Transgender woman graces WI magazine’s cover

THE first transgender woman to feature on the cover of the Women’s Institute magazine joined the WI after being inspired by her wife.

Petra Wenham, 74, joined the “sisterhood” when she saw her wife of 48 years, Loraine, step down from her position as president in their local branch in Suffolk.

Her inclusion on the July/august edition marked a significant milestone in the magazine’s 100-year history with the first title established as Home & Country magazine in 1919 before being replaced by WI Life at the end of 2006.

The retired IT consultant came out as transgender to Loraine six years ago after she was hospitalised with colitis.

Ms Wenham said: “I didn’t expect to be a cover girl. In fact, I was absolutely blown away. I cannot thank the photographer enough for making me feel so comfortable and at home. After years of knowing I was transgender, a colitis diagnosis in 2015 led me to come out.

“Since then, a lot of stress just went away, including the stress I believe was aggravating my illness.”

Ms Wenham now tours WI branches to tackle myths and misinformation spread about the trans community.

The pair had met in London in the 1970s in their mid-20s while working at British Telecom. Within a year they tied the knot and now have two sons and two grandchildren. Ms Wenham said she has received an outpouring of support from the WI since her transition.

The WI has been trans inclusive for more than a decade, having formally adopted a policy in the early 2000s.

She added: “One of my Facebook posts honouring the transgender community was liked by more than 700 WI members, and there was only one disparaging comment out of nearly 20.”