'The Sun’ Newspaper - 8th December 2003

Beside a picture titled “Head Turner… Perry with daughter Florence (11), and wife Phillipa last night”

The editorial said: A cross-dressing potter, married, ‘Grayson Perry,’ won art’s controversial £20K Turner Prize last night.

The paper quoted the winner (under the title “Cross-dresser dad wins the Turner Prize”) to have said:

"It’s about time a transvestite potter won the Turner Prize! ... I think the art world had more trouble with the idea of me being a potter than a cross-dresser”

'The Guardian’ Newspaper - Inset picture with balloons

THE INDEPENDENT Newspaper - 8th December 2003
Arts Correspondent Louise Jury wrote:

"An artist who turns giant ceramic pots into objects of cutting-edge art was the surprise winner of this year’s £20k Turner Prize last night. The most prestigious and controversial honour in British art went to Grayson Perry, 43, a family man who appeared at the award ceremony as his transvestite alter ego, Claire.

With the ceremony shown live on Channel 4 he thanked his wife, Philippa, a psychotherapist, for supporting his work. His art on glazed vases explores his personal journey portraying alter ego Claire unhappy in childhood and brings his personal story up to date by featuring his current life as a happily married man.

His daughter, Florence, also appears in a series of photographs which form part of his Turner Prize exhibit." Despite the positive images of winner, family man, wife and daughter - many of my friends and family expressed an unease with the “little girl” outfits confusing the public understanding of what they know as transvestism. This truly is a complicated issue it is evident that being a role model courts many levels of controversy.