EACH year, it’s tradition that we make New Year’s Resolutions. Whilst we may focus on anything from picking up a new hobby through to charitable giving, many resolutions focus on health and fitness.
EACH year, it’s tradition that we make New Year’s Resolutions. Whilst we may focus on anything from picking up a new hobby through to charitable giving, many resolutions focus on health and fitness.
First, before I get on my pedestal for the month, I have to convey my sincere apologies to my regular readers for my recent hiatus. You may well remember that this time last year I spent a month in India having some surgeries; well, with nine months to allow myself to heal, I have just spent the last two months away having some more work done.
Transitioning with Sugar – Going Stealth and being outed, by Ms Sugar Swan. When asked why I waited until my mid-30s to transition I tell people a myriad of lies; “It wasn’t the right time”, “I couldn’t afford it”, “I wanted to get X, Y and Z out-of-the-way first”.
Sugar, still in the midst of surgical recovery, asks, is it all worth it? As I sit at my desk on a hot mid-June’s day, already five days behind deadline (oops, sorry ed and design), feeling somewhat overwhelmed with my scar management and post-operative care, I’ve spent the last week plagued by writer’s block.
Ms. Sugar Swan tries out the latest update from the (until recently) gay hook up app for men, Grindr. When people ask me, “Do you miss anything from your old life?” the only answer I ever have for them is simply, “Grindr”. Now that may sound odd asking a trans woman if she misses anything that she had pre-transition and her answer is a gay male hook up app, but let me explain.
As Eartha Kitt sang during the disco revival of her career in the 1984 title track, ‘I love men, what can I do? I love men, they’re no good for you’. Never have song lyrics felt more relatable right now. Pre-transition I was never the ‘gay man’ that I was often perceived as and regular readers of this page will know that I have identified as bisexual since my earliest sexual experiences.
Last month I wrote about my Pride experiences over the last 20 years and how I never quite felt like I fitted in. I was always troubled with poor trans representation. I surmised by hoping that trans folk, and the less represented minorities of the LGBTQIA+ umbrella, would be better respected and represented at these events. Brighton Pride 2017 confirmed my worst fears about the current state of the Pride celebration.
Latvia, a country neighbouring Russia, regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1992 and decriminalised homosexuality soon after. However, general social opinion has not moved on much since then. In 2005, Riga, the capital city held its first pride but unfortunately counter protesters greatly outnumbered pride protesters and in 2006 Riga Pride was banned by the authorities.
