[JaneS]

I confess that I am one of those who needed the prompt to log in. With so much going on around us these days, sometimes the ‘other’ part of ourselves gets left behind.

I’ll set a reminder to myself to log in more frequently.

Thanks again for the fact that TgR exists.

[JaneS]

Thank you Caroline. With so much doom and gloom around us, especially relating to things we have absolutely no control over, we need to look for ways to keep spirits up. That won’t negate the problems we’re facing but it will help us to deal with them with less effort.

As we begin to find ourselves ‘isolated’ by direction rather than self-imposed choice, perhaps we can replace those face-to-face meetings with online activities. We might even be able to re-establish connections we’ve lost or simply become too busy to maintain.

By fate or fortune, we have a golden opportunity to “GO PLACIDLY” for there will be much less noise and the haste,

[JaneS]

I was also born back when the Imperial system for weights and measurements was in use. Like every other kid (well, most anyway) I learnt to use it. Maths though, was never my strong point so the metric system was a ‘gift’ as far as I was concerned.

Another gift is my height. At 182 cm (sadly, I’m sure I used to be 183!) I find height has its advantages. After retiring I let my hair grow out so my locks are homemade, not store-bought. Unfortunately, there is some thinning on the top but my height means that it’s harder for people to notice it. People tend to look up at the length and not down at the developing helo landing pad.

I don’t wear tall heels though. I have a ridiculous history of rolling on my ankle so tumbling from 15 cm stilettos isn’t my idea of a good night out.

[JaneS]

A gift? Well I suppose for me it comes down to thinking about the Christmas period we’ve all just been through. You know, those situations where you’re given a gift that you receive graciously but secretly wish it had been something else.
If I could, would I give this ‘gift’ back?
For a long time I’m sure the answer would have been “yes”. I grew up in the 60s, the days when the goal of being a ‘real man’ was expected of every boy. Although my parents never knew of my inner desires, my mother frequently told me that I wasn’t a ‘normal’ boy. I much preferred being alone to read rather than rough-housing with friends. I coveted the dolls that my sister had to play with, the closest I got was a GI Joe ‘action figure’ (because of course, boys didn’t play with dolls!). I remember once trying to see if any of my sister’s Barbie doll clothes would fit poor Joe. What a joke. Ironically, Joe had the same problem I was to experience many years later – it was impossible to find clothes that fitted.
Today though, my thoughts are very different. As difficult as it can be at times, I am glad I’m transgender. My wife has often been told what a ‘wonderful’ husband I am. She is quite willing to tell people that I’m TG, I believe this gift is what softens my approach to interaction with others. I’m not a ‘macho’ person, nor have I ever been. I tried, in those denial days, very much “The lad(y) doth protest too much, methinks”.
It’s 2020, the world is rapidly changing around us, not all that change being good, but one thing is certain in my mind.
I would not give that gift back. It’s mine and I love it.

[JaneS]

Caroline wrote:

and a great Ambassadress for Transgender people around the world

How about Ambassador? Why assign a gender to a role that is gender neutral?

A great experiment though. It shows what can happen if people are unaware that another person is a focus of their prejudices, and just treat that other person as an equal.

[JaneS]

If nothing else, your experience shows that sometimes we just have to grab the bull by the horns and do what it is we want to do. It’s easy to make excuses why we don’t do things. Fear, of a multitude of things, can stymie progress on our journey. We are often bombarded with the bad news stories because they are more sensational and I admit to, at times, allowing myself to be effected. This example though, is the sort of positive story that should be focused on.

A couple of days ago, a lovely lady in a service station served me after I refuelled my car. When I entered the office to pay she gave me a big smile, said “Hello Darl, how are you” and then proceeded to serve me. It was a lovely experience.

Small steps are the way forward for us as individuals. Big steps like the ones you’ve created make that journey even easier.

Thank you.

[JaneS]

I believe that Jane is standing for parliament in the coming election.

