Anna's Place

Six go mad in Tewkesbury, or... "Re‑enactors do it with big weapons" (July 2003)

Many trans people understandably start totally new lives when they transition, leaving behind all they were before. I learnt fairly quickly that I could never do that by choice...but I may well have tried to do exactly that if it wasn't for my friend Jo - who back in August 2002 made me promise to contact old friends again. I owe her a lot for that!

As a result, one weekend in July 2003 I paid a visit to an event that has had a big influence in my life - Tewkesbury Medieval Fayre. The last time I had been went to this event was in 1997 (a week after I married), so it was particularly filled with emotion for me. Not only was I fortunate enough to visit with several new friends, but I also bumped into friends from my past (in the beer tent, oddly enough!) who I haden't seen for years. For a while I considered rejoining the re-enactment circuit, but in practice it didn't happen.

These photos are dedicated to my dear friend Carol-Nerise Booth, who tragically passed away a few years after these photos were taken. Rest in power, Carol.