Bernie Wagenblast: Voice of the MTA
FUV News's Mia Barth and Bernie Wagenblast (photo by Gabriel Capellan for WFUV)
Passengers on the New York City subway or AirTrain are probably familiar with the voice that tells you to “stay away from the platform edge”. What you might not know is that the person behind that voice is Bernie Wagenblast, a transgender activist and transportation journalist. She has been recording announcements for public transportation since 2009.
In 2023 at the age of 66, Wagenblast came out publicly as a transgender woman. Since then, she has been a part of advocacy projects including a podcast with the MTA about trans experiences. Wagenblast was also one of the grand marshals at the 2026 NYC Pride Parade in June
Wagenblast discussed what she wants people to understand about the trans experience.
“Trans people are, again, just part of the fabric of New York, the metropolitan area, the country, the world,” she explained. “That's what I want people to come away with, that we're not anything special. We're not asking for more rights than anyone else. We just wanna have the same rights that other people enjoy.”
