DIFFERENT STROKES

CLAUDIA CAHALANE SPEAKS TO TRANS MEN WHO FORMERLY LIVED AS LESBIANS ABOUT HOW SEX HAS CHANGED FOR THEM AFTER TRANSITION

In 2015 trans visibility reached new levels – Caitlyn Jenner on the cover of Vanity Fair, the BBC’s comedy Boy Meets Girl, EastEnders’ first male trans character, the film The Danish Girl and London play Rotterdam – all giving an insight into the identity, sexuality and relationships of those who are trans.

Jon Brittain’s sell-out play Rotterdam, in particular, offered a moving view of a formerly-lesbian couple’s journey after one partner reveals their trans identity. The duo at the centre of Brittain’s story struggle with how to navigate their relationship and the future.

Is it always a struggle? What do trans men who’ve previously identified as lesbians find themselves working through when it comes to love and sexuality? What does their identity mean for romantic partners?

For Charlie Orion-Hunter transitioning has so far been a big journey of self-development and self-understanding which, after several years, has seen him become fairly comfortable in dating heterosexual women as a heterosexual man

At the end of last year, the 28-yearold was the first openly trans person to appear on Channel 4’s First Dates. “In the space of five years, I’ve gone from identifying as an androgynous lesbian, in a long-term relationship of more than six years with a lesbian, to my authentic self as a heterosexual man and becoming single,” says Orion-Hunter.