A Christchurch transgender woman is trying to promote a greater understanding of people who are different.
Patricia Hailes has been running a free book service from her Hoon Hay property at 31 Mathers St for the past five years, and now wants to create her own publication to highlight transgender issues.
Around 3000 books of all shapes and sizes are on offer at her community library. And they're all free.
"Children's books are a big, big feature. Because children's books are so expensive for mum and dad, they come and get here for free."
She estimates more than 100 people a week are now using the service.
The married 80-year-old says when she was a child, her cousins dressed her up in dresses and she found she liked it. So much so, that she has enjoyed wearing them periodically ever since.
She told her wife about her feelings a couple of years after they were married when her wife asked him why he was so depressed.
"I didn't tell her before we got married. Right? Naughty, naughty. But if I had told her that if she were going to marry a fairy, she might never have married me, aye?"
However, Hailes says her wife was supportive.
Hailes has been living as a transgender woman full-time for the past 18 months. She is working to produce a publication called New Zealand Transgender News, featuring positive stories about transgender people.
- By Geoff Sloan
- Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
