NYC NOW - She's the Voice of the Subway, and Now a Grand Marshal of NYC Pride

Episode Date: June 12, 2026

You know that voice that tells you to "stand clear of the closing doors" when you take the train? That's Bernie Wagenblast. Bernie has been the voice of the New York City subway since 2009, and this month she's one of four grand marshals at NYC Pride. She joins us to talk about growing up knowing she was trans, and what it took to finally live that truth decades later. Photo: Courtesy of Bernie Wagenblast -Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [e-mail] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From WNYC, this is NYC Now. I'm Jenae Pierre. Pride to me means a lot of different things. It's still a protest, and that's why they call it a Pride March and not a Pride parade, because we are still having to fight for our rights sometimes to regain rights that we have lost in parts of the country. Bernie Waggandblast, also known as the voice of the MTA, is one of four grand marshals for the NYC Pride March this year. On today's episode, we talk with her about growing up knowing she was trans and what it took to finally live that truth decades later. But before we get into that, it's going to be a busy weekend.

From the World Cup to the New York Knicks plus early voting. Here's what's happening in our region. The FIFA World Cup kicks off Saturday and Governor Kathy Hokel is hoping the Trump administration will be mindful of that instead of following through with its recent threat of sending more ice agents to the Big Apple. However, the governor says the state's been collaborating with New York City and that they're both ready for any enforcement swell. Whether or not there's an actual surge, or is he saying, it's going to be more strategic. We don't really know. Earlier this week, President Trump's border czar, Tom Holman, said he's planning to send

additional immigration officers to New York City. That was after Governor Hockel signed a measure banning local police from having cooperation agreements with ice. The governor says Holman's rationale doesn't make sense since New York City didn't have a cooperation agreement to begin with. The New York Knicks are one win away from an NBA championship. The series shifts back to San Antonio for game five Saturday night. If the Knicks lose, the series comes back to Madison Square Garden for game six on Tuesday.

Jump ball is at 8.30. Can I say it? Can we all say it? in five. And if the Knicks do win Saturday night, will Jose Alvarado make it to the continued celebration at the 69th annual National Puerto Rican Day parade? It'll march up Fifth Avenue Sunday, and it's sure to be a good time. The parade honors the contributions of Puerto Ricans across the diaspora. It's this little island that pumps out stars. That's Anthony Ramos, the king of this year's parade. You may know the New York-born actor from the musical Hamilton or on screen in

movies like In the Heights, and a star is born. Ramos says growing up, he'd go to the parade all the time, but it didn't mean much to him then. Now, he says, it means everything. It's so special to be able to celebrate this pocket of the earth. I feel like Puerto Rico is just one of those places that has that extra little bit of sprinkled dust from God, you know, the culture, the food, all the things about being Puerto Rican that, I don't know, I don't. I don't know if I necessarily appreciated it when I was a kid, and now, like, I'm just so proud to be Puerto Rican. With all the pandemonium around the parade, the NBA finals, and the World Cup, New Yorkers

might have forgotten it's also primary season. Early voting starts Saturday, and primary day is June 23rd. There are several races for the House to watch, but remember, your early voting location might not be the same as your regular polling place, so be sure to check that out before you head to the polls. We're going to take a quick break, but we'll return with NYC Pride's Grand Marshal, Bernie Wagon Blast. Stay close.

Welcome back. Bernie Wagon Blast may not be a household name, but she's a household voice who's heard on New York City Subways and has been heard since 2009. Bernie's also been making headlines for the past few years because she transitioned in her 60s and is an out and proud trans woman. Many may say transitioning in your 60s is bold. It sure is. And that's why Bernie Wagonblast was named one of four Grand Marshals for NYC's Pride March this month.

Bernie, welcome to the show. Thank you, Janette. Great to be here. Great to have you. I understand you from New Jersey. Tell me what that was like growing up. I grew up. I live in the town that I grew up in, Granford, New Jersey.

Okay. It is, some people describe it sort of as a Mayberry-type town. To me, it was a great place to grow up. It has a lot of personality for a town. We have a river that wins its way through the town. With a canoe club, you can go canoeing on the river. Nice. Just a lot of nice things that add some personality to the town.

And what was Little Bernie into? What kind of things were you into growing up? The big thing that I was into, I knew starting around fifth grade that I wanted to be on the radio. Radio was my love. It was my passion. I would listen to it all the time. I would send letters to the disc jockeys and ask them for advice about how to get started in radio. I would even sit down in my basement and this sounds a bit nerdish reading the newspaper out loud so that I could perfect my voice so that it would be air quality one day.

