The Porsche 911's role in a trans woman's life
How the Porsche 911 helped a trans woman on her journey to her true self. From Anthony Belcher to Antonia Belcher, on a journey of authenticity, behind the wheel of a Porsche 911.
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00:00 From man to woman, on the path to one's true self in a 911.
00:05 I've bought more cars, more Porsche cars as a woman than I ever bought as a man.
00:10 On the courageous journey Antonia is on, it was the Porsche 911 that played and still plays a crucial role.
00:18 For me, being able to be Antonia and to get in my Porsche,
00:22 yeah, it was just another step on my journey to fully authenticate my life.
00:28 A transgender story with a happily ever after, filled with pride and self-awareness.
00:35 Dream big, dream out of the box.
00:38 Everything and anything is possible.
00:42 But above all, love is the most powerful thing.
00:47 I love driving. I love driving Porsches. I love driving my 911s.
00:58 I confront gender stereotypes.
01:01 The Porsche I see is very gender diverse.
01:06 Maybe I'm more Porsche than just owning Porsche cars.
01:11 Parked in front of her house in Putnam, to the south of London, stand Porsche 911s of every epic.
01:20 Currently there are more than half a dozen.
01:23 To Antonia, the Porsche 911 is a timeless machine, built for eternity.
01:28 Porsches can last easily 50 years, if not even longer.
01:34 Maybe God drives a 911. We don't know.
01:37 At the end of the day, they're an automobile, aren't they?
01:39 I mean, they are a car, but just one of the best cars.
01:46 So that's me as a young boy.
01:51 She bought her first Porsche 911 as a man named Anthony Belcher.
01:56 Could have had my first Porsche then.
02:03 So at a young age, I sort of thought, I'm not really a boy.
02:13 And I tried to lock away who I really was.
02:16 I realized that the best way to keep it locked away was to keep myself really busy.
02:21 And through working hard, I got promotion, all the trappings of a successful life.
02:26 Met a lovely girl, married her, had children.
02:29 I was doing all the things that I thought society wanted me to do.
02:33 And so Anthony Belcher found himself heading a huge real estate firm.
02:38 And I was really successful, and therefore I had lots of people doing all the work.
02:44 And I just had time to think about it, and I started to think about this person, this being that I'd locked away.
02:50 And I realized that that person wanted life and wanted to do things.
02:55 So then I led the second life for five years.
02:58 Thus began a double life.
03:02 From Monday to Friday, she lived in London.
03:07 On weekends with the family, and when at the office, life continued as Anthony.
03:13 But on weekends, having dressed as a woman, she mingled with people as Antonia.
03:18 And when I was going out in the evening as Antonia, I did go out in my Porsches, yes.
03:25 For me, being able to be Antonia and to get in my Porsche,
03:30 yeah, it was just another step on my journey to fully authenticate my life.
03:35 I felt great. Yeah, I felt alive.
03:38 And that was part of my double life, was being able to be Antonia.
03:44 And, yeah, I was growing into that person and becoming that person.
03:48 In 2003 came the decision to finally transition through gender reassignment surgery.
03:56 And the family, comprising three children and wife Andrea, were suddenly confronted with a new reality.
04:06 What have you been doing out there?
04:08 For her, it was, you know, total shock and Armageddon.
04:14 It was a long journey. Obviously, a couple of years, there was lots of things going on.
04:18 But ultimately, she said to me that Tony with a Y, Anthony, Tony with a Y, had died and she'd mourned his death.
04:29 But there's this other Tony, Tony with an I, that's still here and still in my life.
04:35 And I'd really like us to stay together. And that's how it really happens.
04:39 As far as problems go, there's just one.
04:51 Sports cars really aren't my thing. I'm not a speed freak. I don't like speed.
05:00 That's why when mashing the pedal in her Porsches, Antonia is usually alone.
05:05 She doesn't like driving, though. So even when we're in her car, I end up driving.
05:13 I enjoy driving fast. I belong to a ladies' Porsche club.
05:17 The Porsche I see is very gender diverse.
05:20 There's lots of things about me which I have wanted to change in transitioning.
05:29 And in a way, I've actually bought more Porsche cars as a woman than I ever bought as a man.
05:37 A woman who really loves the experience of driving Porsche 911s.
05:44 Being in command of a vehicle that you know is going to do exactly what you tell it to do,
05:53 from a handling point of view, you can understand what the car is trying to do.
05:58 There's a lot going on that just makes you as a driver a much better driver.
06:03 It was in 1963 that Ferry Porsche, along with sons Ferdinand Alexander and Wolfgang,
06:12 got the first ever 911 out onto the streets.
06:15 Since then, for 60 long years, the car has developed further.
06:19 But its basic DNA has remained unchanged.
06:22 The coupe-like shape and rear-wheel drive, paired with a heartwarming six-cylinder boxer engine.
06:29 But Antonia's beloved Porsches were at risk when she decided to come out into the male-dominated real estate world as a woman.
06:36 I had the total risk of losing my job. Had I had to lose it all, then I would have lost it all.
06:42 It was important to be the true me.
06:45 We only have one life. It's not a dress rehearsal, in my opinion.
06:51 I wanted to live the rest of my life as the true me.
06:53 As a well-connected top-level manager, Antonia was already too important to simply be fired.
07:00 But the decision was made to found a new company and set out as a woman in the real estate industry.
07:06 And the entire team from her old company chose to follow her.
07:10 Antonia's professional success motivated her to campaign for the fair treatment of trans people in society.
07:19 For which, in 2022, she was awarded the Order of the British Empire.
07:23 Obviously, I was very nervous. I had to learn to courtesy. I'd never courtesied before in my life.
07:30 That was a bit of a challenge, making sure I didn't make a mess of it in front of the King.
07:34 It's nice that the royal family recognise it.
07:38 At the moment, our politics are less accepting, but certainly it's lovely to see the royal family doing this.
07:47 It gives me strength that we need to carry on.
07:49 Antonia also founded the Give Out Foundation with Elliot Vaughan.
07:55 The aim is to support trans people, especially in countries where being trans is still taboo,
08:01 and where the fight for trans rights is still ongoing.
08:04 They've already collected more than 100,000 euros in donations,
08:10 and thus contributed to trans causes around the world.
08:15 I've been privileged because when you're a senior in your business,
08:18 you can influence change much easier than if you're not.
08:22 I also want to help the world understand the discrimination or the hate or the bullying.
08:27 It's largely because people don't understand. They fear who we are.
08:31 I mean, we're no different to everyone else. They should have no fear.
08:34 Antonia has just the most unique way of connecting.
08:37 And I would say even car club members coming along and being part of the discussion
08:43 and saying, "Look, I don't really know much about this, but I really know Antonia well,
08:47 and I really want to support this."
08:49 Antonia also uses many car and vintage car events to draw attention to the Transgender Foundation.
08:58 She feels most comfortable among Porsche fans, the community, with a very special philosophy.
09:07 Maybe I'm more Porsche than just owning Porsche cars.
09:13 A work in progress.
09:15 I think it's persistence, isn't it? If you want to do something, it's a bit like me.
09:22 If you want to be who you know you are, then it's persistence. It's keep going.
09:29 Keep going, refining and improving and getting there.
09:37 Antonia Belcher, a trans woman whose overwhelming love for the Porsche 911
09:43 helps her fight with passion against stereotypes, defy conventions,
09:48 and in the end stay true to her authentic self.
09:51 Someone who loves pushing the limit and zooming past boundaries,
09:56 preferably behind the wheel of her Porsche 911.
10:00 9/11.