TRANSMISSION
Callie hopes her appearance ontv show Naked Attraction will shine a light on transgender issues
A transgender female from Hamilton says she will continue to be a voice for the trans community after appearing on Channel 4’s Naked Attraction last week.
Callie Percival only came out as trans a few months before the hit show was filmed but was pleased with how her experience went.
The 24-year-old make-up artist was tasked with picking one of six men to take on a date based on naked attraction alone.
After whittling down her choices, she ended up on a date with contestant Jack, who was delighted to be picked.
Callie admitted on the show that it was her “first proper date” since coming out as a transgender female, and opened up on men not wanting to be seen with her in public. She now wants to break down barriers of how society perceives the trans community and be a voice for change.
Callie said: “It all went really well. I feel it was perceived in a good way and I’ve had positive feedback and lots of support from people in my community which is really important to me.
“You need to have confidence to do it and be in the right frame of mind.”
Callie continued: “It’s always about being a voice for people and flying the flag for our community. I wanted us to push for mainstream TV instead of always being kept in boxes. I feel like we needed more representation.
“We had to get out there and really fly the flag and let people represent who they are and it’s time people understand that.
“I admired how brave I was during the whole process. When I was doing it I was finding flaws with myself that I really did love and it just made me realise how much of a good person I actually am. I don’t think I gave myself enough credit, but after that I realise I’ve done a big thing and I’m very proud of it.”
Callie told how the show has since made a positive impact on how she sees dating in her life, but is more focused on her own journey.
She added: “I never did that to just go back to how it used to be. Now with dating, I still don’t date that much because I’m really on a self journey and I really like my life the way it is right now.
“So I feel like it’s made me more cautious but also more confident to know that there are guys out there like Jack who just see us as normal women as well. It’s helped me become a lot more strong- minded when it comes to boys.”
Speaking on how trans people are perceived, Callie explained: “I think more people from a small town like Hamilton need to see that we’re normal people, and we want to stop being oversexualised in the media or looked at as people like that or villains.
“We get looked at like these aliens that aren’t even from Earth. So I think it’s important people from Hamilton need to see how normal this is, how much this is life nowadays, and how much they need to change and open their minds.
“I’m going to continue doing what I’m doing, be myself, being a voice on social media, and I just hope I can attract the right kind of people that want to be a part of a nice wee community that’s a safe place.”
Callie also paid tribute to her supportive friends and family who have been massive for her since she came out a year ago. And the make-up artist hopes the process for other locals in similar positions is helped in the same way.
Callie said: “It was hard to first understand what was going on, but I think lockdown really helped me because I had time to think and process my thoughts. I had nothing really to distract me so I had to work out what was going on in my own head which I think I’ve done.
“You need to make sure you’re ready to do it. If you’re pushed before it can be quite traumatising. You need to make sure you’re ready to have those conversations which are scary, with friends and family members who have known you for a long time.
“I’ve had loads of support. It’s been really good for me, I’ve been very blessed and lucky to have the family and friends I have in my life.”
During the episode, Callie told how her date Jack was “a gentleman from start to finish,” however they decided not to see each other again due to living too far apart.
You can find Callie on www.tiktok.com/@ calliepercival