The Central African Republic recently issued a series of stamps featuring Marilyn Monroe.  That’s not a surprise – celebrities are regularly seen on stamps.  However, one of the photos in the series isn’t the blonde bombshell at all.  It’s female impersonator Jimmy James!  For those of you who don’t know, James was internationally acclaimed for his eerie transformation into Marilyn Monroe.  He was so convincing that LA Eyeworks featured him (as Marilyn) in an ad alongside actual legends.  The photo by Greg Gorman caused quite a stir and brought a threat of legal action by the Monroe estate.  So the ad was quickly quashed – but still lives on thanks to the Internet.  And one of those photos appears on the stamp!  While I suppose it’s flattering on some level, it’s also not kosher – if the Central African Republic is at all interested in being kosher.

But here’s what caught my eye.  In reporting this story, the New York Post referred to James as “a transgender New York entertainer”.  This was news to me.  So I reached out to Jimmy and here’s what he said: “My attorneys always refer to me as ‘she’ and ‘her’.  It’s my policy to never correct people so as to not make them feel uncomfortable and because I don’t care.  I’m perceived as a woman all day.  So I guess I’ve transitioned already.”