Delia (formerly David): 'I was trapped in the wrong body'

By Deborah Dooley
Tuesday, 10 August 2010

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/delia-formerly-david-i-was-trapped-in-the-wrong-body-2047969.html

Public acceptance of transsexuals has never been greater. But for some the issue remains fraught with shame

A tall slim figure clad in a stylishly pretty blouse and skirt, with carefully styled hair and expertly done makeup, Delia Johnstone attracts more than a passing glance. But a look of puzzlement swiftly crosses the faces of the interested, as they realise that this willowy, elegant woman is not quite what she seems.

"It's understandable," says 55-year-old Delia. "I'd be the first to admit that I'm what you might call a work in progress."

Only the 6,000 or so transgender people in the UK can imagine what it means to wake up every single day utterly and absolutely convinced that you are in the wrong body. To feel that every characteristic of your gender is alien – and that in your case, Mother Nature got it terribly wrong. This feeling of not belonging is something Delia lived with for most of her life.

Delia (formerly David): 'I was trapped in the wrong body'
The Independent
By Deborah Dooley
10 August, 2010


http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/delia-formerly-david-i-was-trapped-in-the-wrong-body-2047969.html


A tall slim figure clad in a stylishly pretty blouse and skirt, with carefully styled hair and expertly done makeup, Delia Johnstone attracts more than a passing glance. But a look of puzzlement swiftly crosses the faces of the interested, as they realise that this willowy, elegant woman is not quite what she seems.

"It's understandable," says 55-year-old Delia. "I'd be the first to admit that I'm what you might call a work in progress."