A 90-year-old British WWII veteran has reportedly begun the process of transitioning to a woman.
Patricia Davies, who was born as Peter, said she feared living openly as a woman because she grew up at a time when transgender people were rejected — and because of the electric shock therapy to which some were subjected, the Daily Mirror reported.
Davies, who served in the British Army between 1945 and 1948, said she's known she was transgender "since I was 3-years-old."
"I knew a girl called Patricia, and I decided I wanted to be known by that name but it didn't stick," she told the Mirror.
Davies said she got married to a woman at 21, and almost 40 years later, confessed her sexuality; Davies's wife, who has since died, was supportive, Davies told the Mirror.
"I was 60 when it all came pouring out to my wife, she was very sympathetic and helped me all the way, but we agreed to keep it quiet," Davies said.
Now she's taking estrogen, a female hormone, to help her transition.
"It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders," Davies told the Mirror. "I have been keeping quiet. I have slowly started to tell some of my neighbors. Everybody said, 'Don't worry, as long as you're happy'."
"It's not 100 percent safe now but it's much better than it was," Davies said. "People that I have told seem to be very accommodating and haven't thrown abuse at me."
"I joined the Women's Institute," she added. "I'm having a great time. I have a new lease on life."
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