An equality manager who transitioned from female to male in his mid-20s after struggling with anxiety, depression and feelings of “detachment” has said he no longer sees a “stranger looking back at him” when he stands in front of the mirror, and praised the inclusivity and “open learning culture” of the Probation Service, where he works.
Lucas Hall, 29, always knew he wanted to join the Probation Service, which he said was “all about giving people a second chance, as well as protecting the public and making sure that offenders are sticking to their licence conditions”. However, during his teenage years, he said he struggled with his mental health and felt he was “not in the body that represented his mind”.
Lucas, whose dead name is Sophie, explained that when he was about 13 he “went into a masking phase”, trying to present himself as “more feminine”, as he did not fully understand what he was going through or why he felt so detached from his body. This continued for the following decade until he realised, aged 24, that he “needed to stop pretending”, and about a year later he began his transitioning journey.
