Transgender Community Wants To Be Supported, Not Judged, Says Ex-AFL Coach Dani Laidley

starobserver.com.au:

Former AFL coach Dani Laidley has revealed that she battled years of “fear, shame and embarassment”, but now was “absolutely at peace” after coming out and being a role model for the transgender community.

Laidely opened up about her struggles with gender dysphoria for most of her life during her chat on radio in the Triple M commentary box last month. “You live in fear and shame and embarrassment for years and then to come out like it did, it’s been really tough on my family, but now, to a person, it’s been great.

They accept me for who I am, the person I am now, and hopefully there’s a lot of life to live,” said Laidley. The former North Melbourne player and coach explained her diagnosis to listeners. “Gender dysphoria is the medical condition for people whose gender identity is not congruent with how they feel on the inside (to) what is on the outside,” said Laidley. “It again is different from our sex, that is the bits that we’re born with.

And then you have your sexual preference, who you’re attracted to. I’m a girl’s girl and my lovely Donna will be listening down in the stands,” said Laidley about her childhood sweetheart and partner Donna Leckie.