I was born me, I still am me. The only change was no longer having to pretend - or try to pretend - to be male to please others. The only change was finding freedom and wanting to live. I never changed sex I found a way to speak truth out loud.

It is not my queer identity that causes my depression. I am more happy than I have ever been since I came out and found words to express my own identity. My wife was astounded by my forwardness and how comfortable I was with holding hands or kissing in public. I never had a second thought about it, my relationship with her was as natural as any I had with men

The US Secretary of Defence's recent announcement that transgender Americans will be permitted to continue serving in the country's military for the time being has come following a disastrous few weeks in the wake of President Trump's ban.

But I've spent my whole working life and most of my childhood connected to live performance so I can reel off a million reasons why it matters. Recently however, one justification in particular has been at the forefront of my mind. I have been producing a new show called BULLISH with my theatre company Milk Presents.

So many rhetorics around LGBT+ and particularly transgender identities focus on the difficulties and tribulations so I thought that I would share a story of hope today. Five weeks ago I married the love of my life, a cisgender woman, a lesbian. When we met almost three years ago I presented as female and, though I was beginning to question my identity I really had no language to explain it.

I am trans, I'm also an ambitious and well educated woman with a higher degree. However, like many trans women post transition, I've found that barriers to working as a professional abound. My mother, a feminist, politician and writer taught me to aspire to be the best I could possibly be. Consequently I trained as an educator, working in universities, colleges and schools.