THE mother of a girl trapped in a boy’s body says she is raising the issue to highlight the plight of transgender people and change public attitudes, not to make money.

Saffy James, mother of 10-year-old Livvy James, dismissed the idea that she was using her daughter’s condition to make money and said the family had not made a penny out of recent publicity.

Livvy took the brave decision to leave behind her past as a boy called Sam to return to school last September as a girl.

Mrs James, aged 37, of Worcester, said: “We’re in this for the cause, not for the money.

"We’re in it so changes can be made to make life better for everyone.

“It’s not about the money. We haven’t asked for money. We haven’t received any money. There has been no money changing hands.

“This is purely done out of love for anyone transgender.”

The story - which was exclusively broken by the Worcester News - has sparked interest across the world with support expressed by the Dallas Transgender Advocates and television appearances on the BBC and an article in the New Statesman.

Mrs James said the family had declined offers of accommodation in London when BBC Breakfast wanted to interview the family because she didn’t want her daughter to miss a day at school.

The family maintain that their reason for co-operating with the national media was to raise the profile of a petition against the use of offensive words to describe transgender people in the media.

The petition criticises the use of terms in the media like “sex swap”, “tranny” and “gender bender” because of the emotional scars it leaves on transgender people.

It argues that people with gender identity issues are being murdered, beaten, threatened, bullied, teased, intimidated, disowned and are prone to suicide and self-harm.

So far the petition, which will be sent eventually to the Press Association, has attracted 1,607 signatures.

She said: “We need all the help we can get so a law is put in place about what papers can and can’t write.

"There are people out there who are working tirelessly for change.

"We just wanted to make other transgender children’s lives better, to make people aware that this is a condition and does need to be treated as such.”

• To sign the petition click here.