A man has revealed his controversial love story with a transgender woman in a bid to hit back at those who “slam” their relationship.
David had always looked for loyalty, honesty, and integrity within his relationships, and focused on finding the “perfect” woman who ticked those boxes.
While the scaffolder, 44, had previously found love, he never felt “satisfied” and couldn’t quite place his finger on what was missing.
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Then, he stumbled across Ayla, 30, while on Instagram and instantly became smitten with the glamour model – with the pair moving in with each other after just six months of speaking.
David – who knew Ayla was transgender before messaging her – feels “lucky” to have found her and now, he’s advocating for others with their romance, despite the backlash online.
“I cut the negativity out of my life, as it’s far too short to worry about what others think,” David, from Edinburgh, told What’s The Jam.
“Never hide who you love and never feel ashamed or embarrassed.
“Show off the person you love, who makes you happy, to the world and enjoy being together.
“One day it could all end in an instant – so embrace it.
“People say our relationship is a ‘lie’ and that god will judge us.
“Others have said that I’m in denial and that we should keep our ‘crazy’ life private.
“Negativity grows, like poison, so it’s best to cut it out.
“Love has no boundaries and anybody can love anyone.
“It shouldn’t matter who they are or their past.
“And there’s nothing that could be said which would tear us apart.”
Ayla, from Isle of Skye, knew she was a woman at heart from a young age.
While she’s received hurtful comments over the years, she says her family has been supportive each step of the way.
But before finding love with David, she struggled in relationships.
Ayla, a content creator with 12,000 followers on Instagram, (@officialhotscot ), said: “If a guy liked me, I’d have to run away because I knew I couldn’t be with anyone until I’d dealt with being trans.
“I needed to transition into a place where I felt comfortable enough to be in my own skin.
“And after my surgeries, I met a guy, but I always felt like I wasn’t good enough for him.
“We’d only meet exclusively in hotels and I thought that was the best I’d ever get.
“I feel really sad looking back at that now, as I was so grateful for the bare minimum.
“But with David, he instantly gave me everything I’d ever dreamed of and thought wasn’t possible.
“He would hold my hands in public on our first date and was proud to be seen with me.”
After the pair began speaking in October 2022, with them first meeting two months later, they have since moved in together and got engaged.
Luckily, they’ve had the love and support from their friends and family, too.
David added: “I have received no negative comments or anything like that from those closest to me.
“I’m happy and that’s all that matters to them.
“To me, she has always been a woman and it’s never been any different.”
Ayla added: “When others judged, he only supported me.
“He was proud to introduce me to his kids and parents.
“And he’s only ever helped me in anything I want to do.
“I instantly fell for him and we’re inseparable.”
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