MAIL ON SUNDAY newspaper story
Stacy Collins believed her husband Glenn was going to confess an affair. She never expected who the ‘other woman’ in his life – someone called Samantha – actually was …
Samantha Collins came to Featureworld to raise awareness of how a family copes when one parent comes out as transsexual …
As father of four in his 40s, Glenn Collins, a criminal lawyer, couldn’t understand why he was so depressed. His wife Stacy was very worried about him and he felt suicidal.
But after much counselling, Glenn finally realised the reason was he was really a woman trapped in a man’s body. Since February 2014 Glenn has been living full time as a woman, Samantha. Her firm of lawyers has been very supportive – Glenn literally went to court one day and the next turned up as a woman.
Wife Stacy was shocked when Glenn first told her. She had thought something was up – she’d noticed Glenn taking more care of his appearance and had worried he had another woman. So she could not believe it when he said counselling made him realise he had gender issues and he wanted to transition as a woman.
Stacy was very worried about how it would affect their four young children. She was also upset her husband had not confessed before. It turned out he’d been secretly dressing as a woman when away on business for a few years. But he didn’t want to let anyone know for fear he would lose everything – Stacy, the children and the legal career he’d spent years building up.
Naturally Stacy didn’t know what to think initially. However she was relieved her husband wasn’t having an affair and feels that although he is now Samantha, he is still the person inside she married. Their children have accepted dad wants to live as a woman although they still call Samantha dad. Meanwhile Stacy and Samantha are still in love but live together as lesbians.
Samantha is now due to have a sex reassignment operation and with her depression gone, she is much happier – indeed the whole family is happier.
The family wanted to tell their story following the news of former Boxing promoter Frank Maloney who recently came out as a woman called Kellie.
Samantha, who helps give legal advice to others going through a similar journey, wanted to show that coming out as a transsexual needn’t mean you will lose everything. In fact, as her story shows, being honest is often the only way to go and can be much easier than people fear.
The family’s story appears in the Mail On Sunday newspaper. Read it here.
After seeing her inspirational story over two pages in the Mail On Sunday Samantha wrote, “Alison, Thank you so much for writing such a beautiful piece. I am almost at a loss for words. Today has been very emotional for all of us with the most amazing messages of support and love. Thank you again from the very bottom of our hearts. “
Stacy and Samantha have since gone on to appear on the cover and over two pages of TAKE A BREAK magazine…
If you have a family relationship story to tell – and wish to raise awareness by doing so – contact me using the form to the right of this page>>>