Public and personal Pride

 I'm not sure how many people made it to Milano Pride at the weekend. According to the organisers, it was 350,000 like last year but the newspapers estimated it as a lot lower as temperatures of 40°C put people off. I tolerate heat well, but 40°C with a wig on is no joke and I wouldn't attempt it. All praise therefore to those who did venture out.

I'm pleased to hear that Budapest Pride in Hungary took place in an altogether less threatening atmosphere than last year following the change of government. Ironically, last year's ban brought 200,000 people onto the streets; now it's down to a more normal 35,000, but the point's been made.

Apart from that, my conclusions are much the same as I posted this time last year. I don't think LGBT bashing is making the headway its promoters want despite all their noise. Most people are more concerned about jobs, the cost of living, war and corruption to have much time for fretting that there are LGBT people in the world. I say most; I have finally had about enough altogether with my bigoted family who seem to have infinite time to hate people. More on strategy to deal with that another day, though.

So that was Pride Month. For those who live with a different sexuality or another gender, it doesn't last a month but for ever, though. 

 

Heatwave

It's been a week of high though not intolerable temperatures and, as above, I've not really wanted to get fully made up and bewigged. Loose tops, shorts or short skirts and flipflops are the order of the day. 

We keep being promised thunderstorms but they don't come and it doesn't look like it'll drop much from the current 34-37C for the foreseeable future.

Although I have easy access to an open-air pool and the sea is just below home, I'm thinking of investing in an inflatable pool for the terrace. Lots of my neighbours have one and it'd enable me to cool off in a swimsuit or bikini in greater privacy. 

Continuing weight loss

Hot weather dampens my appetite altogether and I'm eating little more than salad and fruit at the moment. Oh, and ice cream. But I have dropped lots this week and am now just over 70 kg (11 stone) so maybe another month at this rate and I'll be back in my healthy weight range. I'm excited at the prospect of getting to wear those pretty clothes I've been unable to fit into for so long, especially those adorable floaty summer dresses and those black evening numbers.

 

 

 

Garden

I have about 60 cactuses and succulents now, and they are enjoying the hot weather. My latest cactus has put out another pink flower for me. 

I was asked for photos of Arnold the Olive laden with fruit. Arnold is only five years old so I'm impressed with his efforts. The olives are green now but they will turn black when ripe.

 

Broken phone

My UK mobile phone is broken and I need to get a new handset. Please be patient if you are trying to call or text me from the UK this week. I had this phone for just three years so I'm not impressed with the durability.

 

Have a good week.

Sue x  

Things that work and things that don't

 A mixed bag today.

 

Slow updates

Blogger is being incredibly slow to update my blogroll and others. Increasingly, it has been taking hours, and now several days is normal. Even weeks in some cases. I can't explain why this is and have no idea what to do about it. I'm posting this on Tuesday so maybe people will become aware of it on Friday, which is always the Main Trans Blogging Day!

 

Pride Month

Pride month continues and here in Italy events in big cities like Genoa and Rome have been very well attended. Milan Pride has been going on all week and is expected to end in the biggest parade of all this Saturday. 

Rome's Pride was marred by an attack by fascist activists who squirted pepper spray on the rainbow families float in Rome. (Despite the disaster that fascism had brought to Italy by 1945, it still has its adherents. Hard to believe, but true.) Despite this violence, the rainbow families continued their parade. It's a reminder as to why we have Pride. 

Attacking families! Seriously! Maybe, if they are so opposed to Pride Parade we could propose an annual Shame Show for fascists and fundamentalists.

 

No AI

I've felt it advisable to put on my About page that this site does not use AI. One or two copyright-free images I've used are AI but none of the photos or text here are. 

Technology can be a useful tool, or a destructive one. Internet, broadband and small home computers revolutionised my industry making it faster, easier, more connected, more productive and so providing a better living. But at the same time, AI is taking some of our bread-and-butter work away. 

In terms of art, another line of work I used to do, AI is ruining human talent and creativity. There is nothing like being creative, working with your hands, making music... It's what humans have developed over thousands of years. That redundancy started with photography that took the livelihoods of jobbing artists who painted portraits, signs, interior decorations and so forth. Why pay a person to take time over an illustration when you can just snap the scene? Visual and creative AI and other technology may make life easier, quicker and cheaper (the great mantra of our age), but talent and creativity make that life worth living. What humans are best at is being made redundant.

I saw an interview with a girl in England where they plan to remove social media for the young. "You spent nine hours on social media this weekend. What will you do when you no longer have it?" asked the interviewer. "Stare at the wall," was her reply. How sad. She has no talents to hone and share? no curiosity? no desire to socialise for real? It does suggest she's hooked. And there is scope for better platforms.

Technology is a double-edged sword. Use it wisely.

 

Heatwave and slimming

Yes, it's hot. Even I who love the heat am having difficulty sleeping. 

The good thing is that heat makes you want to eat less and that's working wonders for my figure. I'm the lightest I've been for at least 15 years now and still going down. With luck, by the end of the summer I'll be where I want to be, but I'm not settting a target. Events have a habit of getting in the way. As will that big tub of ice cream I've ordered!

