It was four or five years ago when I first became acquainted with the Beaumont Society. At that time, I'd written enquiring about membership, and had received a very official-looking and rather unfriendly reply. It had mentioned the requirement, if I remember correctly, for two sponsors - presumably to vet me for suitability to join. I found all of this rather daunting, and decided that I wasn't yet ready to 'come out'. Looking back, I wish that I'd had the courage to do so.
So what changed? Well, I was inspired by the now-famous 'Network First' television program 'Guys as Dolls' in December 1995, and further encouraged by the apparent wealth of similar programs over the following few months. I was also very much heartened by a long conversation I had with someone called Janett Scott, whose telephone number I obtained from the 'Network First' creators, and who, of course, turned out to be the new president of the Beaumont Society. I discovered that, since my first encounter, the Society had become less 'starchy' in its practices, so I applied for membership there and then. The Beaumont magazine gave me the names and addresses of sympathetic contacts in the outside world, and I took it from there.
Well, it's now exactly a month since I made my first non-tranny contact - it was the owner of a local wig outlet who co-incidentally (and rather alarmingly, I must add) turned out to be an old friend, and who instantly recognised my voice on the phone. In that month, Sally's made her début appearance, she's become a full member of the Beaumont Society, she's joined TransEssex, and has been to an Oasis meeting near Norwich. She's different from her introverted male alter-ego in that she loves going out, having fun, and being as outrageous as possible. Unfortunately, her alter-ego has become an adrenaline junkie, has lost his appetite, and has not been sleeping at all well, although he's assured by his more-experienced tranny friends that this phase is temporary. However, he's apparently a more pleasant person to know, he's happier, and has become more confident. His close friends and work colleagues attribute the positive change in his character to his having found another woman. He can live with that.
Well, there it is - my emergence from the dark side (abridged version). I've undoubtedly been fortunate in being able to come to terms with my cross-dressing so completely and in so short a space of time, although I should say that digesting 31 years of psychological garbage in just 31 days has been very hard work, and it's taken me to the heights of elation and the depths of despair. In fact it's no exaggeration to say that it's totally changed my life. I know that my situation doesn't mirror that of some other trannies who after many years may still be uneasy about their need to cross-dress. However, cross-dressing is by all accounts a harmless pursuit, and I believe that it should enrich the lives of the many people who feel the need to do it.
From "Coming Out", Beaumont Society Letter, unpublished, April 1996.