A glam young trans woman who is bravely sharing her experience online has hit back at vicious trolls who accuse her of 'misleading' men.
Tayla Dow, from Bolton, says she realised she was trans around the age of 13 and has since used social media to gain more insight into the community and to help understand herself.
But now aged 20, Tayla has been inundated with negative comments who have accused her of 'assault' for not revealing she is transgender to men who approach her in nightclubs.
Trolls claim Tayla is a 'catfish' for not disclosing she's trans before allowing men to buy her drinks and kiss her - but she defiantly says they 'don't deserve to know'.
And Tayla insists it wouldn't be safe to tell every boozed-up bloke that approaches her on nights out that she's trans.
In a candid video, she says she always tells men that she is trans before going on dates or having any sexual contact with them and feels before those stages it's 'none of their business'.
She said: "I get quite a bit of male attention on nights out but I don't go out to seek that out, I just go out to have fun.
"If someone approaches me in a club scenario when everyone's drunk, and I know not all men are okay with it, I don't feel like it's safe for me to expose everything about my life.
"Especially to someone that I don't even know for the sake of them buying me a drink or whatever. As long as it's nothing sexual I feel like it's none of their business."
Tayla says she feels that sharing a kiss 'isn't too far' without disclosing her personal information.
But many infuriated replies online slammed her actions as 'deceitful' - while some people even said it should be 'illegal' or warned that it 'could end badly' if someone found out afterwards.
"If someone is to kiss me then I don't say anything unless I feel comfortable telling them," she said.
"I don't think that's too far and I don't see it as assault at all, people take it the wrong way.
"There's men who go out to clubs and get with girls who've got girlfriends at home, there's people who've got STDs that have sex with people after a night out and don't tell them.
"Of course, if it was anything sexual or serious, like meeting up and going on a date, then I'd tell them.
"People should try and put themselves in my shoes and see it from my perspective but obviously if you have a prejudice against trans people then you're never going to understand it."
In the clip shared on Tiktok, Tayla added: "There's loads of people being like 'you should be telling men you're trans on a night out, they deserve to know, you're sick, you're vile, blah blah blah'.
"No I'm not, they don't deserve to know."
After keeping it to herself until she left school, Tayla came out as trans aged 16 and visited her GP, who referred her to a specialist gender clinic.
She then began transitioning with hormone replacement therapy and experimenting with makeup, hair and outfits.
Now a young woman, she often gets men approaching her on nights out trying to chat her up.
Furious online trolls have accused her of 'assault' for revealing that she usually doesn't disclose that she's trans in nightclubs, but she has hit back at these comments as 'prejudiced'.
One comment said: "It is most certainly their business, you are taking their choice away."
Another said: "This should be illegal."
However, others came out in support of Tayla, saying it's no one's business but hers before things get intimate and agreeing that she's right to protect her own safety.
One said: "People acting like you should have it written on your forehead. As long as you tell them before engaging in sexual activity it's not anyone's business."
Another said: "It's unnecessary [because] she'll most likely never see them again and honestly just dangerous."
Tayla has spent £30,000 on procedures including facial feminisation surgery last year - which included a rhinoplasty, chin augmentation, forehead reconstruction, brow bone shave and lift, hairline lowering and implants under her eyes.
She has also had lip and cheek filler and wears pricey £850 extensions as part of her glam look.
She says these procedures have helped her transition and gain social acceptance as a woman but admits that dating remains 'complicated'.
She says she openly states that she's trans in her Tinder bio so that men 'know from the get go' if they are pursuing her romantically.
Tayla said: "Obviously I'm quite lucky to have a passing privilege, meaning I pass as a woman easier I guess because I've had stuff done so it's easier for people to be attracted to me.
"But when it comes to actual dating it becomes difficult because even if the person is okay with it, their family and friends would have to be okay with it as well and they would have to be okay with not having biological kids unless we got a surrogate.
"Some people are fine with it, some people aren't, I guess it just depends on preference, which is fine.
"Sometimes it's hard because there are people that fetishise it.
"It's there in my Tinder bio for them to read so they can make their opinions and decisions based on that information.
"Some people match me and then unmatch me without saying anything. Some people can be a bit insensitive or some people are absolutely fine with it and just talk to me normally."
Posting openly on her TikTok account about her transition and the transphobic comments she receives, Tayla hopes to combat prejudiced viewpoints and abuse.
Tayla said: "I feel like I've really come a long way especially because I'm only 20 - I'm still not exactly where I want to be but I'm a lot more comfortable and happy in myself.
"I think the negative comments come from a place of prejudice or people not being educated enough.
"They don't understand that I'm still a woman."
