18-year-old revealed trans experience in TV documentary

By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk • March 29, 2007 - 11:01

Lucy, 18, explained the common truamatic experience that many trans people feel when they reach puberty. photo: BBC

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One of the UK's youngest transsexuals has appeared in a documentary to explain to a wider audience the reality of her experiences.

Lucy Parker featured in the BBC3 programme Lucy: Britain's Youngest Teen Transsexual last Sunday. The documentary was part of the channel's Body Image series.

Lucy spoke frankly about her unhappiness and depression as Richard Parker, her birth identity, and revealed that the prominence of Big Brother contestant Nadia Almada made her realise that she was transsexual.

"It sounds ridiculous, but for the first time I recognised myself in someone else," she said.

Lucy, 18, explained the common truamatic experience that many trans people feel when they reach puberty and their body starts to mature.

She underwent hormone treatment and at the start of this year had breast implants. She is now considering having gender reassignment surgery.

Persia West, who is a transgender activist, told PinkNews.co.uk:

"It is absolutely not unusual for trans people to know from a very early age. Being transgender is a birth condition.

"Puberty is the time when the body goes through all these changes - for me it was like a horror story."

In January, PinkNews.co.uk reported that a 12-year-old Austrian child has undergone gender reassignment treatment after persuading her parents and doctors that she was sure she was a girl.

The child, known as Kim, was born a boy and is currently receiving hormone treatment which will eventually lead to gender reassignment surgery.

It is very unusual for someone so young to even be considered for gender reassignment.

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