A nine-year-old boy who has wanted to be a girl since he was a
toddler has found the courage to step outside as 'Ellie-Jo' for the
first time.
Joseph Hughes is now hoping to return to school as a girl in September after finally walking outside dressed as a girl with his proud family by his side.
Joseph
has loved wearing dresses for years and this year asked for a wig for
his birthday - but until now has only felt safe to wear female clothing
in his own home. The North Wales Daily Post reports his mum Sam has agreed to show Joseph's story so he can act as an inspiration for others.
The mum-of-six from Rhyl, north Wales said Joseph has wanted to be a girl since the age of two.
Instead of toy soldiers and trains, he asks for princesses and dolls for Christmas and birthdays.
Daily Post Wales
Fashion: Joseph has enjoyed dressing in girls clothes since the age of two
So it came as no surprise when Joseph's latest birthday must-have was a wig to go with his new wardrobe.
She said: "When Joseph puts on dresses, he seems much more content and happy in himself, his attitude changes completely.
"Almost
his entire life, he's enjoyed dressing up as a girl - I have five other
children who have all played dressing up - but with Joseph, it was
different, more natural somehow."
Flicking through photographs over the last seven years, Joseph's love for all things "girlie" is clear.
In some of the earlier images, the youngster can quite easily pass for a girl with an angelic face and pretty long blonde curls. Locks: As a youngster Joseph would ask to grow his hair long
On his fourth birthday, Joseph wears a Cinderella dress and tiara as he blows out the candles on his pink princess castle cake.
A picture taken at the age of eight shows him painting his toenails.
"I can't remember the exact day when it all started but it was very early on," admitted Sam.
"As Joseph's personality formed, he developed an interest in wearing princess dresses."
Daily Post Wales
Dress: Joseph first started experimenting with his sister's clothes
With plans to grow his hair long, Joseph loves "anything
girlie" and is an avid fan of the Barbie films, princesses and
ballerinas.
He sometimes sleeps with girls sheets and duvet covers on his bed and prefers to wear knickers instead of underpants.
Sam
said: "I thought it was a phase at first. Instead of playing football
with his brothers, Joseph would always prefer to be with the girls and
play with their toys.
"When he started putting his older sister's
clothes on, I didn't think much of it at the time, but it turned into
something he never really seemed to grow out of."
Sam took Joseph
to see specialists at CAMHS (Child and Adult Mental Health Services)
and after a few appointments, he was referred to a children's clinic in
Rhuddlan, north Wales.
She said: "The doctor saw him twice and
said there was nothing more they can do untilJoseph's 11, when his
hormones start to kick in. Since then, we we've just been left to get on
with it really."
Daily Post Wales
Princess: Joseph loved wearing a tiara for his birthday
So Sam took to the internet to research gender identity but the forums she came across only related to older children.
She
added: "I couldn't really see anything relevant to Joseph at this stage
in his life so I've carried on allowing him to do whatever makes him
comfortable.
"To me it's clear that he has gender dysphoria but I
wanted to give Joseph time to think for himself and do what comes
naturally to him."
Joseph is settling in to his new school well but has asked Sam if he can start the new September term as a girl called Ellie-Jo.
"I've been in touch with the school and we are having a meeting to discuss this possibility," she said.
"The
headteacher said there is another school in the vicinity that has
allowed a child to transition their gender so it's likely that they
might allow Joseph to do it too."
Already, Ellie-Jo has taken
steps to embrace the transition by venturing out to the supermarket and
park with Sam and siblings Victoria, 20, Francesca, 15, Owen, 11, Guy, 7 and six-year-old, Eric.
Afterwards,
his mum bravely took to Facebook to share her pictures, along with a
post that read: "As some of you may know, Joseph wants to be a girl."
Daily Post Wales
Proud: Mum Sam wants to share Joseph's story
The number of children aged 11 and under referred to the NHS
for help in dealing with transgender feelings has increased five-fold in
the past five years from 139 cases in 2010/11 to 697 in 2014/15,
according to figures from the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust - the UK's
only specialist centre for gender issues in under-18s.
A
spokesman said: "Why we have seen an increase is a complex issue and
there are, no doubt, a number of factors: increased awareness and
acceptance, better access to the service through outreach...CAMHS and
other services can refer more easily, allowing greater equity of access.
It is also probably fair to say that young people are increasingly interested in exploring gender."
Elly
Barnes, founder of the charity Educate and Celebrate, said: "If
Ellie-Jo identities as female then the school has a duty to use her
preferred pronoun.
"Schools adhere to the Equality Act 2010 where
gender identity is one of the nine protected characteristics, therefore
pupils are to be treated equally and fairly."
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