A transgender magician from Manor Park says attitudes towards people like her have become more accepting.
Victoria Elizabeth, who goes by the stage name Princess, is sharing her story in a film made by Chocolate Films for its 1,000 Londoners documentary project which profiles the lives of people living in the city.
She has been a “full time woman” since leaving her job in 2012 to focus on magic and says attitudes have noticeably improved since then.
“Society has become more accepting and there’s less violence and abuse,” Victoria said.
“The Blair government changed the law with the Gender Recognition Act and the Equality Act.
“It’s all about making society a more equal place for everyone, and not treating people as sub-human.”
Asked if life is particularly hard in east London, she said: “I can think of many places where people are more ignorant.
“I think Newham is a great place, with many different people and a very diverse community.
“I find that people are quite polite here as well.”
Victoria’s interest in magic began when she was a child.
“As a kid I loved the glamour and the mischief, and the colour of it. The fun,” she explained.
After being approached to be part of the Chocolate Films project, Victoria met with the filmmakers at the Theatre Royal in Stratford and created a film about her comedy magic shows in clubs.
A spokesman for Chocolate Films said: “She has been one of the most well received Londoners in the series by the general public so far, with over 2000 views since her film was released.”
Victoria, who has taken magic training, says writing comedy magic shows is a separate skill to preparing a normal magic performance.
“The way you write it is slightly different,” she said. “You’re not trying to scare people, you’re looking to make them laugh.”
Watch the 1,000 Londoners film about Princess by visiting newhamrecorder.co.uk
For more information about Princess’ magic, visit vedaymagic.co.uk
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