 

The revolving door

I see Britain has lost another Prime Minister. It's really very careless. A bit like constantly losing change down the back of the sofa.

The UK's main political problem is not The Economy, which is presented as the yardstick for judging how things are going, but the fact that its head of government has far more power than any other such position in a Western democracy but the postition is chiefly subject to party support, not to mention the whims of the PM's personality. This makes the UK more of an oligarchy than any other Western country. Resolve this one problem and government there should improve as power becomes more devolved as it used to be. It's as though Britain has forgotten the lessons it learnt very hard in the 17th century with its absolute monarchs and fundamentalist ideologies and the divisions they caused. Never concentrate power into the hands of one man or small group.

Ah, the 17th century! When Britain sent its political undesirables, its religious maniacs, its corrupt businessmen, its criminals and its pirates to America where they could never cause any more trouble again.

 

Sue x

Pride Month - the creative groove

 I used to post regularly about trans creativity in the world of arts, music and books but last year's difficulties didn't give me so much time. For this Pride Month, though, I'm back to pointing out just a few pro-LGBT items from the creative side of things I've read about this week to add to last week's post about positive news form the worlds of science and current affairs. 

 

Art

1) David Hockney, one of the foremost painters and stage designers of our era, died a few days ago, aged 88. He was bold in depicting queer themes when homosexuality was still illegal. Here's a BBC obituary showing his 1961 painting We 2 Boys Together Clinging and the naked Peter Getting Out of Nick's Pool from 1966. These works suggested same-sex relationships were peaceful and normal. As this obituary in The Guardian points out, rather than the direct activist approach, Hockney's art presented beauty, intimacy and desire in a way that anyone could identify with. Along with his old-fashioned notion that people like art that they can understand, this created a winning formula, to the benefit of the whole queer community. I have often felt that the oblique approach like this is often better than head-on clashes. Life for LGBT+ people is perfectly normal, except that we either prefer same-sex relationships or simply living as the gender we feel most akin to. I can say that it's the quiet banality of everyday living as a woman that gives me more joy than anything.

 

2) Pop art: Andy Warhol in Ferrara 

Fifty years ago, Andy Warhol presented an exhibition at Ferrara, Italy, entitled Ladies and Gentlemen, 105 works depicting Manhattan's drag queens. It was a departure from his previous work depicting Mao or Monroe in that none of the portraits were of famous people. That exhibition is currently being commemorated in the same place with more of his works. The gallery's introduction in English here: Ladies & Gentlemen

 

3) Photography: Robert Mapplethorpe in Milan

Iconic photographer of the '60s to '80s; the exhibition in Milan of his sculptural male nudes, drag queens and other queer people has, sadly, just ended but was well received and was put on largely to coincide with the winter olympics. Short English description here.

 

Musicals

"Freak! the Musical" is an Italian steampunk spectacle set in 1892 in the imaginary city of Janua. The Freaks, rejects from science experiments, live underground trying to find dignity in a world that would rather they did not exist. Their lives are transformed by visionary street artist Maxwell Butler and impoverished nobleman and inventor Lucius Doria Lagoscuro who turn the Freaks' diversity into art and present them as amazing artists rather than monsters. The question is raised as to how far a person is prepared to go to live authentically and be one's their real self. The writer and director is Teresa Vatavuk, it features singers from MayVoice and dancers from the Naima Academy, and has been playing in theatres across Italy, including locally this Pride month. There is a trans/CD aspect to it but any diverse person can relate to it.

I'll try to catch it one day. Although a lot of the musical numbers are sung in English and taken directly from the 2017 film The Greatest Showman, as a stage musical look it reminds me somewhat of Ben Elton's Queen musical We Will Rock You. 

Preview of the characters here Freak! and there's a trailer on another page.

 

Dance

I used to play the accordion but can't do so any more following a workplace injury but I've always quite liked tango music. 

I read that in the world of of tango, there is now a strong Queer Tango movement. The tango is a sensual and athletic dance with, traditionally, a strong, leading male role and a following female role, from the days of early 20th-century Argentina when there was a glut of immigrant menfolk in town and women were scarce. Therefore, only the strongest, most protective, most physically fit men would attract a female, and the dance reflects that. Argentina successfully exported this dance all over the world and now, in the 21st Century, with much greater equality between the sexes, both in numbers and even in social clout, and the increasing strength of the LGBT community, the distinctions between man and woman in the dance are being replaced by any person who wishes to be in either role. For some years now there has been a Tango entre mujeres (women's tango) group in Buenos Aires and many similar elsewhere in the world, with regular tango shows featuring just women, and any number of other combinations of dancers, with skirts for men in following roles if they wish and shoes to suit the participant not the role. You don't have to be queer to take part, just learn the leader's or follower's steps at your pleasure. But you can see the attraction for the trans/CD community. 

