A week

They say a week is a long time in politics, it seems to be a long time in blogging too. So much has happened none of which seems particularly positive. Joanna Cherry Q.C being appointed co- chair of the Equalities Select Committee, really? She is gender critical and has a long track record opposing the trans community. Is she an appropriate guardian of the rights of trans people? Then we have the leadership election for this country’s next prime minister. A choice between right and extreme right both expressing the need to limit the woke culture wars, supporting the Rwanda policy for heavens sake is there no humanity and one of them proudly proclaims he is the son of an immigrant family. 

The anti-woke agenda is being discussed among the candidates. It doesn’t feature in the majority of people’s minds with everything that is going on at present. A poll of Conservative members who are going to vote put it bottom of their issues with just 3% thinking about it. Trans people are approximately 1% of the population yet it is a major talking point along with taxes and the cost of living.

I had my six monthly consultation with my endocrinologist this week. All good. We discussed anxiety and fears and I said that I found I was anxious about the increase in transphobia and that it did have an effect on how I went about my day to day life in that I am now hesitant about using single sex spaces, to be blunt toilets. He said that he had found this was a common tale with his clients, he has over two thousand trans clients and it has been noticeably so in the last twelve months with the rise in gender critical activism. I went on to say that the irony is that in my day to day life I do not experience transphobia. I appreciate I am careful what situations I put myself in but really I can get on with my life without any real hinderance or concern.

I suppose that brings me back to the issue of do I stay off social media, not read the press and carry on regardless in blissful ignorance or do I keep abreast of the rubbish so I am aware and try to keep it in proportion as best as I can.

I also had to confirm I had not been seen by a NHS Gender Identity Clinic. My response was “I was referred four years ago by my then GP and I have never heard from them with any letter, let alone been seen. I do not expect to ever hear from them” prompting the response of “oh my goodness”. 

So along with many, many others it is time to consider living elsewhere, not staying with an ever more right wing government that has no interest in genuine equality, stoking the culture wars against minorities to distract from their policies that increasingly endanger freedoms.