A barman has become a barmaid after having a £20,000 sex change operation, Emily Hall exclusively reports for Yourswale.
Elleigha Reed left regulars at the Wetherspoon’s Leading Light pub in Faversham stunned after becoming a woman following the four-hour NHS procedure.
Elleigha – born Lee - always liked playing with Barbies and decided she no longer wanted to be a man at the age of 15 while a pupil at The Abbey School.
When she left a year later she changed her name by deed poll, started dressing in skirts and heels, and began working in the kitchens and then behind the bar at the pub in Preston Street.
The 20-year-old, of Bysing Wood, Faversham, finally had the op three weeks ago and is now considering returning to pull pints as a fully-fledged female.
She said: “When I first started growing up I never felt like the other kids, I felt different. I never wanted to do boy stuff like climbing trees or playing with cars, I wanted to play with Barbies.
“I was really little and I remember seeing a programme on TV where there was a woman, but it turned out to be a man and I just thought ‘wow, that’s me’.
“I had these feelings for years and then my parents started noticing different behaviour, my dress sense, the way I acted, how I spoke, even how I ate, and the fact that I asked for Barbies as presents instead of the usual boy stuff.
“I decided to keep wearing boys’ uniform at school but as soon as I left at 16 I changed my name to Elleigha and started working in the kitchen at Wetherspoons.
“No-one batted an eyelid. My work colleagues were fine, very supportive and if customers were rude they would tell them they weren’t welcome in the pub.”
Elleigha is one of 400 people a year who opt for sex change surgery in Britain. Patients must undergo two years of psychological evaluation, with psychiatrists making sure they are not mentally ill or just dress as a woman for kicks.
Elleigha started taking hormones to boost her cleavage and stop hair growth last year and shortly afterwards heard she was suitable for the op. She now hopes to follow it up with a boob job and facial surgery with the full support of her
parents and brother and sister.
“I always felt I was in the wrong body,” she said.
“The hurtful stuff from people did make me cry and there were times that I thought ‘what’s the point?’, but the thought of finally being a woman always made the pain worth it.
“Since being off to have the op I’ve really missed the customers at the pub and the attention from the regulars.
“Blokes wolf whistle at me all the time, even walking into town today a lorry full of lads stopped to talk to me and they asked me for my number. I took their compliments, said thank you and carried on walking. It’s a good feeling.
“My life has been on hold and now I have had my sex change it’s come off hold. I feel like I had the shell of a man and the mind of a woman and now I’ve just changed my shell to suit the real me.
“Everyone at the pub has been so great. There have been many times when a kind word from a customer has given me the will to go on.”
Although Elleigha will be off work recovering for up to three months, her former shift manager Michael McHugh said: “She’s done brilliantly and we are proud of our customers for being so supportive.
“She was a great worker, one of the best, so we never thought twice about whether she was a man or a woman. We just hope she comes back after she’s recovered.”
Pub regular Dave Lister added: “We just love her for being so sweet and cheerful. We really don’t care what sex she is.
“She’s a looker either way.”
POSTED: 20/05/2009 08:00:00
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