 

 

Film

The drag comedy Stop! That! Train! has arrived and I see no reason not to see it since it's got silly comedy and drag queens and sends up all those disaster movies my granny used to love and insisted I watch when I was little and which I'm still in therapy for. Reviews are generally favourable. One reviewer described it as having the tired format of a David Zucker movie (Airplane, Naked Gun) but as I'm quite a tired format myself this sounds like a plus! I'm sure it's not a coincidence that it's opened in Pride Month and the week Donald Trump tries to celebrate a birthday.

Trailer here:

 

Arts and Pride conclusion 

The world of the arts has always been openly alternative and I myself found myself accepted without question when I had an art studio in London. Queer creatives have always expressed themselves no matter the underlying political climate. I am sure that will continue.

 

Self-portrait (2012)

Happy Pride.

Sue x 

Swim season

 I've noticed how Friday seems to be Chief Posting Day on my corner of the blogosphere so I'm acting with the vibe this week.

The next three months are High Summer Season here on the coast when the pools, the beach clubs and the hotels are all full of families needing sun and relaxation. It's my favourite time of year because the weather is beautiful, the colours are intense and everyone's in a good mood.

 

More try-ons

This evening I've got my latest summer dress on but paired with an old pair of wedge sandals and a very old pair of stockings. I'm pretty sure I bought the stockings in the late '90s when gloss was in fashion but they're still in perfect condition.

 

 

Swimming 

I'm ready for the opening of the outdoor pool this weekend. The one sad part is that I can't afford to come out as trans at the moment so I look longingly at my swimsuits and bikinis in the drawer but know I won't be swimming in them. Not this season at least. 

My skin is smooth and hair-free, and this morning I removed the black nail polish I've been enjoying on my toes for the last couple of weeks. I think it'll be back on at Hallowe'en, though, for some witchy fun. The blue polish I tried recently was lousy but the black is great.

 

Slimming

I have more weight to lose, but not as much as before. Earlier this week I got to the lightest I've weighed in over 15 years. I'm a bit bigger again now as I attended a bit of a celebration later and pizza and beer were served. Pizza and alcohol are probably the two least slimming things in the universe so I'll have to swim the effects off over the next few days. At least hot summers reduce the appetite and make you actually want the contents of the fruit basket and salad bowl. The one thing I notice is that my slimming is not having much effect on my breasts, which remain perky and feminine, and that makes me happy.

 

Prickly and perky 

Talking of perky and feminine, I've had two cactuses flower this week. One's yellow and one's pink. Being trans feminine, as I always say, isn't just about the clothes but about the way you respond to life, and flowers attract me.

Pride Month

Next week I'll be posting some more positive stories to encourage us in this Pride Month. The Almighty Algorithm suggested this protest song to me this week and I'm happy to copy the suggestion here. It features the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, which I'd not heard of before but I'm pleased to have had this introduction to them. There are many trans and queer musical ensembles and choirs around the world and it seems the number has grown a lot in the last ten years or so. It's not an easy task to make a coherent choir from singers whose voices rarely correspond to standard pitches.

"You Can't Erase Us" seems a sadly apt refrain in much of the world at present.

 

News just in: RIP British artist David Hockney, who died yesterday. A champion of LGBT rights, he painted queer subjects even before the decriminalisation of homosexuality. More in my arts post next week.

Have a good weekend.

Sue x

Try-ons - black is groovy!

 I've been going through a lot of the clothes I have to see if there's anything to get rid of, and trying out some stuff that I have bought recently, or that I can't remember ever buying or even wearing before.

The theme at the moment is black as I've tried my new black nail varnish and I'm liking it. A bit vampy, a bit goth, timeless yet modern. 

 

I decided the toes needed the treatment, too. 

 

The varnish has lasted well all week.

It's been hot but I don't do bare legs no matter the weather, so stockings have been preferable to tights/pantyhose. I hardly ever wear stockings as I find suspenders and hold-ups annoying (I know, I know, that admission probably gets me thrown out of any crossdresser clubs, right?) but with the unexpected heatwave it's been worth making the change and some pairs of stockings I've had for many years were put into service. They're still serviceable as they've hardly been worn!

So here's me this week going for an all-black theme and smokey eye makeup. But there's a hint of red in my hair and on my lips.

I prefer tights, ssshhh!

The patent boots are brand new, the leather skirt a couple of years old, the sheer-sleeved top about 10 years old.

 

I've no idea where and when I got a black, long-sleeved skater dress but I really like it. It's good in hot weather and it flows very nicely.

I tried it with a straight black wig for a bit more of a Morticia vibe.

 

But actually this dress came into its own with the longer red/brown wig, lace tights and court shoes. I think gives me a cute, almost Sixties look.

Sixties album cover art. Groovy, baby!

 

I think the dress is a keeper. 

These Jonathan Aston "fleur" lace tights must be 20 years old as they appear in my late 2008 makeover photos (towards the end of this post). But they're beginning to get imperfections and I really hope they still make them as they are very light, very pretty and very comfortable and I'd love to be able to get a replacement pair.

I also tried the dress with fishnet stockings and the patent boots and I think that worked well, too.

