On Being a 5′ 13″ Trans Woman
I came of age in the seventies and the eighties, and followed the lives of prominent trans women with great interest — the British writer Jan Morris, the American tennis player Renee Richards, and the British model and actress Caroline Cossey, also known as Tula.
Caroline Cossey today.
As I began my own journey to womanhood a few months ago, I immersed myself in as much information as a could about trans people’s lives. I was delighted to discover that Tula had established her own YouTube channel and uploaded many of her media appearances. In case you don’t recall Tula — she was a successful model who landed a bit part as a Bond Girl in one of the James Bond films. By her own account, if you blinked, you would have missed her.
That brief glimpse on the big screen, however, was enough to put the British tabloids on her tail, and they finally got the goods: the proof that Caroline Cossey had been born Barry Cossey in 1953.
Tula soon learned to embrace her fame as a trans woman, and found herself making the international television talk show circuit. On her YouTube channel you can find her conversations with Phil Donahue, Arsenio Hall and many others. I loved watching these; her sly wit was a great foil for the sometimes rude questions she would often face.
Asked about her height, she coyly answered, “I’m five-twelve.” I loved that. I used to say I was six-one, but now I’m telling people I’m five-thirteen.
My height was one of many things holding me back from even considering transitioning for a long, long time. But now, there seem tobe a lot more six-foot women walking around, cis and trans. Now, embracing trans identity is a viable option; we go stealth only if we choose to do so.
I know that I am transitioning from a position of incredible privilege. I have the resources, I have a loving circle of friends and a supportive community — things that far too many trans people lack. But I encourage every one of you reading these words to ask yourself: are the barriers to expressing my authentic self truly as formidable as they seem?
I look back just four months in my journal, and I see a woman living with fear. Fear of being ostracized, of being ridiculed. And virtually none of it has happened. Instead, even people who say they can’t quite wrap their minds around the trans experience are wishing me well, and many, many more are expressing support and love. I wish everyone reading this happiness, peace, and the opportunity to live as fully as possible.
Category: Transgender Body & Soul
About the Author (Author Profile)
Claire Hall was born and grew up in a large city on the left coast and has spent most of her adult years in a beautiful small coastal community where she's now an elected official in local government after spending many years as a newspaper and radio reporter. In her space time she loves reading, writing fiction (her first novel was published by a regional press a couple of years ago), watching classic Hollywood movies, and walking.Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
