Anniversary post 2023

 Nearly 600 posts and my blog is 12 today. Time to start thinking of puberty blockers!

Thanks to all my readers and subscribers who have made this task worthwhile, and to the metasites like T-Central and Feedspot that feature transgender blogs like this one. 

I read all comments and do my best to take suggestions into account. Do keep them coming.

On a practical level, I've made a few additions today. Mainly a search function for posts by label. I have been labelling my posts over the last three years and have started labelling early posts from 2011-12. It's a lengthy task and I've no idea when every past post might be labelled but this means you can search by topic as well as by word using the normal search function.

The early days of this blog were mainly about what I'd been doing as a trans person out in the real world. The world has changed dramatically since then and not for the better as far as my and other trans lives are concerned. I try to remain positive as I do not think the current anti-trans culture war in certain countries is actually influencing the public much and I see a lot of trans positive things out there, such as the plethora of art, photography, theatrical and online shows dedicated to us that my last few posts have highlighted.

Let's face it, being trans is not necessarily a great prize in life's lottery. But it has many rewards. No woman brought up as one that I ever met said she was glad to be a woman and all my female friends, when asked, stated that, in their view, being a man would have been better for them because of the greater strength and aggression, the higher social status, the better pay at work, the less domestic responsibility, etc. This either means we are most of us, in some respect, transgender, or that women don't appreciate how much better it is not to have to be like an 'alpha male': competitive all the time, hunting out sex and status and dominance and repression of perceived inferiors all the time, abrasive and domineering and flaw-seeking all the time, paranoid of succumbing to some other male all the time, and constantly on the alert for challenges from any quarter. But when I see the state of this male-dominated and male-oriented world I feel we lose a lot by it. Of course, women have their own challenges, not just from men but from other women that, in many ways, doubles the jeopardy. Yet, despite the threats, I love being a woman. I feel calm and happy and right when I do not feel forced to hide myself behind a male veneer. I embrace and enjoy and revel in my femininity every day. This blog is a small testament to that joy, to pushing back against abuse and repression of our trans reality.

Thanks for reading, have a lovely summer and keep being beautiful.

Sue x