 

There's more to come on the black theme and on other try-ons but that will do for now. Comments welcome. 

 

Pride Month needs you

 

Although Pride events are scattered all over the calendar, June is Pride Month to coincide with the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots. Fellow blogger Carla in Spain has just put it so well as to why Pride matters. 

I shall be posting a host of positive things about LGBTQ+++ themes this month, starting with this enjoyable documentary I watched recently from Sadlers Wells Theatre in London, which is one of the world's foremost theatres that focuses on dance and where I've been thrilled by many performances from unusual places and traditions round the world, such as Georgia, Japan, Libya, Spain.... The documentary is about the Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, the drag ballet parody company that was formed shortly after Stonewall and which, in its sixth decade, is going from strength to strength. I have little understanding of classical ballet as an art form so even the parody is a bit lost on me but I have always had a thing for ballerinas. I found the film fascinating, honest, impressive, poignant ...and making me wish that I could dance like this (well, it's not so much the dance as the tutu, isn't it?)

"Ballerina Boys" is 55 minutes on YouTube:

 

Happy Pride.

Sue x

Fun and frustration

 It's been a good holiday weekend, but frustrating, too. I normally enjoy the long easter break as it's a chance to get my hair and makeup on ... but not this time because all my neighbours, who are usually here only occasionally, all turned up. I mean, it's nice to be sociable and say hi, but I would've preferred the outdoor girl time I'd planned. All our homes overlook each other and the partitions between them are glass so there's no real privacy outdoors (see my photo below, taken around Christmas).

 

Oh well, gardening in my usual slacks it was, then. 

 

Foodie 

I am just shy of the half way point in my slimming drive. A bit more off and I should be in the healthy weight range again after 15 years of being too large. But I decided to pause the slimming and have a foodie weekend.

So on Saturday I enjoyed a trip into nearby Sanremo and was pleased to see my favourite stallholder at the market back in his usual position after a period in hospital. Ditto my favourite restaurateur who'd been doubled up with appendicitis last time I went. 

Everything here can be haggled a bit, whether at the market or at the restaurant. The lady who runs the fabulous if expensive spice shop opposite was eating there, too, so maybe after our pleasant chat she'll give me a bit off next time. This Domestic Goddess likes to save money in exchange for a smile! 

Sunday I took time over making lunch at home, not something that normally happens. And Easter Monday is traditionally barbecue day in Italy so everyone was out, grilling away! ...Mmm, sausages! 

 

Sanremo Pride

The Pride season here in Italy kicks off with Sanremo Pride, which is next Saturday, and this year the parade starts at the newly remodelled main square, rather then being slightly sidelined. It's even received some funding from the council. 

I really want to go but, as in the past, there's a clear risk of my outing myself in my neighbourhood. This is always a frustration, as I pointed out just last week in relation to Trans Day of Visibility. I've looked into going to Nice Pride in July instead but the cost of hotels in that chic resort in high summer is ludicrous. 

Let's see what I can resolve. But I shall be seeing trans friends in London soon so I will be getting my Outdoor Girl Time this spring whatever happens.

 

Barbecalculus

In that outstanding comedic work, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, the science of flipping spacecraft across the mind-bendingly vast gulfs of space is explored in increasingly ludicrous ways, culminating in Bistromathics, which applies the contorted unpredictability of groups booking, arriving, ordering, being served and paying in a typical restaurant to the complexities of intergalactic travel. 

I'd like to point out to physicists, as they loop a craft around the moon or devise ever more murderous missiles, that the complex torsions of barbecue smoke could indicate new mathematics. No matter the direction of the actual wind, or the angle, height, power or chimney availability of the barbecuing device, or the inherent smokiness of the food or fuel, my smoke will move around me to envelop my neighbours and theirs will make similarly contorted flight to envelop me. You can imagine that with several barbecues going simultaneously, these mutually avoidant palls of aromatic smoke create very complex trajectories as they home in on their targets with no apparent reference to normal outside forces. This might be the breakthrough into hyperspace physics that has so far been only a dream. 

I shall call this new science Barbecalculus and universities are invited to apply to Sue's Science Foundation for supplies of uneaten sausages, onions and broken charcoal to help them in their experiments. 

Sue x 

So how did Pride month go?

 Last Saturday was Milano Pride in Italy. Despite the heat, 350,000 people turned out. That's equivalent to more than a quarter of the population of the city.

It was also Budapest pride in Hungary. Despite being made illegal by the government, that Pride event attracted 200,000 people. That includes politicians from other countries keen to be seen to promote rights over autocracy.

I hear that in Britain, the anti-trans ruling from the Supreme Court is being watered down even by that court. As I've mentioned before, all sorts of cis political commentators who don't normally touch on LGBT matters have criticised the ruling and the government. 

And also in Britain, Thurso, a small town of just 9000 souls in the furthest north of Scotland, held its first ever Pride. 1000 people attended that, a stunning turnout for somewhere so small and remote. 

By contrast, I hear that a Straight Pride event in Boise, Idaho (population: a quarter of a million), billed as a "hetero awesomeness festival", not only had an underwhelming attendance (about 50), as seems so often to be the case, but it was crashed by a pro-LGBT singer. 

