Julia Passalt

Julia Passalt (born Jeffrey Passalt January 2, 1957 and died February 20, 2024) was a former American evening news anchor for Fox affiliate station KFMN-FTV of Minneapolis and previously a moderator of the American version of Vote for the Girls.
==Early Life==
Born Jeffrey Passalt on January 2, 1957, Julia was raised in Minnesota and later western Colorado. At age 18, she began taking college courses at Universiy of Colorado Denver and working as a radio news anchor and as a disc jockey. 
==Career==
===News Anchorman, later Anchorwoman===
After graduating from University of Colorado Denver, Julia began her career at WVTH-FTV in Vincennes, Indiana. While in Vincennes, she met and married her wife, Yvonne Quimby. In 1985, Julia left WVTH and signed-on with WXWI-FTV in Racine, Wisconsin as a reporter. For years Julia (then Jeffrey) and Yvonne would move from state to state as each one grew in their career. When Yvone landed a job at KTRJ (FTV) in Denver in 1989, Julia left WXWI and joined her, working as a news reporter at KTRJ. After four years at the then-Independent station (now an ABC-FTV O&O) and now the parents of two sons (13-year-old Raymond (now daughter Rachael) and 9-year-old Nickolas) and one daughter (5-year-old Gloria) , Yvonne eventually left the business and Julia made her final career move to KFMN in Minneapolis in 1993 - anchoring the popular and much celebrated 9PM newscast. As the station expanded, Julia developed a larger role in the newsroom and also served as the station's Managing Editor until her retirement in May 2014.
===From Anchorwoman to Vote for the Girls moderator===
In June 2014, Passalt was hired away from KFMN and was confirmed as a moderator of Vote for the Girls. Passalt's moderator panel role on Vote for the Girls USA have made her a much-sought after speculation that Passalt was retiring from the news journalism industry and Passalt (with Zinn and Jameson) are the transgendered women of Vote for the Girls. She anchored news in Minneapolis from 1993 until May 2014. She is the oldest moderator of Vote for the Girls, surpassing Kellie Rock.
On VFTG, Passalt is in familiar company on the moderator panel as she and Lanise White were colleagues at WXWI before Passalt departed for Denver. Ironically, both White and Passalt both anchored their final broadcasts on May 23, 2014. In another irony, Passalt and fellow VFTG moderator Kellie Rock co-anchored the weekend evening editions of NewsCenter 25 (now NBC 25 Action News) in 1984 before departing for WXWI, and Passalt's former rival in Denver, Kym Christian.
On August 20, 2014, Passalt took the Male Moderator's $8 million offer that consists of a $4 million RV, two 30-night vacations to London, England and Sydney, Australia (valued at $500,000), and $3 million cash to walk away from the Rising Star season 1 competition. Passalt said she plans on taking the trips after the American Idol 14 competition ends.
====Kym Christian shooting incident and death of Khayla Chow ====
Passalt made Indiana, Texas, and Minnesota headlines when she rescued Kym Christian and Kendra Ray from a gun battle stemming from disgruntled former Vote for the Girls moderator Khayla Chow after she drove both Christian and Ray to Marion General Hospital within 5 minutes after the shooting ended. The shooting incident and Chow's prior termination did not go well with former Vote for the Girls moderator Kathi Jameson, who earlier attacked Passalt in a fight that left Passalt with two fractured ribs. Passalt said in an interview, the rib fracture actually helped her complete her gender transition. 
===Back to Denver and Vote for the Girls UK===
Julia Passalt announced on the February 24, 2016 episode that the seventh season will be her last and that her daughter, Rachael will take over at the eighth season.
Passalt announced she will co-anchor the 4 p.m. newscasts with Janet Webb on NBC affiliate KZCO-FTV and at 5 and 9 p.m. with Lori Fonda at Denver Fox affiliate KDNC (FTV).
