Beaumont Society

Hi, my name is Rachel, and I have been a TV /CD /T-Girl for as long as I can remember, at least from my early teens (I’m now 70ish). Like most of us, I suppose I went through all the periods of self-doubt, purging of clothes and shoes, and all the other things we girls collect through life.

Eventually, a sense of self-acceptance sets in, and at least in my case, the enjoyment begins. Being married with children, I was dressing for only short periods of time, a matter of a few hours, very occasionally.

My wife knew about my little hobby. She never really understood but tolerated it, and when the children had left home, I could indulge a lot more. It wasn’t until the last few years of her life that she actually met Rachel, as I had become her full-time carer.

Now, I try to live in female mode as much as I can; it wasn’t until I attended a girl's weekend at Chesterfield, after being encouraged to go by some very good friends I had met in Manchester and actually appeared in public as a woman that I realised the level of contentment it gave me.

I now attend every girls' weekend I can; I go shopping and to restaurants with friends, both TV and real girls, who have been very supportive and encouraging of my efforts.

If I can help, support, and encourage any of the girls out there who are struggling to come to terms with their true selves, I would only be too happy to help even a little bit. We all need to express our inner true selves, even if it’s just dressing in the privacy of our own homes or making that first move to go out and socialise as a woman.

Hi, I'm Lynne Jones. I discovered I was Trans at about the age of 12, and I have an understanding family and a circle of very supportive Trans friends, which is all amazing!

I am very compassionate and caring and have a natural Mother Hen personality, Known as "Auntie Lynne" by some of my friends. 

I joined the Beaumont Society in 2019 and have been thoroughly amazed at the positive support that is naturally given to each other. It's a family atmosphere, and wherever one is along the Spectrum, there is absolute respect and friendship shown all the time.

I have been lucky to lead a number of outings for members, and the experience has been really positive; again, what shines through is the sense of Community and mutual support.

It's an Awesome Society, and I'm proud to be the Vice President.

It took me over sixty years to come out as Transgender, and when I did, it was in the middle of the pandemic. So it was impossible to meet up with anyone or even to go out shopping.

Coming out to my family was a very stressful thing to do, but one I felt I owed to them. I didn’t want to live a double life and was keen right from the start to live full-time as a Transgender Woman. This caused a great deal of upset for my wife, who, over two years later, is still struggling to come to terms with my change of gender and the impact that it has had on her and our family.

In 2020, I joined the Beaumont Society and was immediately welcomed by other members. I was fortunate that the Society was just introducing weekly Zoom meetings. These were a real lifeline to me and gave me the opportunity to see and talk to other Transgender Women.

I soon realised that I wanted to start my Transition, and in 2021, I changed my name and then, via the private route, the NHS Gender Clinics have waiting lists of over six years, started on my physical and emotional transition.

When we were able to get out again, I quickly joined my nearest Transgender Group. This was wonderful as it gave me the chance to meet up face-to-face with other Transgender Folk. I also attended different weekend events around the country, making many new friends.

Recently, I started my own Transgender Group in my local town and also joined the Beaumont Society Executive Committee as Secretary and Trustee. The Beaumont Society has given so much to me in such a short space of time, and I was keen to give something back and help others.

Caroline Watson joined the Beaumont Society after discovering her son of 22 wanted to be female and has shared her experience of her journey with Hannah to become the daughter she is so proud of. She understands the loneliness, heartrending choices, and ultimate triumph of her and her daughter’s pathway to Hannah becoming the person she wanted to be.

As a follow-up to Caroline’s experiences, she has offered to support other parents beginning their own journeys.  Any parent with a son or daughter aged 18 or over can contact Caroline for friendly support, conversation and understanding.  She also runs a regular Zoom meeting for parents to interact and share information but also to understand that some parents are going through similar experiences and are not alone.

