[Pantyholic]

First posted May 2004

LITTLE Hallie Baker told her parents she would kill herself if she didn't get her way – but this was no childish tantrum.
For the six-year-old was begging her mum and dad to let her transform herself into a BOY.

And for the three years since then, Hallie has had her way, answering to the name Hal, while being treated as a lad at home and school.
Now "he" plans to start taking hormones at the onset of puberty to stop him growing breasts.

This week, Hal's disturbing story was told on the Oprah Winfrey show in America, when his mother Karen sobbed as she looked at pictures of Hallie looking cute in a dress.
Karen, who has another daughter, said: "It's painful to look at photos of Hallie. I had dreams of my girls growing up together, doing the whole wedding thing.
"Those are pictures of a little girl that is gone and she'll never come back. I had to grieve that.
Severe ... with her long hair savagely cropped the nine-year-old is now living as a boy

"For a while I felt a little guilty about that, because other parents truly have lost their children. I did - but I gained a son. Although I miss my daughter, I am so lucky to see my son Hal happy.
" Karen added: "She was my beautiful baby girl but from a very young age she kept saying she wanted to be a boy.
"We thought she was just a tomboy, then we thought she might be a lesbian. But she insisted she was a boy. We went to a therapist who said they believed Hallie was transgendered.
"We thought, 'Well, let's give it a try.' We let him live as a boy and he just blossomed."

And talking about his decision to take hormones when he reaches puberty, Karen added: "He knows his options about hormones. It will be his decision.
"But we have told him, 'If you ever change your mind, you tell us.'"
Hal, who wore trousers, a shirt and tie for his TV appearance, looked at photos of himself as a girl and told Oprah: "While living as Hallie I really started to hate myself.

FULL story and pictures can be found HERE The online Sun newspaper