From my first Sparkle two years ago, the weekend festival has played a big part in my development in becoming the full me.
When I went to that first event, Sparkle 2017, I was still very much hidden away from nearly everyone bar my closest most trusted friends. It was also the first time I had been out to the world as my genuine self during the day. It seemed like the ideal opportunity, being in a safe friendly place to get used to being out in the open. I spent time around the park and the village on both days and attended the ball on the Saturday evening.
It did wonders for my self-confidence. Before I went to Sparkle, I was scared of being discovered by someone that I knew, and being outed as a result. By the time it was over I felt like I could take on the world. By the end of that month I had officially come out to my family and, in course the world and so my personal journey took a huge step forward. It had been a long time developing as I had always had a vague sense of being different as a child, to feeling like I wanted to transition in late 2016, and officially changing my name in October 2017 and living full time.