During my lifetime I have had quite a range of careers. In the military, I worked in Patton's Museum, in US Customs, and in Nuclear Surety. In the private sector, I worked as a Security Office Manager, a Professional Level III Test Driver, and went over the road as a truck driver. One of my most recent job was in Tactical Security as a photographer and video evidence collector, response team, and shift supervisor. One of my fondest assignments was a couple of years back working at the Smithsonian Institute-America's Tour 150th Anniversary in Scottsdale. This field requires alot of traveling and living out of a suitcase in hotels. I have recently changed jobs from traveling across the country to a county job in Phoenix where I can wear my lingerie under my clothes and go home and slip into a skirt/blouse or dress when my roommate isn't home. By settling down, I can spend time building my wardrobe and hopefully find that special lady I seek.
As of April 2002 I started working for Maricopa County, I found a job that I love and also learn something new almost each and everyday, and more than likely will retire there unless something better comes along. In June of 2003 I became so frustrated that I took it out on my co-workers and knew than I had to seek help. Because if I didn�t I would have been fired. So I found a therapist and started seeing her. After the 2nd or 3rd visit I opened up to her telling her about my other life. The process was somewhat slow. Than 6 months later she was moving her practice and would transfer me to a therapist she would trust with my case. To my amazement she did find someone and she is the greatest. It was so easy to talk with her and we have moved along at a good speed. We started working on my fears of telling my close friends, co-workers and others, so we went one step at a time. First it was my closest friends. I was very much afraid of loosing every one of my friends, but I would open up to them. I would either write them by email or by calling them on the phone or see them in person. The first person I told was a very close friend I have know since 1981 and we met at a restaurant and I told her that I have something to you and I started to say that I live a alternative lifestyle and she said your gay and I said no I am not gay, so I showed her some pictures and she was happy for me to include her. We talked for about an hour and she knew that I was different, but couldn�t figure it out. She would later tell her husband who was also a close friend of mine; he didn�t have a problem either.
Than in September of 2003 I started telling every one of my friends and I was totally surprised what the true meaning of friendship. I didn�t loose anyone and most knew because of my long hair or letting my nails grow longer. Some knew something was up and asked if I was gay and I stated no. They have all to this day support me and love me for who I am and for not hiding myself to them.
All of them have asked why I didn�t tell them right off and I told them I was afraid of loosing them. Than they would ask questions and most of them I would tell them I was a woman trapped in a male body and wasn�t happy with life, and when I am dressed as a woman I feel so different a new person and I love being a woman, I have never been happy and they would say we can see the difference. I wasn�t the shy and bashful person I am most of the time.
After telling my therapist about what I did she was so proud and happy for me, so we moved onto the next step telling my co-workers. I sat down and wrote out a letter explaining the changes I was going through and started seeing a therapist and that I was a woman trapped in a male body and I would start dressing as a woman on the grave yard shift. I received a lot of support and new friends and each one of them knew something was wrong with me because I was that happy. Now they new and some would help me if I needed anything. I was truly amazed! I told my therapist on the next visit and she was very happy and proud of me. This went on with my supervisor and boss than my brother and his wife plus my doctor. The next step was to tell my mother I had to do this. But with my mother�s health battling lung cancer and consulting with my brother and therapist we all agreed that I should hold off until her health was stable.
Now we will jump ahead to April 2004 and I was dressing as a woman on the graveyard shift and I was happy. Than my world was starting to crumble my roommates who were somewhat understanding were having a problem. The wife she was very understanding, but her husband wasn�t any more, first it was stop wearing make-up, than the clothes, so they came to me and said that by September I need to find a place, I was told they were filing for bankruptcy and my rent payment would be consider income.
There were some other problems coming up too during this time. On in July just before I was to move I was informed I would be moving to day shift. I tried to tell my boss what about my appearance and the restroom, he didn�t want to hear about. So I decide I wasn�t going to take this. So I started looking at county policies and decided to talk with our HR rep. After work on a Monday a week before I was to move to day shift and about 2 weeks before I was to move, I saw our HR rep., as Kayle, we talked for about an hour and half and she would have a talk with Jim our boss and let me know what went on. Three days later she called me and ensured that there would be no problems with me going to day shift and if there would be to contact her right away. On August 24, I went to day shift as Kayle, Jim called me into the office and advised me that there would be no problems and that in the next building there are two co-ed restrooms which can be locked from the inside and there would be no problems with me using them.
The day shift move was the best for me. I moved into my new apartment September 1st and have been living and working as Kayle 24/7. The county has also change my ID from Greg A. Felty to Kayle Grayson and when I go to court they will change all my other information.
In August of 2005, we had a major incident that shoot me up and made up my mind that it was time to leave dispatch and move on. On August 13th I joined a DTEF (Drug Treatment Education Funding). I was welcome with open arms.
Most of my logins have been change from my birth name to Kayle and everywhere I go in the building I am called ma�am or Kayle, KJ in conversations I am refer to her, she and everything else.
My life is so much easier and I love this position I am in. The women I work with are just wonderful people and I have become great friends with. My
experience in writing SOP�s and LOP�s and creating training manuals.
Now in 2006 I have past my 1st full year being on hormones in fact it has been almost 14 months, and I love every minute of being a woman, I will also be filing leally to change my name and than going to change driver license and all that good stuff.