Hi, I am Michelle, a committed crossdresser from glorious Devon. I’ve been dressing for more years than I care to remember, but Michelle was only “born” in 2008. Before that, my dressing up had been confined to the closet. Like so many others here, I spent many years with my guilty secret, thinking it was “just me”. The arrival of the internet opened my eyes to the world that the Beaumont Society supports, and I began to explore. I was very naive in those days – on the StockingsHQ website forums was one entitled “CD/TV Issues” – what, I puzzled, had compact discs and television got to do with stockings?!

Fortunately, I’ve come a long way since then, and I am happy to be able to use my professional qualification to support the Beaumont Society, its members and the trans community. My wife still finds it difficult to accept Michelle as a frequent presence around the house, but we get along together as long as I don’t use all her long hanging in the wardrobe for Michelle’s dresses! As Michelle, I try to dress to blend in, although, at 6’3”, I am always likely to stand out in a crowd. I’ve been a regular at Exeter’s Southwest Girls group since 2008, and I am happy to be out and about as Michelle and always get a positive reaction in the shops in the southwest.

I haven’t managed to get to many girls’ weekends – they seem to clash with my choirs or with holidays – but I’m hoping to get to more now I’ve taken on the role of treasurer. Sadly, Michelle doesn’t get to go on holiday – too much extra stuff – but she has turned up at choir several times, and I have the perfect black outfit if she is ever brave enough to perform in a concert.

I love Michelle's time and the chance to experiment with the colours that are so absent from menswear clothes racks, and I find that it leaves me feeling inwardly relaxed. I hope that by being involved with Beaumont Society, I can help others to feel safe being who they want to be and help to achieve wider acceptance of us in society.

I’ve been a member of the Beaumont society for fifteen years, became Southern RO in early 2013 and a trustee of the society in November 2016. For eight years, until September 2015, I edited the fashion section of the quarterly Beaumont Magazine, taking over as full editor in 2016. I gratefully handed over my role as Southern RO to Andrea in mid-2021.

The magazine forms part of the lifeblood of the Beaumont Society. I’ve tried to forge a unique identity for it, trying to combine a mixture of serious gender-based articles with short stories, light-hearted commentary, news and photospreads. I do rely on submissions from members for much of the content for each issue and encourage people to try their hand at writing short items of fiction and even poetry.

All members have access to the forty-eight-page quarterly magazine. Postal members receive a high-quality printed version mailed to them. Digital members log in to the website and view an online copy. Unless there are strong reasons for digital membership, I would urge prospective members to go for the combined alternative. All the content is suitable for partners and family members to see and read, and the online version is still available.

My trustee role has proved to be very interesting. The Beaumont Society is a registered charity, and the trustees oversee its charitable obligations. We’ve recently introduced a set of support grants for UK-based trans and LGBTQ+ support groups that might be struggling financially or wish to acquire funds for a special project. I’m the current Grants Officer, so I have had a lead role in formulating the grants and will be the person receiving grant applications.

I have been transgender as long as I can remember, but for much of that time, I was trying to keep it secret from everyone - including myself! However, I have been living full-time as Jane since 2011, and in June 2014, I had gender reassignment (gender confirmation) surgery and have certainly not regretted it.

Awaiting Description

My name is Kay Holmes, and I'm RO for NW England. I was born in the mid 1950s, and I'm married to my fully supportive wife. I spent my early life having no idea about transgender issues, which is probably quite unusual for many members of our community. Indeed, I did not first present as a female until my mid-30s, when I was invited to attend a girls' night out. Much to my surprise (and dare I say dismay), I realised that I had enjoyed the experience rather more than I'd expected. Before long, I knew that I had released a part of my personality that could not easily be controlled and had been buried deep within. It was like opening Pandora's Box.

I met my soon-to-be wife not long after I suspected that I was part of the trans spectrum. This was something that we discussed early in our relationship, and she was 100% supportive. Whilst raising our family, my feminine nature was suppressed. It was a period of great confusion for me, as my male persona had always been considered very masculine. I spent many years suffering feelings of guilt and confusion because of my desire to express my feminine side, even though I had the full love and support of my wife.