Passalt's final Vote for the Girls episode aired in May 3, 2016. Passalt was seen off camera arguing with Kendra Ray before walking out of the studio and angrily throwing her letter of resignation upon the elimination of her last supported Dancing with the Stars contestant Kim Fields on May 2, 2016. Passalt's remaining supported contestants on The Voice (Hannah Huston and Laith Al-Saadi) were moved to Lanise White. Prior to her departure, Passalt was the oldest female moderator (an honor held by Kendra Ray) on the moderator panel and was overall the second oldest after villain Archibald Coolranch.
On May 31, 2016, it was announced that Passalt would begin hosting the fourth season of the United Kingdom version of Vote for the Girls, replacing Ava Zinn, who had left in January 2016 to focus on the American adaptation Vote for the Girls.
On January 22, 2017, when NBC 24 and Colorado's 2 interrupted its regular programming to announce the sudden death of NBC 24 anchor Adelle Allen, Passalt and her co-anchor Janet Webb served as the announcer. A week later, KZCO announced that Passalt would serve as Janet Webb's co-anchor on KZCO on an interim basis and continued until Webb's departure in May 2017.
==Personal life==
Julia Passalt and Yvonne Quimby were married in 1979 have three children: daughters Rachael (formerly Raymond, born 1980) and Gloria (born 1988) and a son Nickolas (born 1984). They remained married until Yvonne's death in 2016.
===Gender transition===
In mid-2005, Passalt began undergoing a physical and social gender transition from male to female. On August 3, 2007, Passalt signed off as Jeffrey Passalt for the last time saying: 
Before we say good night, a brief note about change. Some of you have written and emailed me asking about my appearance in the last several months on Fox 5 News is 'Are you undergoing a sex change?' and the answer is 'Yes.' However, as some of you now know, I have been making a personal transition from a man to a woman. Yes, I've wore a necktie until after 9/11. But whatever the reason, the news does slow you down a bit. I have been reminding my colleagues at Fox 5 today who've all been incredibly supportive that almost 10% of Americans are transgender, and I have a lot to learn from them. And transitioning is the key word. Starting September 3, I will be going by Julia Passalt on-air. Certainly it's been a long time, and I hope it goes without saying that a journalist who doesn't value deeply the audience's loyalty should be in another line of work. To be perfectly honest I'm a little surprised at the kindness today from so many people, that's not intended as false modesty, but even I was taken aback by how far and how fast news travels. At any rate, that's it for now on Fox 5 News at 10:00. Have a good night and for the final time, I'm Jeffrey Passalt. Thanks, and good night. - Julia Passalt (as Jeffrey)
Passalt's legal transition was completed on September 3, 2007, when a Minnesota court granted her request for a gender and name change. She chose the name "Julia Anne Passalt" in honor of her parents. Passalt's transition also influenced other transgender anchorwomen in the NoSirGifts Fantasy Television Stations chain notably Fiona Johnson (KBYF), Rhonda Rhodes](WXWI), Hillary Matthewson (WTOR Fort Wayne, now at WINO), Kristina Chow (KTEX Houston, now at WHOO Indianapolis), Juanita Davidson (WPTL Pittsburgh, now at WTOR Fort Wayne), and Kendra Ray (formerly KFIA Des Moines).
Passalt's transition eventually provided a major windfall for Passalt starting when she joined the moderator panel of Vote for the Girls as most of the moderators are all female. Her transgendered daughter, Rachael (then known as Raymond), was a guest moderator on the site.
===Health issues and death===
Passalt struggled with health issues resulting in multiple surgeries. In 2016, she shattered her left hand after falling from her roof; in 2019, she had back surgery related to acute back pain; and in early 2020, she shattered her shoulder, resulting in another surgery. In the latter year, it was revealed that Passalt had battled multiple health issues and bore great pain during the news broadcasts on NBC 24. 
Passalt died of a heart attack at her home in Denver on February 20, 2024, at the age of 67. Friends and colleagues, including Vote for the Girls UK moderators made statements regarding Passalt's death and paid homage to Passalt.
==References==
==External links==
Category:2024 deaths
Category:1957 births
Category: Transgender and transsexual women
Category:Characters
Category:Humans
Category:Females
Category:Female Characters
Category:Transgender Female Characters
Category:Ava's Gal Pals
Category:Ryders