My Story

by Carolyn Layt

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

Firstly I have been very fortunate in the fact that I work in a reasonably open minded industry which is the Fitness Industry. I changed all my certificates over to my female name and this was done without a problem. Then I waited for my body to feminize enough before I approached a fitness centre to work at.

The first centre I approached was Newtown Gym and they rostered me on for classes immediately. I have been teaching there for about 2 months now and I have become quite a popular instructor. The curiosity factor that I am transgender certainly helped to bring people along to my classes but the bottom line is that if I couldn't teach then I would be out the door. I am very indebted to Newtown Gym for giving me the opportunity to teach again. Another centre that I have approached is Fitness Network and their coordinator is going to give me and audition in the next couple of weeks, so things are happening.

... and over the phone their Aerobics Coordinator told me she had never come across my "kind" before

I have my Level 2 Certificate, have been teaching for 9 years and have taught in many of Sydney's leading fitness centres when I was male. But this counts for nothing when teaching with my new identity. I have to work that much harder now to get work because male instructors are in more demand.

I have one case of discrimination since teaching as a woman. I approached Pace Fitness Centre at Bondi Junction for work. I rang them and over the phone their Aerobics Coordinator told me she had never come across my "kind" before. Then she told me I didn't sound very female over the phone. I said that if she met me in person then she would realise that I didn't look, and wasn't very male anymore. What annoys me is that how does she know that the girl that served her in the shoe shop isn't transgender or the guy who services her car isn't a trany guy. What they don't realise is that we are everywhere and in time we blend into society.

Beside that one isolated incident, people in the fitness industry have been fantastic and when I visit my old centres where I taught as a male, everyone is great and tells me how fantastic I look. A couple of centres didn't even realise who I was until I told them.

I was a solid boy and now as a female I look like a gladiator woman when I teach but I do love the look of my body and how I have feminized. Every week I see my body get better and better.

I know we are often vilified in society and a lot of trany girls think that all they can do is sex work but we all have individual talents and trany girls and guys you are not useless, use these talents and remember above all you are people and you deserve a fair go in society. The anti-discrimination bill will definitely make things better for us.

I know teaching has given me a lot of confidence and I do it not only because it is a job but because I love it.

My next project? I would like to compete in the National Teams Aerobics Championships. It is teams of 3 competing against each other and because men compete against women in this competition we would not be discriminated against because of our transgenderism. So if any trany girls or guys with a dance or gymnastics background are interested in forming a team with me you can contact me through the Gender Centre.

Remember trany girls and guys follow your dreams and you can do anything and conquer adversity if you put your mind to it.

Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.