These are just some take-aways from the last few days. I give these attendance vs population figures because so far this year neither I and almost no-one I know, despite all being in the LGBT+community, have managed to get to a Pride event, so it shows how vast the LGBT community and its allies must be. 

Whilst there is a lot of very noisy and very nasty transphobia and other hate out there, I think the world turned a corner a long time ago and being queer in all its lovely forms is something most straight/cis people see as OK. Different, but OK. Current anti-LGBT legislation is now associated with violent and autocratic leaders so is not, in the end, going to benefit the few phobics. As a very simple - simplistic, if you will - summary of our present situation, not only does history show that autocracy is usually short-lived but our current autocrats, actual and aspiring, are remarkably incompetent and therefore likely to fail soon. When they're gone and condemned, as all such characters end up being, their transphobia will be part of that condemnation. So this current persecution is likely to work in our favour in the long run. I see this massive increase in support for LGBT Pride events, especially where the government is anti, as evidence of a better future, and that the public is broadly with us.

Stay colourful. 

 

Stay cool 

I love hot weather. My Optimum Operating Temperature has always been 28°C, even with a wig on. But it's currently 37°C in the shade (that's 99°F) as I'm posting this, and around 30° at night, and it's not even the height of summer yet. 

Mind you, the resultant lack of appetite plus exertion in the pool is working wonders for my (interminable) weight loss programme. 

Sue x

Bikini envy

 Well, it's not so much envy as bad dysphoria. What do you expect? There's a heatwave on and suddenly all the women are in their bikinis ... except me. And, unusually, I'm not coping too well with that. I don't tend to suffer much dysmorphia about my body, but all of a sudden it's hit me. Maybe a friend emailing about her successful GRS, with FFS also scheduled, didn't help either. Don't get me wrong; I'm thrilled for her, but it's a bit hard to handle all of a sudden. 

It'll pass. Like the ebb and flow of the tide, it comes and goes. 

Passionflowers in bloom seems an apt photo to post here. These are in the hedgerows in the lane behind home.

 

 

Surf rock 

Bikinis, summer, tides ... A number of people have blogged, commented and paid tribute to Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys who passed away last week. If you are into surf rock and ultra-cute sixties outfits then, depending on how much gender dysphoria you are currently experiencing, you may like/hate to visit the Surfrajettes website and YouTube channel. Beehives, matching minidresses, white go-go boots and, as they put it, "eyeliner as thick as their guitar strings". 

I'd like the talent just to look that good, let alone play music! 

 

The good stuff

Times are not good for the trans community in many parts of the world. Here in Italy they are mixed but I'd just like to pay tribute again to two sources of strength. 

One is Elle Italia women's fashion magazine that resolutely supports the trans and broader queer community. Every other week there is an article on trans topics, e.g. how a parent should listen to their trans child; an interview with a trans person; life as a drag queen (see photo); and this week several articles supporting Pride. Thanks to Elle for positive allyship.

 

Pride itself seems to be attracting more and more support. Either people feel safer coming out or they feel the community needs more clout. Our regional Liguria Pride in the regional capital Genova at the weekend increased its attendance from 35,000 last year to 40,000 this year, despite the high temperatures. 

Liguria Pride 2025 in Via XX Settembre, Genova, the regional capital's answer to London's Oxford Street. ( ©facebook.com/CoordinamentoLiguriaRainbow )

 

An impressive turnout, one to be proud of. Sorry I couldn't be there. (But a wig in that heat? Hmm.)

Have a good week, all.

Sue x 

Pride season, purity culture, and the Wotsit of Rage

 I usually end the week with a summary of the stuff that's happening and it's pretty varied.

 

Pride season

Pride Season in the Northern Hemisphere opens, as far as I know, with Sanremo Pride, Italy, which is tomorrow and is my most local event. It's not a large meeting - about 2000 are expected - as this is a less populated, sleepy corner of queerdom. The focus this year is on the trans community because we are most under attack right now. 

I've decided not to go for logistical reasons. It's not possible, even if I get someone to give me a lift, or take a taxi, not to run a high risk of outing myself to the neighbourhood, especially on a Saturday which is the busiest day of the week. I won't bore you with the complexities of the details or my concerns. Much as I am aching to go, I think a better option is to go to a different Pride in this region where I can check into a hotel and get properly dolled up and be anonymous. Yes, that's what it's like for most of us. As one friend crudely put it, you don't cr*p in your own back yard. Safety is paramount. It's also why I did nothing for Trans Day of Visibility earlier this week.

The Wotsit of Rage and the campaign against reality

Last month my opening post was a quote from a British political vlogger who used the expression "about as popular as hedgehog suppository" to describe Trump's popularity among the British public. This week he comes up with a new epithet for Trump: the "Wotsit of Rage", which had me doubled up. For readers outside the United Kingdom, I should explain that a Wotsit is a popular but unhealthy corn puff snack, somewhat orange in colour. (Wiki article and illustration here: Wotsits). 

