Arguments Against Gay Marriage

With President Obama putting the subject of "Gay Marriage" firmly in the headlines again, I thought I'd look at some common arguments against it...

If God had intended gay couples to marry he would've created Adam and Steve not Adam and Eve.

I'm sorry, I thought the Christian belief was that we were ALL children of God?? So surely God did create Adam and Steve as well as Eve?? In which case, I'm sure He wouldn't have created any of His children with the intention of denying them the same privileges as the others. If He did, then I think He's an unfit parent and should be dissuaded from further procreation!

Same-sex relationships are "unnatural".

I thought Christian belief declared that mankind was "begat of God" and thus completely separate from nature?? In which case, no human relationship is "natural", so why discriminate against just the same-sex ones??

Same-sex relationships are "unhealthy".

I'm sorry, I fail to see the relevance. I know many a heterosexual couple who are unhealthy - particularly so in the USA - and, yet, they don't seem to have been discouraged from marriage?? Which is a shame considering the children some of them produce!

If we allow "Gay Marriage" then we may as well allow people to marry their pets!

Again, I repeat: Christian belief declares that mankind is "begat of God" and thus not part of the animal kingdom. So surely it follows that a pet - a creature of the animal kingdom that mankind is no part of (even gay ones) - is not equal to a person?? In which case, having the two distinct in law would seem a logical and fair thing to do. Wouldn't it?

Gay people should not be allowed to marry because they suffer a higher incidence of AIDS than heterosexual couples.

I'm not sure of the scientific basis of this argument but anyway... Christian marriage is supposed to be a monogomous affair. Thus whether a couple has AIDS or not is completely irrelevant because, if they're obeying the strict rules of Christian marriage, they won't be having sex with anyone else!

Same-sex marriages have adverse affects on the parties' children.

If this is true, then it applies to the children of all gay couples not just the married ones. However, I think you will agree that a couple who have committed to spending the rest of their lives together makes for a more stable upbringing than those that haven't. So, surely, allowing gay couples to marry would foster a better environment for their children not make it worse??

The children of same-sex marriages are apt to suffer stigma.

Children suffer stigma for all kinds of reasons - what class they come from, what disabilities they suffer from, what race they belong to, what religion they are, etc, etc, etc... and no one suggests we ban marriage for any of these reasons so why single out same-sex marriage?? Besides, the best way to counteract stigma is not to stigmatise people in the first place and that lies very much at our own doorsteps rather than anyone else's.

In conclusion then there seems no good reason to bar "Gay Marriage". So, as far as I'm concerned, the sooner this self-righteous protection of the privileged is done away with the better.

It's The Economy, Stupid! (Not Gay Marriage or The House Of Lords)

An article in The Daily Mail suggests that David Cameron is backing down on proposals to bring in "gay marriage" and modernising The House Of Lords.
The reason why The Mail states the PM is doing this is because Tory MPs want him to concentrate on getting the economy sorted out instead of being "distracted" by unpopular policies.
And they're right... sort of!
Yes, of course the PM should get the economy sorted out but if The Daily Mail thinks the issues of "gay marriage" and The House Of Lords have somehow muddied the waters then...

1. They only have themselves to blame
2. Only the seriously cracked think the issues of "gay marriage" and The House Of Lords comes anywhere near rivalling the issue of the economy!

So The Daily Mail's argument becomes almost instantly redundant because...

1. If The Daily Mail would stop plastering their pages with irrelevant issues and concentrate on those that matter to everybody in this land (instead of just a minority) then the waters would instantly become clearer!
2. It's my understanding that the insane aren't allowed to vote so the opinions of the seriously cracked are of an irrelevance anyway!

And I have to say to those Tory MPs who refuse to back David Cameron on these issues that if you want to win the General Election by an actual majority next time then you need to win over the floating voters.
If you wish to do that then you need to appear friendly and trustworthy - not bigoted arseholes who protect the privileged classes at the expense of everyone else!
So amongst all these savage cuts to public spending why not try a few "touchy feely" policies like legalising "gay marriage" and modernising The House Of Lords?
Such policies may help soften your image from "The Nasty Party" to one that appears a little kinder and those who have found their lives adversely affected by your policies might then be a little more forgiving.
...which might just make a difference when it comes to being re-elected!

My Life As A Hormone Junkie: Week Three

Well, I guess the first thing to report is that there's nothing really to report. There are still no changes that I can pin down 100% to taking hormones.
The other thing to report is that I've decided to stop taking them. I'm not sure I'm ready for developing a female body or even if it's what I really want.
I find myself uncertain about what I do want though. I've spent a lot of this week running through my options and the option I seem happiest with is to stop taking the hormones. But whether that's a temporary or permanent thing only time will tell. I could very well start again tomorrow morning for all I know!
I guess I shall have to notify my GP if I do find this pause turning into something more permanent though...
A Day Later: And I'm back on the hormones!

