Gayleeds.com has today had the pleasure of interviewing the fabulous Tanya Carr. Tanya is joint organiser of ‘Leeds First Friday’ which is the country’s biggest T Girl event outside of London.

There are some interesting changes on the horizon for LFF and the event looks certain to continue to flourish.

 Here is what Tanya had to say;

(Gay Leeds) WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

(Tanya Carr) I'm originally from Yorkshire but have travelled around a bit. I've lived in various parts of the country and overseas as well. I'm like a homing pigeon though - always seem to come back home, to Yorkshire.

HOW OLD ARE YOU?

As if I'm going to answer that question! You never ask a lady her age. Well, today I'm 26 ha-ha

RELATIONSHIP STATUS?

I'm in a relationship with the lovely John.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU AND THE LOVELY JOHN BEEN TOGETHER?

We've been "stepping out" since October last year. He's a lovely guy and I guess we're both very lucky.

WHAT IS YOUR OCCUPATION?

I work in healthcare. I love my job most of the time. If you have a accident you just may have me attending to your needs. I'm a dab hand with a needle and thread!

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SEXUALITY?

That's a very good question and a confusing one for some people but not for me. I see myself as a straight girl. I find guys sexually attractive. It's really difficult for people to understand because at the end of the day I am genetically male but have the mind of a female. I see myself as female with a little something extra I guess.

AT WHAT AGE DID YOU BEGIN TO THINK THAT YOU WERE TRANSGENDER?

I was about 8 or 9 years old. I didn't obviously know what I was but I knew I loved dressing up in girls’ clothes. I would always be the mummy, the nurse, wonder woman or one of Charlie’s Angels. I just knew I was different from other children but just didn't know why.

AT WHAT AGE DID YOU BECOME ACTIVELY TRANSGENDER?

From the age of about 14 I was very androgynous. I would often dress very feminine but my identity was still male. I often used to get mistaken for being a girl (to the point where one of my brother’s friends asked me out thinking I was a girl!). I'd continue to closetly dress, which felt great but felt wrong as that was not the norm. Towards the end of leaving school I had come to the conclusion that I was a gay man, as at that time transgender was pretty much underground, but still knowing I was different to gay men. I didn't really fit into that "category” either but it was the best match. It wasn't until I was about 18 that I started to go out dressed as a girl. I used to go to Vague in Leeds (I am showing my age now!). It was fantastic and no one cared about how you looked or dressed - well, unless you were wearing chinos and a checked shirt and you'd just get turned away. From then on me dressing as a girl became more frequent as I became braver and more understanding of my sexuality. I've never looked back. I now know who I am and I'm very happy with that. Tanya is now me and I wouldn’t change her for the world!

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THE SUBJECT OF DISCRIMINATION OR HATE CRIME BECUASE OF WHO YOU ARE?

I have experienced discrimination in the form of hate crime, as a gay man initially and then as a Tgirl. I have been beaten up twice. In my late teens, in the time when homosexuality and transgender was thought of as disgusting and that you were a freak. Today, it's better, but people, even gay men and women, still don't really understand the transgender community. The thoughts and feeling of needing to dress as a girl/woman. I still get asked why and I just reply by saying why are you gay or straight? It's the same reasons just a different identity or way of expressing yourself. It's something already present in you, whether genetically or not, it's there and you have to make a choice of whether to embrace it and live your life as you feel you should or suppress it and perhaps live a miserable life never been truly comfortable or happy. If anything discrimination, in any form, makes me stronger more determined. I don't and won't accept discrimination and I won't compromise me/Tanya, in any way.

THE LFF IS GETTING BIGGER AND MORE POPULAR WHAT ARE YOUR AMBITIONS FOR IT?

When we took over the organising of LFF earlier this year we really had no idea of what we were taking on or no set plans of where it was going to go. It is the most talked about event in the transgender community. We don't even have to say Leeds First Friday anymore. People from all over the UK know what LFF means! It's amazing. We have on average 90 plus people attend the events. This month, July event, we had a professional photographer who took some fantastic pics of everyone. He enjoyed the event so much he has committed himself to LFF and is now the official LFF photographer and will attend every event snapping pics of everyone enjoying themselves. For the August event we have had to add another venue. Blayds Bar have been wonderful and very supportive but we've just outgrown it as the main venue. So Blayds will now be the official meeting place at the start of the evening. Fibre is the additional venue; again Michael [Rothwell] and his team have been very kind and supportive of LFF and offered us the VIP lounge and the second floor to hold the event. It's all very exciting and I’m sure the girls and guys will love it! There's talk of asking Tgirls to guest dj at Fibre. Both Rachel and myself are full of ideas but as a non-profit making event we are restricted to what we can do. We launched the LFF website in June and have had some great feedback from it. It still needs more information adding and over time it will make it more informative and more interactive. We want to make LFF the biggest and best event in the country and the way LFF is going it soon will be but still keeping the ethos that it is an event where everyone from the transgender community - tgirls, CD's, TS, TV, admirers, friends and family - have a fun, friendly and safe environment to express themselves and feel comfortable doing so. That is the purpose of LFF and that's why it's such a success. Everyone comments on how friendly it is compared to other transgender events held in other places in the UK. We're very proud of that and very thankful for the people who support and attend the event. Without them, there wouldn't be an LFF!

GAY LEEDS WOULD LIKE TO SAY A BIG THANK YOU TO TANYA FOR SUCH AN HONEST AND FACTUAL INTERVIEW AND CONTINUE TO OFFER OUR COMPLETE SUPPORT FOR THE LFF.