Personally, given who we're talking about, I'd have said Cheetos would be more apt than Wotsits!

(For information, the vlogger is a guy called Phil who "likes talking about politics" and whose approach is mainly to set up a current affairs topic as an aunt sally and knock it down with reason and humour. He's an old-style UK Labour Party supporter, of which there are not so many these days, so you need to take his stance into account, but he's up-front about that. That said, when I was younger (like, in the '80s, just as a random example), the political spectrum was broader than it is now, yet one was always able to have a civilized discussion with people from anywhere else on that spectrum, which is uncommon nowadays. I find the change to today's more abusive, more rigid attitudes repellent. I'm no nostalgia fiend but previously (1) everyone was genuinely interested in the progress and welfare of their country as a whole, differences being essentially on what was the best approach, and (2) nobody questioned reality. There was no flat earth theory, faked moon landings, 'deep state' psychosis or social-media endorsed narcissism to contend. So I find Phil refreshingly old-fashioned in his approach! His YouTube channel: A Different Bias)

 

Purity culture and rape culture

This week I have been binge-watching drag queen Landon Reid's marvellous ripostes to "creepy conservative men" who contact him when he's dressed in (often exquisite) female fashions because they think he's a woman. They offer obscene and sexist suggestions whilst invariably turning out to be evangelical Christians, usually married or with a strong church leaning, some even having "purity buddies" to help keep them away from "impure thoughts and temptations". It shows how the purity culture, the guns + Jesus + Trump obsessions of so many American men (OK, let's be fair to America, many men from all over are similar) are so closely tied to denigrating, crushing and sexually overpowering women. There's plenty of mansplaining and self-owns along the way. A witty exposé of a frightening trait of our era. Try this typical one:

 

Plus Landon offers makeup tips on how to recreate the looks of female icons like Sabrina Carpenter or Endora, and even male ones like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz!

 

Going abroad (just!)

Next week I had planned to go to Germany but family health issues prevent it. Instead, I will be in Milan again and also spending a couple of days in San Marino, which is the oldest continually independent state in the world, with the oldest written constitution (sorry again, USA). 

San Marino has always been a republic headed by two Captains-Regent, who are colleagues elected every six months in the style of the Consuls of the ancient Roman Republic (c. 510 BC - 27 BC), who were elected annually. In 2022, Paolo Rondelli, an openly gay man, was elected as one Captain-Regent, thus becoming the world's first openly gay head of state. There have been plenty of gay/bi heads of state before, of course (e.g. James VI and I of Scotland and England in the 16th/17th centuries), but not declaredly so.

Sadly, trans rights seem to be lagging behind gay rights in the republic. I will report back.

 

Passenger action group

A couple of weeks ago I grumbled about the collapse, yet again, of the lousy French train service to Italy and the lousier attempts to get stranded passengers a replacement bus, meaning I walked much of the way home (section titled "A night in the mountains" here). Last week two further even worse failures that left passengers living on this side of the French border stranded until late at night finally prompted the establishment of a passenger action group. A cross-border bus, even a boat, might at least alleviate the misery at bad times, and be a competitive alternative on a normal day.

 

Thank you for reading. Have a good weekend. Don't overdose on Wotsits.

Sue x

So proud

 Just a quick note to say how good it's been to hear from various friends about the pride events that took place this past weekend. 

Grace went to London Trans Pride in Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and it seems to have been a well-attended event. I notice blogger Claire did too and has a lot of photos: Trans Pride London.

Tania went to Nottingham Pride where, among other things, they boast the world's largest trans flag. So did Lynn who has an enthusiastic post about it: Notts Pride 2024. Glad it went well and, again, was well-attended.

Violetta went to Pride in Innsbruck, Austria, and she's just posted about it (in German but there is a translation button to the right of her blog if you'd like it in English or, indeed, Uzbek if that's your tongue): Innsbruck Pride.

Since moving to Italy I've been getting to know the trans groups Arcigay and Crossdresser Italia and there was a good turnout at Pride in Reggio Calabria, right at the very opposite and of the peninsula to me, which has always been said to have the most beautiful promenade in the entire country, looking across the strait to Sicily and Mount Etna in eruption. It's even prettier with a lot of pride colours, I think. One video of the event: 

 

All very uplifting. One day, these events won't have to be a protest, just a general celebration of diversity that everyone feels they belong to. (Hey, you can't help being cis! You were likely born that way.)

Sue x

The Pride tram, rebel witches and weird food

 I'm away from home for a few days and have gone to Milan because of the good shopping to be done there, and for a bit of culture and eating out. Yes, the diet is on hold while I munch my way through some very interesting dishes. Traditional local food uses some weird cuts of meat, like beef shank sinews ("nervetti") and sweetbread (veal pancreas) and I'm not sure I can recommend them, but there's compensation in good pizzas and a wide variety of foreign restaurants. Last night's Spanish tapas were amazing, as was the cava to wash them down.