I joined The Beaumont Society in 2017. This acted as a catalyst, helping me to normalise and finally accept who I am. Despite the incredible support from my wife, it had taken many years to arrive at this point. I finally became comfortable with who I am, and as my confidence grew, I realised that I wanted to offer help and support to other trans people, particularly as many do not have the same level of support that I've enjoyed. To this end, I became much more involved with trans issues. I became an RO in 2018, and by doing so, I hope I've been in a better position to help and support others.

I didn't start dressing till I was 54; I am 69 now, and since joining Beaumont Society, I have found the confidence to go out dressed, and I have enjoyed many outings and events with other members, including trips to Harrogate, Liverpool, Stratford upon Avon and Lincolnshire to mention but a few.


I have really been helped by many members in building my confidence, and I have been eager to give back to Beaumont by encouraging suitable girls to join the society, for which I have had some notable success.



I've been involved in a number of initiatives recently to improve, update and modernise the Beaumont Society and have taken on the role of Regional Organiser for Central England.



I recently attended the Milton Keynes Pride Festival at the Beaumont stand. We spoke with over 50 people and helped and assisted them, mainly parents of Trans children, who needed our guidance and assistance. It proved to me that we can make a difference and help people and how highly Beaumont is regarded in the greater community.



We recently visited a couple of members in Lincolnshire with the aim of building their confidence and followed up with a two-day visit to Stamford and the outskirts of Peterborough with the girls.



My aim is to help in any way I can to promote the Beaumont Society's values and be a part of its support culture, which is one of its great strengths.

Hello, and welcome to my bit. I imagine if you are reading this and not a member, you are possibly thinking something along the lines of what’s in it for me; well, I will give you some ideas. So you want to wear clothes that are sold to women, so what? I, like many others, spent ages trying to work this out for myself. Eventually, I gave up on all the soul-searching and got on with it. I now sometimes wear a dress, a blouse, women’s trousers or whatever and a bit of make-up when I want to. The world still carries on. I was not the first, I will not be the last, and I am not on my own, thanks to society.

I had encountered some other organisations aimed at transvestites that were not for me. This society lets me be myself. One thing I learned is that there are a few rules: respect others and wear clothes suitable to the occasion. I had heard stories that you have to conform to certain minimum standards, that was all nonsense. I now do as I please. Personally, I blur the lines between masculine and feminine and mix and match my wardrobe to suit. That is my style, and it may not be yours. If you had told me six years ago that I would be packing evening dresses and a silk trouser suit for my holiday on QE2, I would not have believed you.

I do like going away on cruise ships for my holidays and dressing up for the formal nights, and I have found that people are generally accepting. I realise we are different, but come along and see what you can achieve. I know I had been hiding a lot of myself away, and now I can move on and do more with life.

I imagine that many children feel "different"; I certainly did. I enjoyed boys' games, but socially, I was always happier to be with girls. It was just more comfortable, more natural. 

Oh yes, and I refused to wear trousers till I was well into primary school!

Being raised in the North of Scotland, this wasn't an insurmountable problem as I could get away with wearing a kilt. I'm pretty sure, though, that I was the only boy in school to do so. I'm very sure that I was the only boy to play cowboys while wearing a kilt (I still have the photos).

I remember studying my mother's clothing catalogues, deciding what I would wear when I was older and how my hair would be styled. My sister's magazines provided ideas about a future career: maybe a nurse, maybe a ballerina.

  Strangely, I was relatively old before it dawned on me that there was one big issue standing in the way of my plans!

Unlike many others, I've never really felt guilty about "being different". Yes, life would have been easier and more straightforward if I wasn't non-binary, but I knew that I couldn't change that. I really wanted to get married at some point, but my choice of partners would be limited.  It would be essential that they knew and accepted me before the start of a long-term relationship.

Alas, my first marriage didn't work out.

