDAY SHOW with RAY MARTIN (Channel 9)
  • TERRY WILLISEE TONIGHT (Channel 9).

Film Work

After the media attention Estelle was a well known face in Australia but strangely decided to live in Japan for a couple of years. It was there that she appeared in her film debut, a walk in and walk out part, in Japanese Director Yoshimitsu Morita film . It was made for the local Japanese market and never made it out of Japan. However it was enough to get Estelle hooked on the idea of acting.

On returning to Australia she made two films, which she produced, wrote, directed and starred in.

The next film was, The Enchanted Dance a documentary film about Authentic Belly Dance. It sold international on video but was not release on DVD.

Filmography

Previous films:

Current Productions

Estelle's Modelling

Her modelling began as a means of promoting her dancing, but after a while became more important than her dancing career and was photographed by dozens of photographers, in Australia, Japan and the United States. Names such as; Justice Howard, Nigel Dadswell, Uta Ville, Lucas Matesec, Jasmine Davis and Daniel Linnet, to name a few.

Earlier on in her modelling career she became "Australia First Transsexual Pin-up" by appearing nude in Australian Playgirl, unlike the US version of the magazine it was the first time a transsexual had appeared in a mainstream magazine in Australia being nude. It created a frenzy of interest.

Asmodelle is also the face of the Supermodel Agency in Australia - she has been their spokesmodel and also their main model since 1996.

Today - Her Music & Writing

Estelle avoids media attention but models regularly and owns a small online modelling agency AUSTRALIAN SUPERMODEL She is working on film career and hopes to launch her new cinema feature early 2007 as well a the proposed publishing of her Auto-Biographical novel; Anaesthetic Dream.

Estelle has a blog on one of her websites, namely; Asmodelle's Blog for updates on her activities. There is also an electronic music website that offers her electronic compositions as well, Asmodelle's Music.

External links


This article is based on a GNU FDL LGBT Wikia article: Asmodelle Estelle Asmodelle LGBT
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