"Imitation is NOT the highest form of flattery. It's a poor excuse for laziness and lack of imagination. Be yourself, whatever that is."
- Raquel Reyes
"Raquel is sexy, smart, beautiful mind and heart and full of surprises, some very, very special."
- Phil Varone, rock star drummer (Skid Row)
Raquel Reyes is an icon. She is a star in an alternate medium where there are few. She is a legend. In a genre where most of her contemporaries excelled in hardcore films and photo shoots, she chose another way. Her first photo shoot "Girl In The Hay" was an intro of epic proportions. Released in 1999, the photographs were intended to introduce Raquel to a small group of fans who had registered as paying members of what she thought would essentially be an online fan club. But then the photos were leaked to THE HUN.
On July 27, 1999 the traffic that hit Raquel's online fan site was so overwhelming, the server crashed. Nearly 5000 emails in two days begging for more. The hype surrounding her left a trail of legend throughout cyberspace and even reached the pages of Australian Penthouse. By the time she started working with world class erotic artists and photographers like John and Lori Benson, James Bold and Pasquale Devane, she was already a star. A quarter of a million hit's a week (250,000.) The Most Downloaded Transsexual Model On The Internet… And one of the most consistently downloaded internet stars of all time. No other model in her genre ever came close to those numbers. Ever.
Like many of the greats, Raquel's body of work is minimal. She was never about over exposure. She did not make adult films. She chose, instead, to present her body beautifully in a series of Playboy-style photographs and high glam nudes, artistic representations of trans-sexuality. She has appeared on many magazine covers throughout her career including several "straight" or mainstream publications. She has been interviewed on television and radio and interviews with her are still recycled on satellite radio and inspire feedback from listeners and curious callers. She has been contacted by nearly every major talk show host (Maury Povich, Jenny Jones, Jerry Springer, etc..) for interviews and appearances. She has turned down every one of them, saying "They are so cheap and exploitative. There is no merit to any of their shows. A bunch of audience members shouting and screaming at you, trying to guess your gender. Please. I never needed the attention that bad. " In late 2006, as internet began moving away from personal sites to virtual communities, Raquel began disolving the members area of her large pay site and began experimenting with Myspace. Myspace gave her an easier opportunity to interact with fans without any pressure. Her page there quickly became a favorite of fans, friends and even celebrities like world famous supermodels Dana Hamm and Stefan Koegel, gay superstars Scott Tanner and Damien Rios and even seventies icon and Warhol superstar Joe Dallesandro.
But, in spite of her achievement in the modeling world, it was Raquel's fascinating life that would become the focus of her most provocative body of work. When Raquel decided to write a memoir, no one was prepared for just how raw and honest she would be. Her galvanizing story of lost love, jet set romances with famous men and a life beset with addiction, longing and wandering the world in search of something she never found is compelling, sad, honest, brave, beautiful. Written over the course of a three year self imposed exile as she wandered from Siesta Key, to Key West to Savannah and through Europe, Raquel calls the book "One of the most important things I've ever done. It saved me in a way."
Raquel had many people interested in her memoir including major publishing groups and the critically- acclaimed English writer Jason Pegler (A Can Of Madness) who wanted it for his London based Chipmunka Publishing . But fearful of the feedback she might receive from family and friends, she held off. When it finally was released, there was almost universal acclaim from fans, readers and even critics. The St. Petersburg Times (TBT) wrote, "She has lived a life most of us will never understand. Her story is at times shocking …and tender." New York Times bestselling author E. Tanner Marsh called the book "Beautifully written and filled with colorful characters…bold and daringly honest. The truly remarkable tale of a brave woman who refused to live life on anyone's terms but her own."
The word "Goddess" is used often today. Some might even say over-used. Raquel Reyes is the original. The Transsexual Goddess who set the standard for all who follow and lord knows there have been pretenders to the throne.. It is She who remains the embodiment of the eternal trans-female sex symbol.
