2010 has been a year of new challenges and experiences for Lincolnshire journalist Jane Fae.
After years of struggling to live "as a man", Jane finally decided enough was enough and, in January of this year, she explained to family and friends her decision to seek "gender re-assignment."
Jane - formerly John - revealed her intentions to her partner Andrea and her two children after talking to a close fiend who had already gone through the sex change process.
At the age of 52, she had thought it was too late, but decided to visit her doctor to find out more. There, she was diagnosed with gender dysphoria (when a man or woman feels they belong to the wrong gender). She has since changed her name (becoming Jane) and started hormone therapy.
Jane told BBC Lincolnshire: "It is more like a discovery, I think throughout my life there has been a sense of wrongness - I have always been happier doing women's things."
If all goes to plan, she hopes to undergo surgery in mid-2011, although she adds: "many people see that as the end point. In fact, it will just be another beginning, with changes continuing for many years to come. I am very much looking forward to the future."
Jane is well known nationally for her writing on IT, law and politics, as well as being recognised as an expert when it comes to issues of sex and sexuality. She recently won an award for her book "Beyond the Circle", which looks at the issue of discrimination on the grounds of sexuality.
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