Air quality. Well, you have certainly achieved that, right? I suppose so. So this is Pride Month. And I'm wondering, like, when you think about queer history, in New York City. What comes to mind? Is it Stonewall? Is it ball culture? What is it for you? Oh, for me, it is so many things. Certainly Stonewall. I was probably about 12 years old when the Stonewall riots happened. I don't think I was really aware of it, though. There wasn't a lot of news coverage,

particularly for the trans community when I was growing up. So what you read was very little that was available. But I think just an awareness, I was very much into trying to learn as much as I could. And I would go to my local library and look up and see if I could find any articles about other trans people just to absorb what they were going through because I knew from my earliest memories that I was trans. Really? But obviously, there wasn't a whole lot that was around in the 1960s and the 1970s that you could turn to to find out more. Talk about what it was like for Little Bernie to know that she was trans the whole time. Well, starting out, I thought I was the only person in the world that felt this way until I found out that there were other people.

I think I first learned of other trans people when I saw a paperback book that was an autobiography of Christine Jorgensen, who was from the Bronx. And she transitioned in the early 1950s, I believe. And that was an eye-opener to me, that there was at least one other person. person in the world that felt this way. But it was something that I felt I had to hide because I was sure that if I shared this with people, it would not be a good outcome. I just was very fearful. Even your parents? Even my parents, although now in retrospect, I think my parents would have been supportive, but supportive in what was known at that time. There wasn't really any gender-affirming care that was available for kids back then. My parents, I think, probably suspected something,

you know, dressing up like a girl for Halloween costumes. When I was about six years old, there was a friend across the street. She and I exchanged our clothing one day and my parents found out about it, but they weren't upset with me. They just let me know that that's not something that you can do. And I, much later, when I was about 16 years old, I shared with my sister, who's six years younger than me, that I wished I had always been a girl. And she told my parents, and again, they confronted me, but in a very loving way, I felt. They weren't upset. They weren't saying what's wrong with you. Anything like that. I just, again, was very fearful, and I denied that I really felt that way. I just, oh, I was kidding about that. That, you know, that's not really how I feel.

I have a feeling they probably knew something was up. Yeah. How do you think that fear impacted? it, little Bernie? It made me somewhat introverted, but I think I also realized that I had a whole life ahead of me, and I had to do something. So that was where that love and infatuation with radio came in, that I just wanted to be on the radio one day. And that was one of the most important things that I could do was learn about radio when I went to college. I was very involved with my college radio station. So anything that had to do with radio was one of those things that I really wanted to do. Yeah. So what happened to that fear? I mentioned that you decided to transition in your 60s. I guess you just said, screw it. Yeah, I think to a large extent. I think

what also happened is the world changed. I knew that if I was ever going to do this, I had to do it now. So that was part of the motivation for doing it. But I also felt as I was seeing things going on around the country that I had to speak up and let the world know, particularly the people that I knew, those people in my world, know that there was a trans person that they knew. And I started sharing that initially family, then with close friends, and finally the world. And I found out that my fears at that point were basically unfounded, that there was great acceptance that I enjoyed. And there was an opportunity to live this life that I had always dreamed about. Yeah. You talked about how much the world has changed.

When it comes to, you know, you being your true authentic self, how has living in this region in the New York, New Jersey region kind of helps. help you do that. Oh, I can't imagine growing up in some other places. New York, New Jersey, this has been the best place to really thrive in my new identity, if you will. I have enjoyed nothing but support in my community, in New York City. It amazes me when I have an opportunity to make a public appearance, the reception that I get from an audience, and not just a trans audience, but a cisgendered audience, they know my voice. And again, people who are listening to this might not recognize this voice, but would probably recognize if I said, Please stand away from the platform edge.

So they know that voice that they hear when they're waiting for the subway. And that, I think, has made such a difference. And the two career worlds in which I worked for most of my life, both broadcasting and transportation. I've enjoyed nothing but support and acceptance from those communities as well. You know, living the life that you've lived, I'm wondering, what does pride mean to you? Pride to me means a lot of different things. It's still a protest, and that's why they call it a Pride March and not a Pride parade, because we are still having to fight for our rights sometimes to regain rights that we have lost in parts of the

So that is very important. I think it also means looking back at the history. One of the things that I like to remember, I was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, which is also where Marsha P. Johnson was born. Okay. So when I was born, she was an 11-year-old girl living about a mile away from the hospital that I was born in. And I feel that connection with her, even though I never met her in real life, I feel sort of this connection with who. she was and the fact that we both lived in the same area in the early parts of our life. So I think that's another part that really means a lot to me. Who are your heroes? Oh, I think one of the

heroes is a teacher that I, the first trans person that I ever really connected with. In the early 1970s, there was a teacher by the name of Paula Grossman. She was an elementary school music teacher in a neighboring school district in New Jersey. And she transitioned when there was the break between one school year and the next. And at the time, the early 1970s, that was very controversial. And I looked her up. I mailed her a letter in the U.S. mail. And we connected when she called me at a pay phone that we had prearranged.

