Alice Denny is a British poet and transgender woman from Brighton, England, whose writing explores the joys and challenges of womanhood, identity, love and social injustice. Having transitioned later in life, after raising her children, she found a renewed sense of energy and freedom to express herself through poetry and performance. Rather than defining herself primarily through her transgender identity, she sees herself first and foremost as a woman, a parent and a poet. Through her work and participation in Brighton’s transgender community, she has helped bring personal experiences of transition, prejudice and self-acceptance into public view. Born in Hertfordshire, Denny studied at university in Devon before moving to Sussex, where she worked as a psychiatric nurse. She eventually settled in Brighton, initially to be closer to her son and friends and to gain better access to the services she needed for her transition. The support she found through the LGBT Switchboard and the Clare Project helped her navigate this new chapter of her life.
In July 2014, Denny participated in Brighton Trans*formed, an exhibition celebrating the lives and experiences of 23 transgender, genderqueer and intersex people through photography, oral histories and installations. She also took part in Brighton's Trans Pride celebrations, embracing opportunities to share her experiences and connect with others. Although she did not consider herself an activist in the conventional sense, she believed in the importance of meeting people, exchanging experiences and challenging prejudice. Her poetry became a particularly personal way of contributing to that effort, giving voice to the complicated emotions of transition, the pain of discrimination and the joy of finally living authentically. In her poems, Denny draws inspiration from her own experiences, relationships and strong feelings about social injustice. She writes not simply to describe the difficulties faced by transgender women, but also to celebrate womanhood, love and the freedom to be oneself.
