The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2932 by Angharad Copyright© 2016 Angharad

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This is a work of fiction any mention of real people, places or institutions is purely coincidental and does not imply that they are as suggested in the story.
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“Your Sammi is a genius with computers,” said Debbie extolling our daughter’s virtues.

“I know.”

“Course you do, I just didn’t think anyone could hack facebook.”

“She spends most of her waking hours trying to stop people hacking the bank, she’s very good at that, so a case of gamekeeper poacher I suppose.”

“Won’t they know it was her?”

“I doubt it, compared to her facebook are amateurs.”

“She’s such a pretty girl.”

“All my girls are beautiful.”

“I wish I was.” Her eyes filled with tears. I took her into study and asked Danni to make us some tea.

“Right, let’s get to the bottom of this—what is troubling you?”

With tears streaming down her face she said, “I’m transsexual.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“Well, I’m not like you or your lovely girls, am I?”

“Why not?”

“Didn’t you hear me, I’m not female am I?”

“Which definition of female are we using? Chromosomal, gender, legal?”

“Any, I’d fail them all.”

Danni arrived with the teas. I took them and shut the door before continuing the discussion. “Have you applied to have your gender recognised legally?”

“I’ve got to wait a few more months.”

“As soon as you can, do it. I legitimises who you are, however, the one advantage of being transsexual is the amount of legislation to prevent discrimination.”

“How d’you know all this?”

“It’s occurred a couple of times at the university just as I’m sure it’s happened at Sussex and most other universities. The Guardian these days is like the transgender times, so it’s very widespread.”

“Of course, it’s just when things happen it feels like I’m the only one in the world with these problems.”

“Isn’t that a perfectly normal reaction to life’s surprises, especially the nasty ones?”

“So you’re not horrified?”

“Why should I be?”

“To have employed a freak.”

“Who’s that then?”

“Me—now you know—you’ll be looking to sack me or not renew my contract.”

“If you can’t do the job for which we employed you, I might think about sacking you, but for being transgender—I can’t, even if I wanted to—and I don’t; the protocols and policies of the university protect you on that count and I helped draft them, so I have some knowledge of what we put together.”

“How is it you don’t have a problem with it yet others do?”

“I’m a feminist so believe that we are all equal and should therefore have equal opportunity to reach our potential regardless of age, sex, gender, sex orientation, race and anything else you care to mention that tends to separate us. We’re all humans—end of discussion. Unfortunately, I can’t speak for others but I can for the university and any form of discrimination shown by anyone, staff or students or anyone else associated with the university contravenes the policies and protocols of the university and would be taken very seriously. That I can promise you.”

“I’m surprised Diane didn’t tell you—I let slip talking to her one lunch time, I was a bit down and—well, I told her.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

“I know, but you’re such a sympathetic lady—it’s like talking to my mum—only better because she isn’t very happy that I took pills and had surgery which stops her having grandchildren. She’s a bit ashamed of me, I think.”

“Providing you comport yourself with the dignity and standards of behaviour congruent with your position as a teacher at this university, I’ll never feel ashamed of you and I’ll support your right to be who you feel you are and to develop yourself as a teacher and I hope researcher.”

“I wish everyone was a nice as you.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I’m not always nice, Debbie, I’m human like everyone else, but I try to see the other person’s point of view and not judge them—leastways not too quickly.”

“I’m really grateful for this chance to talk to you and I’m really pleased to think you’re behind me despite my history.”

“Debbie, your history isn’t important unless it affects the present or future. I’m employing you as a teacher not as a woman, that’s just what happen to be, and a very attractive one as well.” I watched her blush. “All it leaves me to say is, welcome to the world of women, the largest minority group in the world.”

“Thank you,” she said after a pause to digest what I’d said. “May I give you a hug?” After she’d calmed down she phoned Maureen and rearranged the time to collect the keys to her house. She went after a light lunch.

It struck me that all my girls recognised Debbie as transgender but she didn’t seem to spot it in them. Of course, she was meeting about five thousand of them opposed to one of her so she’d have been under multiple scrutiny while possibly being overwhelmed by the numbers.

I felt no need to reveal my own position even when she obviously misconstrued it. Just because she levelled with me, I don’t have to disclose my history nor that of my children because she has no need to know it in order to work with me. That she might feel resentful if she finds out is her problem. I don’t need to justify myself to her or anyone and being that much older, I hope I’ve moved beyond that position. Others may feel differently but that’s my position.

Naturally, I didn’t encourage discussion about her but at dinner it came up until Simon actually said firmly, “Leave the poor woman alone, you’re like a pack of hyenas.” They all made laughing noises after that which prompted him to declare, “You sound more like jackasses than carnivores.” Amazingly, it surprised them almost as much as it surprised me.

Later he asked me what had transpired regarding her humiliation by the Royal Navy or members thereof. “Sammi altered the facebook page to one which embarrassed him.”

“Isn’t that a bit dangerous?”

“It might be if it were the US government or defence department, but as they were displaying virtually obscene and humiliating images which were taken without consent, they’d have been taken down anyway. She just speeded things up, somewhat.”

“I’ll have a word with her, she can’t compromise her position at the bank for this sort of frivolous activity.”

“I don’t think character assassination by a gang of yobs is frivolous.”

“If she hadn’t been messing about in the back of her car it wouldn’t have happened.”

“Don’t be so judgemental,” I snapped at him.

“Just a moment, weren’t you being exactly that when she first arrived and telling her off about her clothing?”

“That’s different.”

“How so?”

“In work she was representing the university, in her own time she can do what she likes to some extent. It was unwise but she is very young, naïve and I suspect either oversexed or trying to prove her femaleness to herself by attracting men to her.”

“So how come you aren’t proving your femaleness?”

“I have a husband who told me to stop worrying about it because he loved me for myself and he said I was the sexiest woman he’d ever seen.”

“Did he now?”

“Yes, I’ve made an appointment at the optician’s for him.”

He groaned and muttered, “Can’t you prove it just once more?”