[JaneS]

The reality of human existence is that some people have an inner need to find fault with others, no matter whether those others have any impact on their lives or not.
If we look back at recorded human history it is full of examples where one or more groups of people have singled out another group of people to distrust, denigrate and even hate. Religion has frequently been the source of justification for those people.
In some ways, ‘transgender’ is just the flavour of the month (albeit, seemingly a very long month) and eventually society dislike, hatred, opposition will move on to another target group. Often it’s simply a case of finding someone that is different in some fashion and use that as the excuse to vent otherwise restrained frustration.
There will always be those who will still think we are ‘sick’ or perverted. I have my own opinions about who I consider ‘sick’ but I’m happy to keep them to myself. As has been mentioned though, there are many people out there who love and support us and many who don’t even know us yet who still want to support us. That’s what we need to focus on. If you step in excrement on the footpath, you curse, wipe off your shoe and move on. That’s what we need to do with naysayers and bigots.

[JaneS]

I need excuses too, so sometimes I choose to celebrate Friday because they only happen once per week, or maybe Wednesday for the same reason. Or I might decide that a certain outfit has behaved well and can be rewarded with a day out.

The other way to look at it is that life is your excuse. We all have a right to feel good, to feel happy and even to feel nice. If going out en femme (hopefully we’re always dressed) helps that then that’s a good enough excuse.

It’s hard to seize one’s days sitting at home.

[JaneS]

Adrian, I agree that there is greater awareness in the general community, especially among the younger generations. Sometimes though, awareness isn’t the same as education. I’ve had to explain to people that gender identity/expression is not the same as sexuality. ‘Transgender=Gay’ was a message so maliciously pushed, especially by the religious right, during the same-sex marriage debate.

Whilst many in the younger generations tend not to be fussed either way, some older members of our society still believe that being transgender is a lifestyle choice, much as they believe that being gay is also purely a choice. That said, we will never properly educate people if we do slink back into those dark spaces some of us once inhabited.

I also believe that the USA does have a significant impact on life in Australia, especially when we see so-called conservatives in our political system lauding decisions made by POTUS and organisations like BiNary championing the anti-trans movement in the US as how it should be in Australia.

[JaneS]

Thank you Emma. I’ve read a lot about Darwin and I knew that he’d married his cousin but the additional information that you provided on his family history was quite interesting. I wonder how Darwin would see those of us who don’t fit what was certainly the Victorian-era mould of man and woman. Evolution? Nature over nurture?

I look forward to reading your next article. Newton was certainly more than falling apples and laws of motion.

Jane

[JaneS]

I hope you are correct Emma. I know it’s of great concern to the LGBTQ community in the US, where transgender people in their military are already facing difficulties. They are not treating it as fake news.

[JaneS]

The regime of Donald Trump is a case of history repeating. The last time a person like him was in power it took a world war and the loss of over 50 million people to remove him and his ilk. The sad thing with what we see today in the USA, is that there are so many parallels with Germany in the early 1930s. The persecution of minorities, perversion of religion to justify inhumane acts and a rise of violent, white supremacy are just a few.

I wonder what’s next? Trump has already demanded that Facebook provide information about Democrat supporters, Will we see trawling of FB and other web sites for those of us who are different? Will coloured triangles again begin to be required adornments on clothing?

As for the mid-term elections, there is already evidence that some states, including North Dakota, have enacted or changed regulations that will see a reduction in Democrat votes. Names have arbitrarily been removed from voter registration rolls and people are thus turned away from polling places when they turn up to vote.

The Wentworth by-election here should have sent a clear message to the Australian parliament that people are dissatisfied with our current governing processes. I fear though, that what it will really do is prompt the religious right, that holds significant power in the Coalition and minor parties (less so in the Labor party but still present), to ramp up their extremist agenda to begin rolling back protections here as is happening in the USA. ‘Religious Freedom’ is also being used as the justification for renewed persecution of LGBTQ people in Australia.

This is one of those times that I hope desperately that I am wrong, but I think the worst is yet to come.

[JaneS]

Hardly a problem Stephanie.

[JaneS]

Oh Caroline, I’m the embodiment of a Philistine. I don’t own a smartphone. I flatly refuse to get one until there is absolutely no alternative. I don’t need a machine to control my life, I have family to do that.

I’m fairly certain it’s a Google vs. Microsoft stoush. I just thought I’d check.