Leonard to Leona, Singapore transsexual bares all

By Miral Fahmy

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - At the age of 10, Leonard Lo was determined to become a woman.

Now 22 years later, Singaporean transsexual Leona Lo details the shame and anger she felt on her journey in a cathartic book that is raising eyebrows in this regulated city-state with old-fashioned attitudes toward sex.

Lo, 32, runs her own public relations company. She has an Australian boyfriend, polished nails and an engaging, slightly nervous, laugh. She has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital and attempted suicide. Her middle-class, conformist Singaporean-Chinese parents took several years to accept her.

Lo is not Singapore's only transsexual, but one of its most outspoken. She has her own Web site (www.leonalo.com), speaks extensively to the media, lectured at universities and corporate functions, driven, she says, by desire to spare other transsexuals from a "difficult" society.

"From Leonard to Leona: A Singapore Transsexual's Journey to Womanhood" is Lo's first book but she is working on another -- a woman's guide to relationships.

Q: You're very frank in your autobiography. Was this hard?

A: "I like to think of my book as inspirational, to show that no matter what life throws your way, you can choose to be happy. I've reached the end of the road, I've attempted suicide, but now I am excited about life. A lot of sweat and tears went into this book, but I feel I have to share my story because I don't want another male child to go through the pain."

Q: Was it difficult to grow up as a transsexual in a conservative place like Singapore?