10th August 2014, 10:47 AM
Last updated at 5:17 PM
Joseph Patrick McCormick
Boxing legend, manager of Lennox Lewis and UKIP candidate, formerly known as Frank Maloney, has come out as trangender.
Kellie Maloney revealed in an interview with the Sunday Mirror that she felt she had always had a "female brain", but that she feared coming out over how the boxing world would react.
Maloney, 61, told the Mirror that she now plans to undergo gender reassignment surgery.
"I was born in the wrong body and I have always known I was a woman," she said.
"I can't keep living in the shadows, that is why I am doing what I am today. Living with the burden any longer would have killed me."
The former UKIP candidate caused controversy in 2010, when she stood in the 2010 General Election, by coming out against same-sex marriage, and previously saying she would ban pride marches.
More: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/08/10/boxing-legend-and-former-ukip-candidate-maloney-comes-out-as-transgender/
The respectfulness of media coverage of this has varied wildly. I wish her endless happiness when exploring life and who she is post-transition after such an agonising wait too. However, I sincerely hope that she disavows her past political activities as misguided since support for such self-defeating and regressive right-wing ideas will earn my ire irrespective of who's peddling them.
My suspicion is that her past views were the result of major denial, i too hope she clears up these things.
More than likely she was in major denial. I know I was, a transgender girl went to my high school and I wasn't very nice. Of course I am completely ashamed now because I know I was in super major denial mode:'( but it still doesn't make me feel any better