Male British Soldier Gets Sex Change, Embraces Islam, & Marries Muslim Husband "She" Met Online

The Daily mail (U.K.) ^ | 4 September 2013 | Martin Robinson

[DogByte6RER]

Former Territorial Army male soldier, 28, becomes Britain’s first transgender Muslim woman and is now MARRIED

• Lucy Vallender had a sex change in 2010 and converted to Islam last year

• Says she had been a TA private in Gloucestershire but gave up after a year

• 'I tried to do macho things but I was trying to be someone I wasn't,' she says

• Met already married Murad online but he didn't know she was once a man

• They wed in April on first meeting and have met twice for sex since, she says

• But her local mosque have barred her after she refused to pray with men

A former trained soldier has swapped her Territorial Army beret for a veil and become Britain's first transgender Muslim woman.

Lucy Vallender used to be called Laurens and says she is finally 'true to herself' after a sex change three years ago.

The 28-year-old is now married to a Muslim man she met on an online dating site, but he did not know she was once a man when they wed.

She now wears a full veil outside her Swindon home to show the world she is married.

The former labourer said 'she used to love firing guns' and claims she drank regularly with the other squaddies as a TA private, but Lucy knew at 14 she wanted to become a woman.

'I tried to do macho things you know to stop how I was thinking, but it didn't work because I was trying to be someone I wasn't,' she said.

'I felt differently to others - I was attracted to men.

'But I suppressed my feelings and tried to live like most people my age.

(NOTE: Photos of transgendered muslim purposely not posted for taste.)

[rabidralph]

I can usually see the distinguishing features in the men but not the women. Like when I thought that David Morse was British or from the UK.

[Eagles6]

;-)