I've also been making photos and short films of the very old trams here. I've mentioned these before, but the backbone of the Milan tram fleet is still made up of the 1928 model streetcar that is still in daily use on half a dozen routes. I think it worth recording these because they will eventually be retired, and because one beloved trans friend of mine has a passion for trams so she'll want to see them. A trans tram fan! But I was delighted when one painted in Pride colours happened to trundle past on Route 1. Pride month is over but this will presumably not be repainted to standard livery for a while yet as it costs money so we have a moving Pride advert for the time being! 

 

I was pleased to hear that a whole subway train in Rome was similarly decked out this year.

Another local thing is a passion for artistic decks of playing cards, either normal 52 card decks or traditional Italian decks, which have different suits and usually only 40 cards, or tarot cards, and so forth. Lots of artists are commissioned to do their own take. I got a friend a present of a set of tarot cards depicting "rebel witches", i.e. nonconformists including a lot of LGBT icons like Ziggy Stardust, Ursula Le Guin, generic lesbian lovers, etc. I think they'll appeal to her.

 

Unrelated, but it's worth mentioning an unusual sight on the train here, which is the mile upon mile of paddy fields around Pavia where they grow Italian strains of rice. The crop is not full grown yet and is a brilliant green, poking up from the muddy water. Posted every fifty yards or so is a small white heron waiting for little fish and frogs to make the mistake of passing by. It's an unusual but attractive sight. Risotto with fried frogs is a local dish in that area, both ingredients coming from the same field. 

And we're back to odd food again! It's a bit of a fixation!

Have a good summer.

Sue x

Pride and preparation

 This is Pride month and I'm pleased to hear of all the various events happening round the world. I notice in Rome there is a whole train on the metro painted in Pride colours, and I was pleasantly surprised to see in my old home town of Twickenham, UK, that the main crossing in the middle of the High Street was a huge rainbow flag.

So if you're participating in an event this month, do enjoy it.

I'm preparing to welcome my trans friend Stella and her wife who are coming to stay this weekend. Stella and I did a whole bunch of stuff together in England, such as the TGirl bars at the 2011 and 2013 Erotica shows, and various events in London and Brighton promoting trans visibility. 

Stella (left) and the girls on Waterloo Bridge in the centre of London

 

Tributes

My friend Ann Drogyny passed away last month. I had too many other commitments to be able to go to her funeral but I hear it was a colourful event, just as she would have wanted. 

There was a last laugh. Apparently, because of traffic, the hearse was 45 minutes late. So Ann, who was always punctual in life, arrived late for her own funeral. That final irony would have tickled her!

I note also the passing of Lynn Conway, trans pioneer, who did something that I don't understand with computer stuff but who is nevertheless one of the better-known members of the trans community. Pink News obituary. May she rest in peace.

Rest in peace also, Stacy Novak, long associated with Transliving in the UK, its events and magazine.

Sue x

Do I look good in red?

 I've always had a thing for pink. If I didn't, this blog wouldn't be written in pink ink, would it?

But a female friend of mine has often commented that I actually look good in red. My mother looks good in red and I often feel I look a bit too much like her, but she has the advantage of having jet black hair whereas mine is dark brown and my wigs tend to be based on chestnut hues.

What do you think? Here are some photos that have sparked my friend's comments.

If you're wondering, I look very much like my mother in this pic:

I usually wear pink or floral prints or black but I'm now wondering if red is something I should go for more. It draws more attention, but you also need to pick items that are most complimentary to yourself, too. I recall going to the Boudoir dressing service many years ago now and being told that I should go for shorter skirts and the reason is that I am short (5'4" or 163cm) so longer skirts make me look shorter, shorter ones make me look taller (and don't forget the heels!) 

So I'm always ready to take advice to look better and comments are very welcome. Take a look at my photo gallery here for comparison with other outfits: Gallery

Pride Month

I won't post much on Pride month just ended other than to say that we need a lot more than just a month to make our rights and existence known. Although these Pride events do go on for much of the summer, it's true. The more the better, frankly. 

I was sorry to see that Marseilles Pride in France at the weekend had to be cancelled at the last minute because the police pulled out since they were, they say, needed to quell rioters, although I can't help feeling that their prejudice against immigrants is also showing in a more subtle way against the LGBT+ community. What better way to reduce tension in a big city than a big colourful parade all about tolerance, with the police acting merely as stewards?

Anyway, the Guardian newspaper in the UK has some pictures from London Pride last weekend that are colourful and fun:

London Pride 2023

Sue x

Nice friends, maybe allies

 I had a lovely time with my two female friends who came to stay. But now that the English-speaking world has suddenly started having the trans community as its bogeyman, it's not as easy to come out now as it used to be, as my last post illustrated. (Thanks, incidentally, to Calie at T-Central for featuring that post on her site.) So I hid my trans-related stuff away. And there was a lot to hide - it took hours. This is not something I do very often these days, especially in my own home, but I felt it wise.

So how did it go? Well, we swam at the beach and the swimming pool, caught the sun, saw the sights in town and, above all, ate lots of the fresh fish we have here. Oh, and they liked the aperitifs, too! They refused to allow me to pay my share and so I am now full of free fish and wine, like some fat mermaid!

