12:00a.m. 11th December 2008 / By Amy Remeikis
A transsexual has been forced to leave the Sunshine Coast after an alleged vicious attack in a public street left her afraid to walk outside.
Alice - not her real name - was born male but has identified as a female since she was five years old.
The 40-year-old has lived full-time as a woman since she turned 14 and has medical approval for a sex-change operation. However, she cannot afford the expensive surgery.
Alice, her 13-year-old daughter and her best friend have spent the past 18 months travelling around Australia. Once knowledge of her transsexual nature is known, she is chased from country towns.
The Sunshine Coast, she said, has been no different.
On Tuesday, Alice said, she and her daughter set out along Landsborough Parade in Golden Beach to buy groceries to prepare for dinner.
She alleges she was verbally and physically abused, then chased by a man as she walked by.
Alice said she appealed for help from those driving by and eventually a family stopped and took her to the police station.
“The police were so good. The Caloundra police were just brilliant,” she said.
“They were understanding of my gender and not biased and spoke to me as a normal person. They tried to calm me down because I was quite upset. They said that this just didn't happen here. I want to thank them for their help.
“I also want to thank those people who came to my aid."
“We are leaving the Sunshine Coast, though, because I am afraid to walk down the street. I don't want to leave my room.
“I can't understand why normal people act like this. I harm no one. I don't interfere with anyone. But I am always subjected to people's abuse because they don't like me for who I am.
“This year has been the worst. Not counting this, I have been assaulted three times and robbed three times as well.
“Maybe it is me and country towns. But it is not the older generation, they don't care.
“It is the younger generation, those aged between 15 and 25. It's not fair, it is not right and I don't deserve this treatment for just living my life.”
Police have charged a man with one count of public nuisance and two counts of common assault.
A transsexual has been forced to leave the Sunshine Coast after an alleged vicious attack in a public street left her afraid to walk outside.
Alice - not her real name - was born male but has identified as a female since she was five years old.
The 40-year-old has lived full-time as a woman since she turned 14 and has medical approval for a sex-change operation. However, she cannot afford the expensive surgery.
Alice, her 13-year-old daughter and her best friend have spent the past 18 months travelling around Australia. Once knowledge of her transsexual nature is known, she is chased from country towns.
The Sunshine Coast, she said, has been no different.
On Tuesday, Alice said, she and her daughter set out along Landsborough Parade in Golden Beach to buy groceries to prepare for dinner.
She alleges she was verbally and physically abused, then chased by a man as she walked by.
Alice said she appealed for help from those driving by and eventually a family stopped and took her to the police station.
“The police were so good. The Caloundra police were just brilliant,” she said.
“They were understanding of my gender and not biased and spoke to me as a normal person. They tried to calm me down because I was quite upset. They said that this just didn't happen here. I want to thank them for their help.
“I also want to thank those people who came to my aid."
“We are leaving the Sunshine Coast, though, because I am afraid to walk down the street. I don't want to leave my room.
“I can't understand why normal people act like this. I harm no one. I don't interfere with anyone. But I am always subjected to people's abuse because they don't like me for who I am.
“This year has been the worst. Not counting this, I have been assaulted three times and robbed three times as well.
“Maybe it is me and country towns. But it is not the older generation, they don't care.
“It is the younger generation, those aged between 15 and 25. It's not fair, it is not right and I don't deserve this treatment for just living my life.”
Police have charged a man with one count of public nuisance and two counts of common assault.
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