User:JustineSmithies/sandbox

Justine Smithies is a marine electronics engineer to trade and trans rights activist. She was voted 93rd on the Diva Magazine.

Early life
Justine Smithies was born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire and has lived in various places such of Erdington, Birmingham, Trefor, North Wales and now resides in Cruden Bay, Scotland. From a very early age Justine knew that something was wrong about who she thought she was and felt that she couldn't tell anyone especially family for fear of being locked up in a mental institution. She found it hard to make friends and interact with people of the gender that she was assigned at birth.

Work
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Activism
In 2015 Justine was invited to be a keynote speaker for the Stonewall Scotland "Work Place Conference" in Edinburgh. This was the first time that Justine had ever spoken in public after years of hiding in the shadows. In 2016 Justine featured in the BBC One Scotland documentary "Transgender Love" which followed six trans men and women in Scotland as they struggle to find love and maintain existing relationships. She was also invited to speak at Clydesdale Bank in Glasgow as a joint initiative with law firm Pinsent Massons. In 2017 Justine featured in the SBS TV documentary "My Big Question" exploring different families for their South Korean viewers. Justine has also worked with various educational establishments and organisations around the UK such as The University of Sunderland ,Clydesdale Bank, Pinsent Masons, Centrica plc ,Golden Jubilee National Hospital ,Tesco

Personal life and identity
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