Arts & Entertainment
Human ‘Ken Doll’ comes out as trans
Rodrigo Alves, the reality TV star long known as the “human Ken Doll,” has come out as transgender.
The former “Celebrity Big Brother” star told the Mirror last week that she now identifies as a woman and prefers the pronouns “she” and “her.”
“I’m known as Ken but inside I’ve always felt like Barbie,” said Alves – who now goes by the first name Roddy. “I finally feel like the real me. Glamorous, beautiful and feminine.”
Alves made news when she spent over $650,000 to achieve her “Ken Doll” look; she had ribs removed and underwent extensive cosmetic procedures.
“For years I tried to live my life as a man,” she said. “I had a fake six-pack put in, I had fake muscles in my arms, but I was lying to myself.”
On social media, Alves removed her old Instagram photos, announcing her transition and beginning again with new posts.
“I lived as a caterpillar for 36 years now I am a butterfly and I am ready to fly,” said one new post.
Alves also revealed that she will be going under the knife again to complete her transition; she’s undergoing procedures to reshape her forehead and remove her Adam’s apple, in addition to receiving breast implants.
“I’ll be able to wear dresses that show my cleavage and look sexy. I’m very excited,” she said. “I’m a woman and have always had a feminine brain. Now, my body matches my mind.”
Baltimore
This John Waters interview has been edited for readability — but perhaps not human decency
Pope of Trash dishes on Trump, plane etiquette, last meal, and more
By WESLEY CASE | At 80 years old, John Waters is still the ideal dinner guest — incisively sharp, quick-witted and funny as hell.
The chic Baltimore native proved it again and again in a recent Zoom interview, calling from his summer home in Provincetown, Mass.
The occasion was the Blu-ray releases of two of his movies — the 1977 dark comedy “Desperate Living” and his enduring 1988 musical “Hairspray” — on June 23 by the Criterion Collection, which publishes restorations of films it deems culturally important. The Criterion stamp of approval has become the gold standard among cinephiles.
“It’s like getting an award,” said Waters, who wrote and directed both films.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
The Washington Blade held the seventh annual Pride on the Pier at The Wharf DC on Saturday, June 13.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
The 2026 Lost River Pride Festival was held on the scenic grounds of the Lost River Farmers Market in Lost City, W.Va. on Saturday, June 13. Headliner Tom Goss performed at the festival and gave a second performance at the nearby Guesthouse Lost River.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
View on Threads
Calif. governor’s race spotlights Becerra’s LGBTQ advocacy
UFC fighter says ‘Michelle Obama is a man’ at White House event
This John Waters interview has been edited for readability — but perhaps not human decency
There is no Pride in detention
PHOTOS: Pride on the Pier
Gay 1920s-era Hollywood star to be honored in Staunton, Va.
Blade reporters reflect on covering Pulse massacre 10 years ago
Vote Kenyan McDuffie for D.C. mayor
Your queer D.C. voting guide
