Mansfield trans woman who came out at 48 living ‘best life’ in Thailand

Leona Slack, 51, from Mansfield, transitioned into a woman at the age of 48 but felt like she had always known her true gender identity at the age five or six.

Born Paul Slack, Leona said growing up in the UK was a “confusing” time for her.

She said: “I cannot forget comparing my girly legs and feminine body structure to my girl friends in class.

“I was jealous that they were girls, and I was not.”

Leona, who has four children, said her teenage years were spent hiding her gender dysphoria with hopes it was just a phase.

At 19, Leona got married, but at 25, the marriage ended after her ex-wife discovered Leona’s true identity and female nature.

In 1999, Leona said she visited Bangkok in Christmas 1999 to experience the “freedom” and “culture” available for the LGBTQ+ community.

She said: “I thought to myself – why can’t England be as free and safe as this?”

While visiting Bangkok, Leona met her second wife and the couple had two children – now aged 22 and 23.

Leona said the couple divorced in 2003 before she began her transition from ‘Paul’ to Leona.

The 51-year-old then met wife Charoen just before the Boxing Day Tsunami hit in 2004, and the couple were soon married after Charoen gave birth to Leona’s third child.

The couple, who have two boys together, have been in a relationship for 20 years.

She added: “We’re happier than ever. Charoen has always been supportive of my gender.”

Leona spent many years cross-dressing and living life as a woman behind closed doors, but it was not until after 2020 when the then 48-year-old decided to surgically transition into ‘Leona’.

She said: “Although I’m not a 100 per cent biologically female now, I do feel I’m in the correct body that I should have been in at birth.”

Despite Leona and Charoen being married as “man and wife” – Leona said the pair got remarried, with both women dressed in white wedding dresses as they renewed their vows in a Thai temple.

A big fan of television personalities and reality TV, Leona said her dream would be to see more trans celebrities on screen.

She added: “I really want my story to be heard, in hopes it will help transgender people like myself who are stuck with nowhere to turn and who are too frightened to be who they want to be.”