ON THE eve of her 30 mile catwalk, a transgender woman from the Borders is gathering strength from the beauty pageant which once shunned her. 

Jai Dara Latto, from Walkerburn, was stripped of her Miss Transgender UK title after a row erupted that she wasn't feminine enough.

She has since severed all ties with the pageant, which she claims forces trans-women into a female stereotype.

And tomorrow, the 23-year-old will be walking from her hometown of Walkerburn to Edinburgh Castle - in four inch heels - to raise awareness of the struggles trans-women face as well as raise money for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) charities.

Jai is already on a tough journey as she endures her two-year wait for the surgery that will complete her transition from male to female.

The whole process is, mentally and physically, a tough road to go down - which is what her 30 mile trek is symbolising.

Jai's cross-country catwalk - 31.94 miles - will take her over ten hours to complete, a feat many would find difficult in trainers let alone stilettos.

Looking ahead to the big event, she said: "I have mixed emotions, it's been a long wait so I'm just really keen to get going. But obviously there are certain parts that will be really difficult. I think it will be really empowering once I've completed it.

"The distance is to show the time and length that many trans people have to go through to become their true identity.

"The high heels are to show the difficulties there are while going through this process, and also the pain that many trans women get when they try and fit into a female stereotype."

Jai has 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.

She will also be having three costume changes along the way, with a different Victoria Secret-style outfit for every 10 miles.

"People in transition can sometimes go into a bit of a cocoon and hide themselves away, only coming back 'to life' sort of when they're fully transitioned.

"The Victoria secret outfits are to show that trans people should be proud of their bodies no matter what stage of the transition that they are on. We are all beautiful and should be seen as that."

The former Peebles High School pupil was crowned Miss Transgender Scotland and Miss Transgender UK last year, but not everybody was happy with her success.

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

"I had my Miss UK title stripped and was criticised because I wore boxers - it wasn't seen as feminine enough. 

“When I was crowned, some people were saying I hadn’t gone through all the struggles some others had."

She has since severed all ties with the pageant, which she claims forces transgender women into a female stereotype.

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

"I want to show that transitioning takes a different amount of time for each individual, there's no rush, and no set timescale of when you should be doing this or wearing that. It important that people transition at their own pace - everybody's different.

"I'm also walking 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