Finding My Voice

Since Thursday last week I've been working as a temp for a company called Amey.
As a new starter I was required to read their policies and discovered that they had one of the best diversity policies I've had the pleasure to read. This did not particularly surprise me as the people in my office have been really friendly and welcoming.
However, it did not seem to count for much as I struggled to find my "female voice" which prompted much soul searching: If I could do it on the telephone and in interviews (two more stressful circumstances I could not imagine!) why was I struggling so badly in such welcoming circumstances???
It wasn't even like I was trying to hide anything!
As part of my application I'd been required to submit my passport (which is still in my old identity) and, to comply with their drugs and medication policies, disclose that I was on hormones - both of which obviously outed me (not that I believed for one minute that everyone in the office hadn't already sussed it out anyway!).
And so it was that I was ready to throw in the towel yesterday. I'd lost faith in myself and was gonna go take a long walk off a short pier!
...but not until I'd gone to my singing lesson!!
So I walked in and my singing teacher asked how I was getting on and I gave her an honest answer. And so my teacher spent the first half of my lesson counselling me.
Obviously, I employ her as my singing teacher not as a counsellor and so it's to her credit that she put those duties to one side to listen to me and give me some sage advice.
So, where half an hour earlier I'd been ready to walk out on my life, I left my singing lesson ready to give it another go.
And this morning on my drive into work I was thinking of the best way to tell everyone I was trans when I started to wonder why it was so important to tell everyone I was trans??
Was them knowing I'm trans really what I wanted?
No. What I wanted was to stop worrying what people thought about me! And the only person who can make that happen is me!
So I went into work with that thought in my mind and, you know what, it paid off! I found my "female voice" more often than not and I stopped beating myself up when I didn't!
So the end result was that I finished work today far happier than I did yesterday! :-)

...You know, we people of the LGB&T community have kind of had it brainwashed into us that we must out ourselves otherwise we're being dishonest.
Well, today I realised this is too simplistic.
It is completely pointless outing yourself in the hope of avoiding a scene or having people think better of you. The purpose of outing ourselves should be to free ourselves of the worry of those things!

...So, having dwelt on it some more this evening, I hope I can have the same attitude towards my gender as I have towards my feet and legs.
After all, is my gender any less or more of a birth defect than my feet and legs? And, yet, I don't feel the need to tell people I have deformed legs and feet and worry that I am being deceitful if I don't tell them of this fact. I don't particularly care what people think about my legs and feet any more! They are what they are! They may have given me some life experiences others missed out on but they are not the be all and end all of all that I am! I am more than my feet and legs!!
And so, surely, it must be the same of my gender (and any other part of me)?? And thus follow that it would be better for me to get things in perspective and treat it as such??
Yes, I think that it would. :-)

My Life As A Hormone Junkie: Week Two

This week there has definitely been changes - I'm almost 100% certain of it!
Although I look as flat chested as ever, the dip between my breasts has definitely got more pronounced! It's weird but definitely interesting! :-)
I also feel happier this week but that's probably as a result of recovering from my cold and factors other than hormones.
And that is that. On to week three! :-)

My Life As A Hormone Junkie: The First Week

So I have now been on hormones for a bit over a week and I have to report that the only changes since day three have been that I have got used to the idea that nothing measurable is happening and I also got a cold.
I also have to say that getting a cold is considerably more upsetting than hormones having no measurable effect on my body as yet!
For a start, it meant that I had to cancel my singing lesson on Friday! And me having a cold also puts my husband's health at risk because fibrosis and a cold really aren't a good combination!
So, in conclusion, last week could've been better but it could also have been a whole lot worse!
So no change there then!

My Life As A Hormone Junkie: Day Three

When I think of the last three days, I am reminded of the quote that would often end The Goons radio shows: "It's all in the mind you know".
I've only had three 2mg pills of Progynova and, yet, I would swear that, somehow, my breasts feel weightier and my hips wider!
This has to be total nonsense of course!
As does the shift in my perception from having what I considered to be a male body which I wished to be female to one that I now feel is female but with certain, annoying, male characteristics!
But whether it is nonsense or not, I don't seem to be quite able to admit the fact. I am certain there are changes afoot and, I guess, I am right in a way - just not the way I seem to think!
You know, when I talked to friends before about hormones they did mention that if affects the mind first. I wonder if this is what they meant??

Are You Plagued By Fairies?