And she was the first person that I had shared with. And she's a bit of a hero because she was a pioneer. She took a great risk. She ended up losing her job because of her transition. But she also was brave enough to talk with me. I was a minor at the time, so I knew she was taking a risk. I never shared that with anybody at the time. But she would be probably one of my biggest heroes.

Yeah. I ask that because I am sure that you're someone's hero. You are someone's pioneer. And I'm wondering, when it comes to this continue fight for LGBTQ. plus rights. What do you think history will remember you for? Well, I know certainly, you know, they say what will be on your tombstone. And certainly a voice of the New York City subway will be probably prominently displayed on that. But I hope I'll be remembered for carrying on the fight and helping to lay the groundwork for those who will come after me. I hope I'll be remembered

as a person who paid it forward in many ways and that I had some opportunities to make it a little bit easier for those who follow. One of the things that I've very much enjoyed is I've had the opportunity to share my story in media that has reached beyond the New York metropolitan area. And when I do that, I think of people who, especially kids and parents, who are living in places that are not as accepting, whether it's Kansas, Texas, Florida. and that they hear my story, and I hope that they gain some strength from hearing that story and realize that while things may not look good at the moment where they live, that there are possibilities because things did not look so good when I was growing up, even here in the New York metropolitan area. But they did improve. And I think we will move toward a time where things will be more supportive and accepting.

Yeah. What are some of the issues that you're most concerned about? you talked about that continued fight? I think a lot of it is people lose nuance. They talk about, for instance, gender affirming care for young kids. I wish I had access to that. That does not mean operations. It can mean something as simple as therapy that would be available to someone. If I did not have to go through a male puberty, I wouldn't have had to work so hard on developing a voice that is more feminine sounding. So I think that's one of the things. Again, things are sometimes painted black and white, but there are shades of gray, and I think we lose that perspective sometimes. Yeah. I mentioned that

you are one of the Grand Marshals for NYC Pride this year. Congrats again. Thank you so much. What are you most excited about? I think what I'm most excited about is just the opportunity to see the crowds that are going to be there along the march route, the opportunity to, the opportunity to again be a visible representative. As somebody who was both on the radio and a voice actor, you're used to being heard and not seen. And this is an opportunity for me to be seen by perhaps the biggest audience in person that I will ever have. I believe there's over a million people who are along the march route and being the opportunity to see those folks and again maybe give a little bit of encouragement to them, particularly the young people. That's really

who I want to give the most encouragement to. Yeah, because there's so much to be discouraged about, right? Yes, indeed. Do you have a favorite pride moment? Like, do you go all out for pride like folks, too? Well, as much as I can. I don't know if I have a particular favorite pride moment. Last year was the first Pride March I had ever been in. Really? Because the first year, I didn't realize how you signed up, and I didn't realize that I thought you just showed up and you could march. I mean, I feel like you You should be able to do that. And I did it last year. I marched with the union that I've belonged to, Sag Afterra.

So that was great to be with some fellow folks in the union who identify as LGTBQ. So that was wonderful, a wonderful moment. But sometimes it can also be just little moments, somebody that you meet along the way. And that has meant a lot to me. I've had instances where I'm just standing on the platform at a subway station and someone will come up to me and say, are you the voice of the subway? And I'll say, well, yes, I am one of the voices of the subway. And, you know, back when I was growing up, you would get autographs. Now it's selfie.

So would you mind if I took a selfie with you? And I'm always happy to do that. So that means a lot. It means that my story is reaching people and it's touching people. Yeah, it's definitely touching people. Before I let you go, I'm just wondering, what does a Grand Marsha wear to the parade? To the march. I am still trying to figure that out.

I do not know what I'm going to wear. I know last year it was very warm. So whatever I wear is probably going to be designed for hot weather. But I am not sure exactly what that is going to be just yet. Does it include glitter? I am not a glitter person necessarily. Okay. You know, maybe it's the time that I grew up in, but I'm open to any possibilities, you know.

What other surprises does Bernie Wagon Blass have for us? Well, they wouldn't be surprises if I shared them, right? Bernie Wagon Blas, thanks so much for joining me today. Thank you so much, Deney. It's been great. Before we go, a quick heads up. You may notice an extra episode here and there within the coming week. We're just trying to stay on top of things. keep you informed. If you have any questions, comments, or topics you'd like us to discuss on

the podcast, hit us up at NYC now at WNYC.org. We'd love to hear from you. I'm Jenae Pierre. Have a great weekend. Be safe. Go Nix.