2015 Review : Jan - May

I took this pic at the start of the new year.

Here we are then, another year over with ! I was going to write a big piece on what I've done in the last year but since writing this blog most of what I've done is here already. So instead what I've decided to do is trawl through my posts and pick one from each month that has best represented that point in my life. Sit back and reminisce at the last 12 months with me.

Warning before we start. In the last year my opinions have changed as I've spent more time talking to trans folk and educating myself. None of us are 100% right so although I don't regret anything I've posted here some of my thoughts may have changed. With that in mind let's begin


JANUARY
At the start of 2015 I made the decision to explore who I was in more detail. Starting with a discussion on my gender and where I fit in. But the post that I remember most from is this....

http://www.transpottingtalk.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/a-whole-lotta-woman.html

A year on I still have no idea what they meant by 'being more fem', nor do I get why that's important. Looking back I can see how I began to criticise how people perceive the community.

FEBRUARY
February was special as it was a whole year since I listened to the incredible Against Me! album Transgender Dysphoria Blues for the first time. That album really spoke to me and made me think about my own identity. However a year on I still had problems trying to work out who I was....

http://www.transpottingtalk.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/leading-double-life.html

P.S If you haven't looked at my friends book blog then do so. She is such an amazing person and I can't imagine where I'd be without her.

Sorry Leah :P

MARCH
March was really big when it came to the growth of my blog. I'd been toying with the idea for a while of starting my own vlog & in this month I took the plunge. Vlogging is kind of the center of everything I do now and I've seen my page grow tenfold since then. For me however March was all about this....

http://www.transpottingtalk.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/termsandconditionsapply.html

This came on the back of abuse my friend had for using the term woman without 'trans' prefacing that. While I could have worded myself a little better (I had the writing ability of a 5 year old) I still agree that people have the right to call themselves what makes them most comfortable.

APRIL
Oh April ! Where I took another dig at the term 'passing' and started using Twitter to make friends with more trans folk. Instead of something more serious though for April, the thing I remember most was my Q&A.....

http://www.transpottingtalk.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/transpotting-q-session.html

I'd love to do one of these again in the new year. Perhaps focused on a specific topic or another general AMA. April was also the month where I ditched the hair and went for something a little different.

MAY
The month I reviewed the excellent Mad Max : Fury Road, justified why I take so many pictures and where I opened up in two very special vlogs. The one was for International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, the one I want to post here though was something real serious....

http://www.transpottingtalk.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/vlog-bullying-bandits-and-bad-times.html

This one was really hard for me to put out there. On the one hand I didn't want to land people in crap for stuff that may have happened a long time ago, then again why should people get away with being terrible individuals. In hindsight I'm glad I posted this piece as it has helped me in some ways forgive those people for their actions. Don't get me wrong I'll never speak to them again, but I don't hate them anymore which is I guess a small victory.

So that's January to May of 2015. Check back in a few days for June to October !

End of May Selfie

Coming Out Pt 2

Off the cuff discussion about some of my experiences being closeted.

Transpotting Q&A Session

Last week I asked for questions for my very first Q&A Vlog Session. I had a good number of questions and unfortunately I've had to leave a few out. Not to worry though as I will be saving them for another one in a few months. So here we are, the moment you've all been waiting for...probably.

Vlog: Pillars of Transmisogyny

Hey gang ! So I wasn't sure if I was going to do this. I usually keep out of this stuff because I've never felt confident enough to really talk out loud like this. But here goes anyway. Here's my take on the whole Pillars of Eternity poem and the subsequent fallout from Total Biscuit. I try to remain as impartial as possible. Let me know in the comments how I got on. There's so much more I could have said but hopefully I've done enough.

Vlog: 5 Facts Special

Back with more rubbish from my Youtube page. This time I give you 5 facts about myself.

Vlog Intro

Bonjour everyone !

Well I did it, I've recorded a couple of video logs as mentioned in a previous post. Right now I'm only putting up the intro with the next one going up possibly Monday/Tuesday. So let me know what you think ! If you like my ramblings then remember to subscribe it would really mean a lot to me :)


Charlie xxxx