-An excerpt from Raquel Reyes Revisited. "Interview With An Icon 2009."
- Raquel Reyes
"Raquel is sexy, smart, beautiful mind and heart and full of surprises, some very, very special."
- Phil Varone, rock star drummer (Skid Row)
Raquel Reyes is an icon. She is a star in an alternate medium where there are few. She is a legend. In a genre where most of her contemporaries excelled in hardcore films and photo shoots, she chose another way. Her first photo shoot "Girl In The Hay" was an intro of epic proportions. Released in 1999, the photographs were intended to introduce Raquel to a small group of fans who had registered as paying members of what she thought would essentially be an online fan club. But then the photos were leaked to THE HUN.
On July 27, 1999 the traffic that hit Raquel's online fan site was so overwhelming, the server crashed. Nearly 5000 emails in two days begging for more. The hype surrounding her left a trail of legend throughout cyberspace and even reached the pages of Australian Penthouse. By the time she started working with world class erotic artists and photographers like John and Lori Benson, James Bold and Pasquale Devane, she was already a star. A quarter of a million hit's a week (250,000.) The Most Downloaded Transsexual Model On The Internet… And one of the most consistently downloaded internet stars of all time. No other model in her genre ever came close to those numbers. Ever.
Like many of the greats, Raquel's body of work is minimal. She was never about over exposure. She did not make adult films. She chose, instead, to present her body beautifully in a series of Playboy-style photographs and high glam nudes, artistic representations of trans-sexuality. She has appeared on many magazine covers throughout her career including several "straight" or mainstream publications. She has been interviewed on television and radio and interviews with her are still recycled on satellite radio and inspire feedback from listeners and curious callers. She has been contacted by nearly every major talk show host (Maury Povich, Jenny Jones, Jerry Springer, etc..) for interviews and appearances. She has turned down every one of them, saying "They are so cheap and exploitative. There is no merit to any of their shows. A bunch of audience members shouting and screaming at you, trying to guess your gender. Please. I never needed the attention that bad. " In late 2006, as internet began moving away from personal sites to virtual communities, Raquel began disolving the members area of her large pay site and began experimenting with Myspace. Myspace gave her an easier opportunity to interact with fans without any pressure. Her page there quickly became a favorite of fans, friends and even celebrities like world famous supermodels Dana Hamm and Stefan Koegel, gay superstars Scott Tanner and Damien Rios and even seventies icon and Warhol superstar Joe Dallesandro.
But, in spite of her achievement in the modeling world, it was Raquel's fascinating life that would become the focus of her most provocative body of work. When Raquel decided to write a memoir, no one was prepared for just how raw and honest she would be. Her galvanizing story of lost love, jet set romances with famous men and a life beset with addiction, longing and wandering the world in search of something she never found is compelling, sad, honest, brave, beautiful. Written over the course of a three year self imposed exile as she wandered from Siesta Key, to Key West to Savannah and through Europe, Raquel calls the book "One of the most important things I've ever done. It saved me in a way."
Raquel had many people interested in her memoir including major publishing groups and the critically- acclaimed English writer Jason Pegler (A Can Of Madness) who wanted it for his London based Chipmunka Publishing . But fearful of the feedback she might receive from family and friends, she held off. When it finally was released, there was almost universal acclaim from fans, readers and even critics. The St. Petersburg Times (TBT) wrote, "She has lived a life most of us will never understand. Her story is at times shocking …and tender." New York Times bestselling author E. Tanner Marsh called the book "Beautifully written and filled with colorful characters…bold and daringly honest. The truly remarkable tale of a brave woman who refused to live life on anyone's terms but her own."
The word "Goddess" is used often today. Some might even say over-used. Raquel Reyes is the original. The Transsexual Goddess who set the standard for all who follow and lord knows there have been pretenders to the throne.. It is She who remains the embodiment of the eternal trans-female sex symbol.
-An excerpt from Raquel Reyes Revisited. "Interview With An Icon 2009."