The Magic Circle is on a quest to find a long-lost member who was expelled from the organization in the 90s for masquerading as a man. Prior to 1991, the Magic Circle, a British organization established in 1905 for magicians, was exclusively male. This changed when a vote passed by 75% allowed women to join, and the October 1991 meeting marked the first time female magicians were present. During this pivotal meeting, magician Raymond Lloyd revealed one of the organization’s most remarkable illusions: he had been a woman all along. With the help of fellow female magician Jenny Winstanley, Sophie Lloyd had created her male alter-ego, Raymond, and had been performing as a teenage boy for over a year and a half. Known for her impressive trick of making five-pound notes vanish in flames, Lloyd was promptly ejected from the Magic Circle, which found her deception contrary to its new inclusive policy.
The Magic Circle has evolved significantly since its inception in 1905, when women were denied membership due to their alleged inability to keep secrets. Megan Swann, known as Megan Knowles-Bacon, became the organization’s first female president in 2021. Despite this progress, only 5% of the organization’s 1,700 members are women. Now, the organization is attempting to locate Lloyd to re-induct her. Current president Marvin Berglas believes she should not have been expelled in 1991. The search is being spearheaded by the Magic Circle’s first female chair, Laura London.
The challenge lies in finding Lloyd, who disappeared after being kicked out. Disillusioned, she seemingly retired from magic. Beyond a 1997 local news article, there is no trace of her. Unfortunately, Winstanley passed away in 2004, but her son confirmed that Lloyd’s name was likely a stage name, and her actual first name was Sue. “We sincerely hope that Sophie can be found so that we can welcome her back into our society,” Berglas stated. London expressed the Magic Circle’s urgency to rectify this mistake, stating, “I think just to sit down with her and hear her side of the story would be wonderful for us. But more than that, we could invite her back into the society, which would be the most incredible thing.”
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