By sharing her story, Bernie Wagenblast aspires to use her new voice, literally and figuratively, to inspire and empower others struggling with gender dysphoria during fraught times for LGBTQ+ communities
The voice is familiar to the millions who ride New York City’s subways, its deep and resonant tone ringing through tunnels and across the tracks. For more than a decade, Bernie Wagenblast has lent that voice to automated announcements alerting passengers to train arrivals and politely directing people to “please stand away from the platform edge.”
“Because my voice has played such a critical role in my life, to me it’s important that my voice sound as authentically female as it can,” she said at her home in Cranford, New Jersey, about 20 miles southwest of Manhattan. She embraced the voice she had and pursued a career in radio, contributing to several stations in New York as an on-air traffic reporter.The MTA uses several announcers in its system. Wagenblast’s voice is heard on most numbered train lines. Another oft-heard message, “Stand clear of the closing doors, please,” is voiced by a different announcer, Charlie Pellett.
Over the years, she’s revealed her gender identity to family, including the woman Wagenblast married. One night last fall, Wagenblast decided to attend a community event as a woman, her first time doing so publicly. That night, she put on a wig and wore a borrowed dress. A friend did her makeup.
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