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WHEN stunning Jai Dara Latto walks out in her towering four-inch heels, she looks every inch the glam beauty queen.

Every step in her stilettos takes her closer to becoming the complete woman she dreams of.

While her flowing hair and ­figure-hugging clothes make her look all woman, the Miss Transgender UK winner faces a two-year wait for the surgery that will complete her journey from male to female.

That’s a tough road to travel and the 23-year-old make-up artist is planning a different kind of journey to highlight the challenges faced by Scotland’s ­transgender community.

She’ll do it by setting off on a ­ blistering 30-mile hike in her high heels and wearing the skimpiest of outfits.

Jai said: “I want to show the long process of transition.

“I chose the route and the distance to show the time and length that many trans people have to go through to become their true identity.

“And the high heels are to show the difficulties there are while going through this process – and the pain that many trans women get when they try and fit into a female stereotype.”

In April, she will walk from her home in the village of Walkerburn in ­Peeblesshire to Edinburgh, where many in the ­transgender community take their first proper steps towards their new life by pouring out their hearts in counselling sessions.

Jai will do the walk while wearing a ­collection of lingerie and even a pair of angel wings – just like ­Victoria’s Secret models.

(Image: Jayne Wright @ Vanilla Moon Photography)

She said: “The Victoria’s Secret-style outfit is to show that trans people should be proud of their bodies no matter what stage of the transition they are on. We are all beautiful and should be seen as that.”

The walk, following a route along the A72 through ex-mining communities such as Bonnyrigg and ­Gorebridge – will take more than 10 hours.

And she’s been training by slipping into her high heels and getting on a treadmill for hours at her local gym.

“I’m testing a different pair of shoes every day from now until the walk,” she said.

“I’m finding the bigger the heel and the bigger the platform, the more support I have when I’m walking.

“Right now I’m thinking I’ll plump for a really high platform boot for maximum support.”

Jai, whose father is Scottish and mother is part-Thai, part-Indian, beat 19 other finalists to be crowned Miss Transgender UK last September.

It was a glittering confirmation that although born a boy, she could barely look more feminine. Yet not everyone was pleased with her success.

The pageant win erupted in a row with some contestants claiming Jai was too early in her ­transition to deserve success.

Others suggested she isn’t serious about having gender-swap surgery.

Another spat broke out over her prize, which included the chance of a trip to India for up to £10,000 worth of surgery.

Some claimed the surgery demeaned trans people’s treatments. Rather than regarding it as a ­necessary and lifesaving procedure, some said it was being treated like a cruise or a car.

Jai has since turned down the surgery prize and cut her ties with the pageant.

(Image: Jayne Wright @ Vanilla Moon Photography)

“I took the advice of my doctor, as I’m very early stage,” said Jai, who began her transition journey from male to female in November last year.

“I was warned that my body had to go through the right process in its own time before surgery could take place and it shouldn’t be rushed.

“People might be surprised that there can be so much bitchiness in the trans community as well as discrimination.

“When I was crowned, some people were saying I hadn’t gone through all the struggles some others had. They were treating me like a gay boy in a wig.

“I want to show that trans women go through a lot of pain from all kinds

of directions.”

The wrangle is expected to be revealed in a BBC3 documentary which followed the pageant.

And Jai will be on television screens again in an episode of C4’s Tattoo Fixers due on screen soon.

She said: “I had a tattoo across my chest that was supposed to say ‘Live and Let Die’.

“Instead, the way the letters were written made it look like it said ‘Live Pund Let Die’.”

Viewers will see Jai’s tattoo being corrected with a design featuring feminine lace trimmed roses and a stag’s head.

She is preparing for full gender realignment surgery in two years, which will give her body time to adjust to the hormonal changes that are taking place.

Everyone she knows is giving her their support, from the locals in the Borders village where she lives to her friends and family.

Jai said: “There’s a huge mix of people in the area and some people might think a small rural community might be judgmental but they’re not.

“My family are 100 per cent supportive and have always been there for whatever I wanted to do as long as it made me happy. They still refer to me as male but that’s 23 years of habit.

“I gravitated towards fashion and make-up but I played sport and go to a gym where a lot of bodybuilders go because I like the equipment they use.

“My struggle hasn’t been as hard as some people. That’s why I want to do the walk to raise £20,000 to help two Indian ­charities and one in Thailand who help underprivileged ­transgender women in rural areas who don’t have the support we have here.

“When I head off to walk in my high heels, I’ll be thinking of them and the journey they are on too.”

● To support Jai Dara Latto on her sponsored walk, visit www.gofundme.com/jais30milecatwalk