I hope this is in the right place, or even there is a better place.

Last night on BBC Radio 1 (for the those that don't live in the UK this is by far the biggest UK station for music, particularly as it's from the BBC) they had a documentary about Laura Jane Grace and being transgender in general, hosted by Paris Lees who was number 1 in this year's Pink List.

It was incredibly well done and almost made me cry at one point. If it felt like I was alone before, this documentary definitely showed me I wasn't. I guess what really helped was hearing actual voices saying 'I'm transgender', 'I have gender dysphoria' etc instead of seeing it written down. It made it all the more real.

The programme is available on the BBC iplayer until next Monday and I believe it can still be accessed and listened to outside the UK. Here's the link, http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03bd0fp

I feel now that BBC Radio 1's 'The Surgery' (a programme for young people with a range of issues) should now take the opportunity to have a special on gender identity issues as now is the perfect opportunity. There are no doubt people who listened to this and felt extremely encouraged by it and are now looking for someone to talk to.

I am really lookong forward to her next album.  It should be interesting!  I liked their music before any of this came to light, so this all is pretty cool and inspirational for me

I read LJG's story in Rolling Stone last year.  My stomach sank and I wept.   It was like, well, what are you waiting for?  It took a few months to make the call, but OMG- what a difference.

Thanks, Laura.  You really helped save my life.

OMG - my head is truly spinning after listening to that. Oddly, despite having been intersex myself, and having been a member of this site on two occasions now, It seems that I still can't get my head properly round what it must be like for the transpeople featured. I don't even entirely agree with the medic who was on the programme. My experience was and is so different from ANY of that I really don't seem to fit in to this... anywhere!

I've clearly never experienced much of the prejudice, abuse or pain. Despite growing up in the 1960's in the UK I just grew up as me, initially androgynous (0 - 5), then more female (5 - 17), then more male (17 - 24), and finally following surgery fully female (24 - present). At no point did I ever encounter any significant hostility. In part this may be a result, of having been lucky enough to be a member of a highly educated family, who were on the fringes of the UK upper class, but even so its just breathtaking to me when I realise just HOW exceptionally privileged I have been in life. I somehow seem to have slipped through an impossibly slim non existent crack in society.

All I can say is my heart goes out to you all.

To me I think Paris Lees is the UK's answer to Janet Mock!

Quote from: Doctorwho? on December 18, 2013, 02:34:57 PM
OMG - my head is truly spinning after listening to that. Oddly, despite having been intersex myself, and having been a member of this site on two occasions now, It seems that I still can't get my head properly round what it must be like for the transpeople featured. I don't even entirely agree with the medic who was on the programme. My experience was and is so different from ANY of that I really don't seem to fit in to this... anywhere!

I've clearly never experienced much of the prejudice, abuse or pain. Despite growing up in the 1960's in the UK I just grew up as me, initially androgynous (0 - 5), then more female (5 - 17), then more male (17 - 24), and finally following surgery fully female (24 - present). At no point did I ever encounter any significant hostility. In part this may be a result, of having been lucky enough to be a member of a highly educated family, who were on the fringes of the UK upper class, but even so its just breathtaking to me when I realise just HOW exceptionally privileged I have been in life. I somehow seem to have slipped through an impossibly slim non existent crack in society.

All I can say is my heart goes out to you all.

Not 100% sure what you're saying here.

Ive been following LJG since she came out last summer (2012) and her tale is quite inspiring to me. As a musician myself with gender dysphoria, her story really hits home for me.