We had a lot of catching up to do since I hadn't seen them for about five years (thanks, Brexit! thanks, Covid!). When one casually mentioned that she had been to Brighton Pride and found it such fun, and we agreed that to live in Brighton you had to be a bit alternative. She was glad that LGBT+ people had a safe space there and seemed to be a majority in the town, then I felt that maybe we have an ally in her. I also mentioned that previous guests of mine had included a gay couple, which didn't raise much apparent consternation. 

Given my past experience, though, I won't test the idea of recruiting her as an ally for myself as I don't feel I would gain enough benefit. But it's good to see that another person is, in principle, on board with the notion of people being LGBT+. The other friend I'm less sure about.

Anyway, the experience was positive and although I had to act the male, the pleasant company made that tolerable.

 

Hot

It's full-on summer now and was 30C (86F) in the shade today so I am likely to stay put for the next 2-3 months and top up my tan. Warm sunshine does me more good than anything else.

A dip in the archives

I came across another old photo, a souvenir of great times ten years ago when I went to Camden Markets with friends. You can read about it here: Looking Ahead to Summer

 

That was such a fun time in my life when I just came and went en femme as I pleased.

Sue x

Casting the net wide

 Personally, I think everyone's a little bit transgender. 

I hear statistics estimating the number of people who are trans - somewhere between 0.5% and 1.5% - but since most trans people are in the closet and invisible, who has any real idea? Do drag entertainers count? Most would say no. For some, being transgender is a state-of-being experienced by few, and 'mere crossdressers' are not part of this supposed elite. There are some supremacist trans people with the narrowest definition that only transitioners are true trans people.

So the definition of transgender is flexible according to tastes and I've never found that anything worthwhile came of trying to put well-defined boundaries on the phenomenon. Some of us experience and respond to our trans nature daily, others maybe only in one intense burst in a lifetime. 

Given the desire of many to experience what it might be like to be or, at least, to look like the other sex, if only at a fancy dress party or such acknowledged event, I reckon, as I said, that there's a bit of trans in everyone. The insistence of hardline macho types that they have no gay or trans in them at all doesn't seem to be borne out by evidence if you look over the course of their whole life. Personally, I doubt the desire to be a female impersonator, drag queen, panto dame, carnival attendee, crossdresser of any kind on occasion was some weird random thought like, "Hey, why not dress as a can of beans today?" We pretty much all want to know what it's like to be a different person. That world of fantasy or curiosity is there throughout our lives, even if putting on a frock is just a one-off. Some of us got a big lifelong dose of conviction that our gender isn't connected to our physique, others merely occasionally. But there are clearly a lot of others who dip their toe into changing gender. A quick glance at something like Stana's amazing blog, Femulate, or Aunty June's Flickr pages, packed with womanless weddings, school proms, trans parties, male actors in female roles, etc. etc., should convince anyone that a lot of people are curious and keen about switching gender. The insistence by some that male and female are fixed states is simply not borne out by evidence.

So in Pride Month particularly, I wanted to say how much I support drag queens and kings, and any other crossdresser. Your motives for dressing may be very different from mine, and your style too, but I feel we have more in common than many suppose.

To that end, I found this interesting article in the online Smithsonian magazine published the other day about the earliest modern-style drag performer, a former plantation slave turned drag artist, Willam Dorsey Swann: article

(And if you want more, here's their article from two months ago about the oldest performing drag queen: article)

I also found the discussion on the origins of the word "drag" interesting. I always thought drag was simply an acronym D.R.A.G. = "dressed as a girl" (as opposed to D.R.A.B. = "dressed as a boy"), but it seems not, although, as ever with these things, there's no firm conclusion.

So, dear drag friends, keep being fabulous.

Here's another garish bloom from the riviera that didn't fit into my rainbow flag of flowers last week as a tribute to the bight flamboyance of drag performance. People seemed to like the photos in the last post but this one is, in fact, my favourite.

 

A dip in the archives

Five years ago I went to Berlin and had fun as a tourist in the city centre. It was a good day.

Sue x

Pride colours

 It's Pride month and, yes, I know I should have mentioned it at the start of the month but since the pride event most local to me took place a couple of months ago, we've been waiting for the rest of the world to catch up! 

Spring came late this year in Western Europe and the rain so desperately needed in Italy fell in torrents during May. You may have read of some of the floods and, tragically, some fatalities. I missed it as I was away but it's clear from the sudden burst of spring blooms and croaking frogs now that spring has collided with early summer to create vibrant displays.

I thought I'd build my own online Pride flag with the colours I've photographed recently in the hedgerows. The Pride flag has got only six of the colours of the rainbow, but we're going to do all seven. I hope you find these bursts of colour as gorgeous as I do.

red

orange

yellow

green

blue

indigo

violet

And how about some pink for us trans folk?

Yellow and green were taken in Derbyshire, England. The rest in Liguria, Italy. 

I hope that Pride month will be happy and reassuring for you. And that your summer will be beautiful.

Sue x