Sophie

This posting will draw on some already fuzzy memories, so apologies to the protagonists if I got any facts wrong!

Back when I was juuuuuust easing my way out of the closet I used to go into the UK Angels chat room a lot (in fact I used to virtually run the place). I had been out dressed once (maybe twice) but I was still desperate to make friends and meet people "like me" on the scene.

It was in the chat room one night that I bumped into a girl called Sophie. I don't remember hardly anything from that encounter, except that she had a sense of humour and laughed at my jokes (the two are not necessarily related).

We got on quite well, and ended up exchanging addresses on instant messenger so that we could chat in the future. Which we ended up doing a lot.

We were both in similar boats. We were both trannies just starting to realize that this stuff wasn't gonna go away and we had to start doing something about it. We were both in relationships with partners who were having difficulty understanding our feelings. And we both wanted to start exploring the scene a bit more.

Over the next few weeks or months we chatted almost every night, and during the day too. My relationship was falling apart, and it was great to have someone to talk to about my feelings. Sophie was always there with a kind ear and an unstinting cheeriness. She was a huge help. We became firm friends, even though I'd never even heard her speak!

I remember it being a big deal when we first even spoke on the phone. I've always felt that I was much better at communicating via the written word, the immediacy of verbal communication has always been harder for me. It seems strange to think now as I'm much happier meeting new people than I was. I think I have Sophie to thank in helping me there.

I remember Sophie's first night out dressed, although I wasn't there. I was still trying to keep my relationship with my girlfriend going, and decided I couldn't afford to go to the Angels debutante's Ball, where Sophie had decided to debut herself. Shortly after that my relationship with my girlfriend of the time collapsed. Sophie was one of the people who helped me through some very dark times.

Once I'd started to get over that upset, I began to explore my tranny side in ernest. I went to a couple of tranny clubs and started to make new friends. Sophie was still with her long-term girlfriend and trying hard to make it work, so she wasn't able to get out so easily. However a good six months (at least) after we'd first chatted we finally met at Trans-Mission in London. Ironically when I knocked on the door of the hotel room where she was staying, her friend Jessica answered. Jessica had been at the debutante's ball with Sophie and they'd agreed to share the hotel room for their next night out. Jess is now also one of my best friends, who I actually met a few seconds before I met Sophie!

I don't remember much about that night either, but it was the first of very many. As our confidence blossomed, Sophie and I (with others such as Jess) began to branch out from the tranny scene into the wider gay scene and beyond. Any gang with Sophie in it was bound to be a good night out.

I love Sophie to bits. She's one of my happy thoughts, I need her to make me fly. I'm eternally grateful to have her as a friend.

Why did I tell you that story? Because I was just one of the people at a party on Saturday who had similar stories. People who had been lucky enough to meet Sophie and experience her boundless reserves of sociability and friendship.

We all came together to wish her a happy 30th birthday. I'll write more about what happened during that event tomorrow, including the requisite pictures.

But I wanted to tell you all this first, because it's Important, with a capital I.


Me and Sophie