It was a little while after the breakup that I was enjoying an evening in a pub with a group of acquaintances.  Due to a particular piece of music that was playing at the time, the discussion turned to men wearing dresses. I noticed that one of the women, in particular, appeared very enthusiastic about the idea, and I made a point of getting her on her own later in the evening and confessing all.

We've now been together for twenty-seven years and married for twenty-one of these. 

We went to "safe" clubs and were regulars at the Miss TV Scotland weekends.  Yes, I did enter once, coming a respectable third in the senior category. 

During lockdown, I joined The Beaumont Society and was immediately thrilled by the friendliness, information and opportunities I found there.  

I was recently asked if I would take on the role of Regional Organiser for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Eire.  Yes, intimidating, but what adventures ahead!

My name is Andrea Brookes, and I am the Regional Organiser for the South of England, taking over from my very good friend Eleanor in 2021.  I am a trans-woman and have lived full-time since early 2020, enjoying life as my authentic self.  During this time, I have enjoyed the experience of learning the best way to be and to present the woman I am; I have also derived enormous satisfaction from meeting so many other trans people on my travels around the South of England, visiting as many of the events and venues that happen in this area of the country.  I have met many wonderful people and pride myself in having been able to help some of them come to appreciate their true selves.  And that is one of the reasons I joined the Beaumont Society.

I have worked in the IT industry for my entire working life - I am not going to say just how long that is - and fully appreciate the way that modern technology can improve our lives, but also how much of a barrier it can be at times.  However, I feel that the ability that it provides for us to communicate between ourselves at all times and without needing us to travel to meet up somewhere are tremendous benefits that do outweigh the problems that it may cause at times.

I passionately believe that education is the only way of getting people to understand the issues that we, as transgendered people, face on a daily basis, and I actively seek out opportunities to address organisations and groups to try to illustrate some of these issues and to show others that we are just ordinary people trying to live our own lives in the best way we can.  There is no right way to be transgender; everyone is an individual, and labels are really not that useful. Trying to help people come to terms with this and to help them overcome any guilt they may be feeling is important to me, especially when there seem to be so many critical comments sent our way.

Hi everybody, Just a quick note as your South West Regional Organiser. My name is Paula Taylor, and I have been living in the city of Exeter, Devon, since 2003.

I have been actively involved with running or assisting in running meetings for all-comers in Buckinghamshire, Wiltshire and here in Devon; I have been involved as a recipient of helpline calls for many years. For my sins, I am also the trans and intersex lead for Devon on the Intercom Trust Group.

Some may even remember me at various London events, Janett’s meetings or even weekends in the Rozel Weston-super-mare, Rotherham, Blackpool, Colwyn Bay, Grandtully, or even Paris. I am also a regular visitor to the Channel Islands and France; I have had no problems travelling, although you have to be brave at airport check-ins. They are not always very sensitive to our plight! In these hard times, it is particularly difficult to find sufficient funding to run meetings at village halls and similar locations.

I would strongly encourage you to make an effort to support your local group(s) before it is too late! A majority will encourage significant others to come along, too! Your issues with not being seen locally are fully understood; your security is important, and even if you turn up in your normal day wear, you will be welcome to take that step without any labels being attached.

I am 68 years young and have lived in Selby for 30 of those. I come from Newcastle; when I say Newcastle, I was born there but grew up in Gateshead across the river. So I am a Geordie girl. Why aye?

The first experience of crossdressing I can remember was when I was about three years old. Dancing around the kitchen with my sister, wearing one of her nighties, pretending to be a ballerina. That all ended when my Dad came home from work early and caught us. I was told in no uncertain terms that I was a boy and that my behaviour must stop immediately.

Q 5 years later. I had never thought of dressing up until then. I was home alone, and I wandered into me by then two sisters' bedroom. There lying on the bed was a dress I had often admired on my sister. Well, the next thing I knew, I had stripped off and put the dress on, and the rest, as they say, is history!