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PORT ANGELES — Rochelle Forrester is a woman trapped in a man’s body.
After 40 years living as a man, Forrester is learning to move like a woman, courtesy of the 12th annual Esprit Gala transgender convention in Port Angeles.
Transgender is an umbrella term that covers cross-dressers, transsexuals or intersexed people.
The lawyer and property investor from Wellington, New Zealand, has undergone five painful “reassignment” surgeries in the past four years to remove her superficial signs of manhood.
More than 200 people signed up for classes and seminars offering tips on makeup, hair styles, fashion and jewelry as well as advice on legal, medical and emotional matters at the convention.
The convention continues through Sunday at the Red Lion Hotel, 221 N. Lincoln St.
The full report appears in the Friday/Saturday editions of the Peninsula Daily News, on sale throughout Clallam and Jefferson counties. Or click onto “Subscribe” to obtain your copy by U.S. mail.