News At Ten

Bong!

Just over ten years ago, for some reason lost to the mists of time, I decided to type my thoughts into an online journal.

For better or worse it's still going and to my great surprise some people read it. Although I skirt around other things it is primarily trans / lgbtq subjects I post about,many changes have occurred in that time almost nobody in the media says "transgendered" and many trans, non binary and queer terms that have exploded alongside older terms like transvestite giving people more and better language to express themselves. Transphobic humour is also becoming less acceptable and regulators have began to intervene as the TV Burp example showed.

The Gender Recognition Act, was also a relatively new thing, while the hard won right to have ones sex officially changed was welcomed it was flawed at the time, more than a decade on it looks over complicated, over medicalised, expensive and unnecessary. The right to being recognised as ones true sex should not be dependant on being able to jump through a bureaucratic maze.

There is a lot more LGBTQ related materials out there including help, support and advice I am just a section of the queer bubble which has gotten bigger and has many fantastic artists, writers, etc, but it is still a queer bubble, outside there is still a lot of hatred and strong push back from the tiny advances made let alone those needed.

Enough about all that, there's personal reflections as well which I'll save for another time.

Happy tin anniversary to my blog!

Hot Stuff

Hot weather is a particular challenge for trans people whether the that be wigs, binders, padding or forms. Or, seeing far too many pictures of tell tale tan lines on arms. My normal outfit normally starts with a lot of industrial shape-wear to hold, tuck and pad even for a modest outfit. Though when the temperature creeps into the upper 20s it's time for a rethink and to realise that most people are going to be resembling a very sweaty Betty.

More Soon

Oops! Been neglecting this thing again, like an abandoned phone box.

 

Time + Inclination

So some kind of election thingy has been and gone. This blog has stayed out of the frey, but if it did I'd like like to think that it's single policy of flogging people who take the negative offer on The Chase would have been very successful.

Had the meeting of time plus inclination and tried out things I'd only seen or read, like makeup colours and concealers along with the odd outfit ranging from full on feminine to totally androgen.

So I'm feeling tired and the computer is inpatiently telling me to install these updates, probably a good time to pause and say till next time.

Chi

The Chi sculpture, a maligned piece of "modern" art in Swindon town centre. It was paid for by a financial services firm and sculpted by Michael Warren in 1991. Intended as a focal point to enjoy lunch or sit down, with benches and trees surrounding it between the central Post Office and local offices. The idea of a focal point happened, just not the way they expected as the drunks found it an agreeable spot and the sculpture became a magnet for graffiti. Over time the post office was pulled down, benches disappeared and the sculpture cleaned up. So there it stands today mainly ignored by those heading to the bus station.

Decoraring and Girlishly Pink Sites

Back once again for the renegade master...

...With the ill behaviour, another year older *pulls party popper* but hardly wiser.

I've been doing some decorating and spring cleaning, currently wondering why I spent so long moving a bookcase to paint behind it as the bookcase immediately goes back and obscures any work. Then it gives a chance to find the things that fall behind like a box of liqueur chocolates long past their best before, a pay slip from a former job and a card from an old transgender group with a Geocities address (now gone along with so many girlishly pink trans sites and eye-watering early gif's), all coming together like a unintentional time capsule.

And don't forget vote No. 6.

It's Been A Few Weeks

Well hello, you're looking great today, I like what you've done with that...thing... there. 

Happy easter, passover, vaisakhi if you've marked any of those and happy post easter reduced chocolate eggs day if you're celebrating that. For me it's catching up on sleep and family hence the brevity this time round. 

See you soon L.

Late Book

For whatever reason every school I've attended from pre-school to sixth form college has been demolished 6 buildings in all, none particularly great buildings and one I would have happily helped out for the fantastic sense of catharsis. Although I hope they preserved the late books, in some ways my greatest works of fiction as excuse the fact I couldn't be bothered to get up early enough to risk missing the second bell.

For no reason...

Selling On Women's Day

I'm sure you were aware that last Wednesday was international women's day, what was once a twitter date, tho one with serious intentions seems to have been cottoned onto by brands messages along the lines of "happy international women's day, why not celebrate it by covering up your wrinkles..." seems rather crass given the many protests. Its far from a hallmark holiday.

Overpriced Flowers Day

It's the middle of the month of February and youth know what that means, happy overpriced flowers day! It's also a bit of a continuous slap in the face for those looking or lonely. Not that I'll be buying any, instead I'll be tediously reminding folks that diamonds are the most common gem around and no matter how you try to market them as chocolate diamonds, brown diamonds look horrible.

Mental Notes

As I've mentioned in previous years I don't make new years resolutions although I have made a few mental notes. The usual things around health and wealth and to go out occasionally (at least more often than last year). I've given the blog a tidy after a long period of neglect, hopefully the dead links are gone and its mobile friendly.

I'm sure you came here for my hot take on this months transgender documentary, this one being a particularly controversial doozy of a film, but I haven't got round to seeing it yet. A bath and the end of Death In Paradise rather distracted me. Yes, seeing Kris Marshall wander round a Caribbean island solving a conventional whodunnit wins out for me over hearing what Dr Zucker thinks easily. I may watch it eventually but I'd probably have to be emotionally ready as well as having the time.

MMXVII

Hopefully Father Santa brought you something great.

May you be happy, confident and fierce!

The Happy Christmas Entry

For everyone who has made it through blogmas, a very happy Christmas.

Swindon 175

2016 is the 175th anniversary of Swindon New Town and the railway works down the hill from the old market town which the new settlement took its name. The works closed in the 80s after several decades of post war decline, today the site is dominated by a retail area, a railway museum and the National Trust headquarters, the latter a magnificent futurist eco building surrounded by echoes of the towns heritage.

The Trans Lobby

The thought of there being a powerful transgender lobby is quite ridiculous when you consider the hurdles and waiting lists many have to endure and the fact many would argue that day is night just to be argumentative.

In these times when anti-intellectualism seems widespread I guess there are many who would ignore evidence that enforcing gender conformity on to is more damaging than treating trans, intersex and non binary children and that activists are out to damage normal children.