A TRANSGENDER woman from Dumbarton who has been driven to the brink of suicide following abuse from the public has claimed members of her community are too scared to leave their own home.

Melinda Gordon, who was born male but says she knew she was a girl at five years old, wants to raise awareness about how tough she says life can be for transgender people in the area.

The 27-year-old claims she has been the victim of death threats in the past and is still subjected to cruel comments and disapproving looks around the town.

She says the attitudes of some people needs to change, claiming there are a number of transgender people in Dumbarton who feel they cannot leave their own home for fear of how they will be perceived.

And she hopes to meet with public figures to voice her concerns and put the wheels in motion for a strong support network.

Melinda, who began her hormone therapy around two years ago, said: “In Dumbarton there are no support groups. Not a lot of people are accepting of the subject. The other day I was walking around town in my heels, one man looked at me as though he wanted to crucify me. I felt so small.

“A couple of years ago I was getting death threats. I’ve tried to commit suicide. I suffer from anxiety and depression.

“I still get bullied. People will come up and say things to me like I ‘should have been killed at birth’. It’s really awful.

“If people just sat down and took the time to listen they would understand more about it.

“I would just like to express that we are still human. Just because we have changed gender doesn’t make us alien.”

Melinda told our sister paper the Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Reporter that growing up knowing she was in the wrong body made her school days difficult.

The budding entrepreneur, who is currently setting up her own retail business, said: “I knew straight away I wanted to be a girl.

“Growing up, I’m from an all-Catholic family, and Dumbarton had a very backwards way of thinking. It was isolating and scary. I was bullied by teachers and students. It was just an awful time.

“Going through male puberty when I was in my teens was psychologically scarring.

“There was nobody to talk to about it, no campaigns like there are these days, so I had to keep it a secret.

“Back then there was no name for it. I came out as gay at 18. I knew I wasn’t but it was easier to say.”

After battling with her secret for years, at 23 Melinda finally found the courage to share her true self with her grandmother – and was overcome with relief when her family accepted her news.

Melinda then began to share her story through social media through video blogs and writing to help others.

And now s She hopes to arrange a meeting with Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie to speak on behalf of the transgender community in West Dunbartonshire. She said: “I’m hoping to talk about creating a transgender support group here in Dumbarton.” There are a lot of people who feel like they can’t leave their house.

“The government is leaving us to fend for ourselves and putting our lives at risk.

“I feel normal and free when I’m in Glasgow, it should be like that everywhere. I should be allowed to walk free as the real me.”

“Someone has to stand up and make the change. It needs to be taught about more in schools and as part of jobs.”

Ms Baillie said: “There seems to be a gap in support for the LGBT community in Dumbarton.“I think we have come a long way in changing attitudes right across Scotland but clearly there is more that can be done. A support group would have a positive impact and I look forward to meeting with Melinda. I am happy to offer any help that I can to set up a group which supports Transgender people in our community.”

A West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear of the challenges Melinda has faced. Transphobia of any kind is utterly unacceptable and there is no place for it in our society.

“We are determined to make West Dunbartonshire a welcoming, inclusive and safe place for everyone and we would be happy to speak to Melinda about her ideas on how we can help support the transgender community. We would encourage her to contact our Community Mental Health Team, based at the Riverview Resource Centre in Dumbarton, on 01389 812070.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Scotland rightly has a reputation as one of the most progressive countries in relation to LGBTI legal and human rights equality in Europe. We believe transgender and non-binary people should be treated with dignity, fairness and respect and last year we invested more than £983,800 to support LGBT organisations to raise awareness and provide support for their members.”