When Phyllis came out in 1972, she lost her military career and her first marriage. Phyllis Frye transitioned full time in 1976 which resulted in her being dismissed from her job as an engineer. In an effort to fight depression and provide a future income in 1977 she went back to school to study business administration and law at University of Houston Law Center and the University of Houston College of Business.
While a student, Ms. Frye successfully lobbied every elected official in Houston to get rid of the city ordinance against cross-dressing that made her subject to arrest each and every day. During the time of her lobbying, she was a volunteer aide for then City Council member Ernest McGowan who used her civil engineering knowledge and talents in his study of proposals before Council. Thus began Ms. Fryes long career as political activist, attorney, and civil engineer.
Phyllis is now a trial attorney in Houston, Texas, where she practices in the areas of criminal defense, divorce, wills/probate and on the cutting edge of transgender law. Phyllis is also a professional engineer where she practices civil engineering.
She is in her second marriage, to Trish. The two celebrated their silver anniversary with twenty-two of those twenty-five years presenting to the world as two women. They have an accepting son, by Phyllis's first marriage, who has a wonderful and supportive wife. Son and "daughter" consider Trish and Phyllis to be good role models for their child since Trish and Phyllis have overcome some much adversity. Phyllis was totally ostracized from her family and Trish was pressured to keep hold of her family by leaving Phyllis. Many in the neighborhood subjected them to much hatred and property destruction.
Early in transition Phyllis and Trish became active in Houston's gay community and supported many local functions, where Phyllis screened candidates for elective office who wanted gay votes. They were abandoned by most of their Republican friends yet welcomed into many Democratic political circles. In 1979 (and also in 1981, 1983 and 1985) Phyllis was elected to be an open and out transgender delegate to the Texas Democratic Party Convention. She was instrumental in bringing the Texas Democratic Party into adopting gay rights plank in its platform in 1983.
In 1981 she obtained her third and fourth degrees of a Masters in Business Administration and a Juris Doctorate. She is licensed to practice law in Texas and retains her professional engineers license as well. She remains the sole and only, "out" transgender attorney in Texas. Interestingly, she is very well respected in her field of law. Once about ten years ago, a local columnist wrote in his newspaper column to make fun of her and her working out of the closet at the courthouse.
Drying her tears, she xeroxed the column to forward a copy to every court in the county with a letter saying that it was not fair. The result was that this columnist had a very difficult time at the courthouse from then on. Understandably, while not all judges like her and not all judges understand her, many judges do like and understand her, while the rest of them respect her and treat her and her clients with respect and concentrate on the merits of the lawsuit as it should be.
As an out and open transgender woman and activist, she was elected or served four times as a Delegate to the Convention of the Democratic Party of the State of Texas in or about the years of 1980 through 1986; she became a member of the Houston League of Women Voters in 1978 and served as an elected Director and later as an elected Vice-President over Organization in 1993 and 1994; she was a Charter Member of the Houston Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners in or about 1978; she was a Charter Member of the Houston Bar Association for Human Rights - an LGBT lawyers association - in or about 1990, and was an elected Director in or about 1995.