I have just been reading an article on "gay cures" which, like many times before, has left me asking "Why?".
I just don't get it! Homosexuality isn't a disease or an ailment so how can it be cured?
I simply don't know the answer to this but there are those who claim they do. They point to success stories - of which they may even be one themselves - and claim that they are "ex-gay" and are now back on the straight and narrow, living as heterosexuals.
Well, I'm afraid I simply don't believe them... especially when you dig a little deeper and find that they haven't been 'cured' of their sexual feelings but have instead learned to refrain from acting upon them.
Well, anyone can do that! Anyone can say, "I think this wrong so I shan't do it!" So why can't they be honest about it? Why do they have to resort to propaganda that portrays homosexuality as something that needs a cure?
After all, homosexuality is, as the name might suggest, a sexuality and no matter what variant it is - whether it be asexuality, bisexuality, homosexuality, pansexuality or heterosexuality - sexuality is common to everyone. So to claim that only one variation is "natural" beggars belief!
No, what "gay-cures" really amount to is a belief structure based on fantasy and I'm afraid that is a recipe for disappointment at the very least... and courses in brainwashing and electroshock treatment for the less fortunate!
So, please, there is no Peter Pan waiting to whisk us off to Neverland or tooth fairies lying in wait at the bottom of our beds waiting to swap our teeth for 50p (or whatever the going rate is these days!) or Santa Claus or Easter Bunny or Tony Blair... OK, maybe Tony Blair does exist but what is for certain is that homosexuality isn't "unnatural" or the work of The Devil!
And, just like these childhood fantasies, the easiest, quickest and safest way to rid yourself of these fantastical delusions is to stop believing in them!
Then, when you have grasped reality, you will see that the way to rid yourself of your discomfort is not to enrol in some quack course that reinforces it!

My Life As A Hormone Junkie: The Beginning

As I write this I have 2mg of Progynova floating around in my system. That might not seem a big deal and in itself it is not but what it means is immense.
Progynova is the hormone that I hope will lead to a body more in keeping with my image of myself and a more peaceful mind.
It is also a drug that has the potential to cause depression, cancer, blood clots, heart disease, kidney failure and/or a stroke... so there is much riding on this drug!
That is why I had to be certain that I wanted to take it and so I had to look again at where I had come from, where I am now and where I want to go with my life.
What I was reminded of was the pits of depression I used to suffer when I felt compelled to act male, the frightening levels of violence I refrain from doing to my body, and the possibility of putting all these things behind me forever.
And that is why I'm taking this drug.
However, in trying to research hormones, I found a lot of gobbledygook. I am not a scientific person and I struggle trying to understand science.
So what I intend to do is document how this hormone - Progynova - affects me because I suspect there are a lot of people out there who would much rather read personal accounts written in plain English rather than all that gobbledygook science out there!
However, I will do so with one proviso - no one interprets what I write as a definite account of what happens when you take Progynova.
I am an individual. I have several health conditions that I suspect a lot of people won't have: Club feet, undeveloped muscles below the knees, short sightedness, spina bifada, and a history of cancer AND heart disease within my family just to name the ones I am aware about!
So in no way can what happens to me be interpreted as a definite account of the effects of taking Progynova.
But the things that will happen to me will be things that CAN happen to someone else and for that alone I think it is important that I document events and how they affect me.
So, with that understood, here are my first findings....
I took my first pill (2mg of Progynova) at 8:05 this morning. At the time of writing, 10:00 a.m., I feel bloated, gassy and light headed - all of which are known side effects of taking the hormone.
So, if these effects are indeed down to the hormone and not just my breakfast, then the side-effects have been almost instantaneous! And I find that both scary and exciting!

Teach The Children

An incident this week reminded me of an argument that often gets put forward when a child is allowed to crossdress.
The argument goes along the lines that allowing a child to crossdress is forcing them to take part in "some kind of gender experiment".
However, I would argue that the only experiment that takes place is seeing what happens when you force a child to wear clothes they don't want to wear, (although I would think that it's not so much an experiment as a foregone conclusion: The child will feel miserable!).
Imagine the scenario... you are a child who likes to wear the clothes of the opposite gender. Doing so makes you feel good and that makes you feel happy.
However, your parents catch you wearing those clothes and tell you off for wearing them. Apparently what makes you feel happy is of less importance than doing what's expected and being seen as "normal". You MUST "fit in"!
Then, to justify their actions, they tell you they're doing it "for your own good" because other people won't understand and will bully you.
Well, obviously, you don't want to be picked on and bullied so doing whatever it takes to avoid that seems sensible.
However, if you were an adult and had some experience of life behind you, you might see things a different way.
You might then realise that for the entirety of your life there will be someone somewhere willing to pick on you for ANY perceived variation from "the norm".
And thus wouldn't it be better if, instead of siding with the bullies in this world, your parents sided with you!
Because right now, at that moment when they tell you off for crossdressing, the message they're sending you loud and clear is "You are WRONG!"... and so bullying you is to be expected and, furthermore, bullying you is RIGHT!
That is NO kind of message to send to a child!
So spare me from that "They need to learn right from wrong!" bullshit because, more often than not, it is the adults who don't know right from wrong!
So, for their sake, let me make it plain and simple: Bullying anyone for any reason any time, any place, anywhere is WRONG!
It is NEVER correct! And it is NEVER justified!
So stop teaching your children otherwise!