The link below to the daily Mail shows some photos from the Victorian era of some notable and not so notable cross-dressers, female impersonators and possibly some transgender women as well, including perhaps the first post operative transsexual woman, Lili Elbe made famous in the upcoming film starring Eddie Redmayne as The Danish Girl.
I've been having problems with my internet for ages and in despair decided to go to a new provider. My phone has apparently gone over but my broadband hasn't. It would appear that my old provider has stopped my internet access so I'm having to make do with my mobile device which is slower and sometimes unreliable. Hopefully this will all be sorted out next week some time, so if I seem to be noticeable by my absence you know why.
A sensitive article which tries to stay balanced, sadly some of the comments aren't. It must be very difficult treating children with gender issues. Well done the parents who do their best for their kids. I learned of one near here who's transitioned from FtM recently and his fellow pupils are supporting him. On the reverse I know of someone who is teen/early twenties who nearly went for surgery and has now apparently reverted to being a male again. It's a real minefield.
I was nearly terminated while out on a bike ride today, a car came up to a T-junction which I was cycling across and therefore had right of way, when he just carried on obviously not seeing me despite me wearing an orange, back and white jacket. The only reason I'm able to write this is because I took avoiding action, half expecting it to happen. I'm getting tired of having to think for all the morons driving round in lethal weapons that cars are and I feel the law ought to be changed to reflect the fact that most car-bike collisions are the fault of the driver.
Another offering from the Guardian (where else?), wondering when they start to call it the TG Times. It does have some interesting elements as well as the pro and con comments afterwards.
Only just got back from my leaving do - scampi n chips and a game of skittles - we do things in such high style in darkest Dorset. Actually my house looks like a florist's shop but the scents are delightful and my colleagues gave me a nice contribution towards the microscope I want to buy to dissect owl pellets.
I'm now semi-retired so will only be working about ten days a week, though this week I'm on holiday - well having a new central heating boiler fitted and someone coming to give me a quote for new external doors and having the car checked out, oh and the dentist tomorrow afternoon - apart from that, I'm not doing anything except perhaps sleeping.
Life seems to be overwhelming me at the moment. I seem to be perpetually tired so I'm not writing as much as usual and when I do, I have problems posting because my broadband connection is very intermittent. I've tried contacting my ISP but they either don't get the emails or ignore them.
On Tuesday, it will be the 29th anniversary of my transitioning - well going to work in skirts, then the following one is the first anniversary of my son's suicide. His timing was impeccable.
Sorry, for those who'd forgotten or didn't know, it's the Gabycon weekend. Nine of us assembled at a restaurant in Dorchester on friday and ate and talked and talked and ate, and ate some more. I think I gained two pounds looking at the menu.
I'm half way through writing the next episode of Bike when I suddenly realise I hadn't heard the central heating/hot water boiler light up. It's old and noisy. On checking I find it isn't working. Up in the attic to make sure the header tank hasn't run dry - it hadn't. Looks like the boiler may have died of old age. After swearing at the cats because they wanted to see what was going on but know even less about boilers than I do - which is minuscule - I try the immersion heater, which I kept despite the assurances of the plumber I wouldn't need it.
As we roll on towards 2700 episodes I'd once again like to ask if the readers want me to continue writing this saga. I know some of you really enjoy it, I also appreciate it's become almost a fixture of BC and I get emails if I miss two in a row without stating why.
I presume Erin is happy for me to continue cluttering up her hard drives and I'd like to thank her for her continued support.
Sorry folks got home so late from work tonight that I don't have time to scribble the next episode of Bike - hence the title of the blog. Still, that'll give some of the other authors a chance. Hopefully, things will be back to normal (whatever that is) tomorrow.
This 'sassy' actress seems to turn up on everything, but much of what she says I would agree with. I certainly don't think she needs facial feminisation surgery.
With the Gabycon visiting Dorset again next month, I thought I'd better re read the three books I did about our favourite racing cyclist. I have still to do a concluding chapter for the final one and I'm working on that at the moment.
For those new to my version of the Gabyverse, the first of my books is: Drew Goes South. http://www.maddybell.com/dgs01.htm (Also available in dead tree format as Gaby Heads South, from Lulu)
While the plastic world seems consumed by one celebrity coming out as transgender, the real world still seems a hostile place, especially for transgender women in Egypt. From the Guardian.
A link to an event hosted by the Guardian, chaired by Paris Lees. There were one or two pearls of wisdom and i particularly liked the story on the train in New York with the Indian lady.
Or Totally Insane as the story title says. It's one of my favourites and as I consider it suitable for teenaged or possibly younger audiences, I intend to publish it eventually with them in mind. However, before I do so I wondered if readers here would like one more episode?
Depending upon the response I may well write one in the near future.
Sorry folks, I've been having connection problems for some time. It seems to have given up the ghost entirely tonight, so obviously I won't be posting tonight. I hope for better news tomorrow but I'm not holding my breath.
It's frequently a fantasy of transgender readers to imagine what it would be like to be inter-sexed or androgen insensitive or some other unusual genetic manifestation. On today's Guardian website is an account of a woman who suffers with Swyre Syndrome or XY gonadal dysgenesis which has caused her problems much of her life.
From the Guardian a story about how one parish convinced a diocese to put a proposal to the General Synod of the Church of England about renaming ceremonies for transgender Christians. While I'm unlikely to consider it as an unbeliever, I welcome what looks like the slightest movement of progress for those who do, and I wish Blackburn Diocese good luck with their motion.
Recent research from Edinburgh University suggests that use of paracetamol (acetaminophen) in pregnancy may lead to reproductive problems in male foetuses by affecting testosterone levels causing such things as undescended testes.
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Joyce Melton
1001 Third St.
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Note: $6000 is the operating, maintenance and upgrade budget. Amounts received in excess of the $6000 will be applied to long term debt accrued over the last 19 years.
