Transgender model Lea T has revealed she used to wish she was gay instead of transgender.
Lea T caught the fashion world’s eye in Riccardo Tisci’s Givenchy Fall/Winter 2010 ad campaign and has appeared in various editions of Vogue.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey recently she explained how she had come to accept she was born in the wrong body.
“It’s really difficult because you fight with the entire world. You fight with your family. You fight with yourself too. You have to change everything in yourself,” the 28-year-old said. “When you start the hormones, it’s really, really hard. It’s not a game. Your body starts to change in a short time.” Lea began transition several years ago and is preparing for her final surgery.
She said, “I was hoping I was gay. Because, for my family, it would be less painful. And then I could … have a normal life. I wish I could accept my body like men. It would be much easier for me if I could be a straight guy and have a girlfriend, family and daughters, married, all this normal life. But it’s something in your brain – born in the wrong body.”
Lea said her parents reacted better than she had imagined they would. Her father in particular had surprised her. Lea recalled, “He was like, ‘If you’re a boy, if you’re a woman, if you want to be a dog, whatever you want to be, I’m going to love you for what you are.’”
