A POLICE officer undergoing gender reassignment has launched a support group to unite Southend’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Sgt Gina Denham, 52, said there was not enough support in the town when she decided to live life as a woman in November 2014.

Claiming there were “just two gay bars” in Southend, she decided to take matters into her own hands earlier this year and launched the Transpire network.

The network, which connects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their friends and family, aims to give members a place to be themselves without fear of prejudice or judgement.

Originally starting out as a Facebook group, it now has more than 140 members who regularly meet up and organise events.

Gina, who works in Basildon’s community policing team and lives in the Southend area, said: “I felt there was nothing in Southend for people like me, who are going through the same journey.

“There was only really a couple of gay bars, which restricts a lot of people.

“A lot of trans people don’t necessarily want to go to gay bars, so I wanted to create something to support and empower people.”

Within a couple of months, the support network’s following expanded- thanks to a new society set up at Southend High School for Girls.

Transpire is now a member of the Southend Association of Voluntary Services and the national LGBT consortium.

Gina, who chairs the group, said: “It has really helped me as well and because we all have ties to the local area, there is a real sense of community.

“We hold regular events called meet and eats and other meetings where we have a guest speaker to empower people.

“The efforts of so many proactive, wonderful people are putting us firmly on the map of Southend and beyond.

“My vision is that the group will just grow and grow, because of the enthusiasm of so many people, and the community spirit that exists between us. Nobody should feel isolated and now there is no reason to be.”

Last month the Echo told how Gina had received an award from the British Association for Women in Policing for her role in promoting gender equality across the force.

For more information, visit transpiresouthend.org or search for the Transpire Southend Trans Network on Facebook.