Blogs

Today is Bi Visibility Day so here’s a shout out to all my fellow bi and pan sexual beings, it’s great to be out there and part of the vast variety of human experience. I don’t know about you but I was both pleased and vindicated by the publication of a recent study into sexuality* that not only showed there were 5 DNA markers associated with sexual behaviour, and none with the power to predict the sexuality of an individual, but also obliterated the Kinsey scale as the way of determining and boxing up one’s sexuality. Attraction, like life, is not linear.

Sitting here in my box with no windows I admire the space I have created, last week was a week of tidying, getting rid of the weight of old paperwork, old equipment and old thoughts. Most people do a Spring Clean but I think that for Chrysalis an autumn clean was timely. The Pride kit is packed away, but the travel kit is ready for we have many events coming up, starting with the University Fresher’s Fairs.

What a week! It seems that every time I turn around something else is changing. I want to recognise how the world is really changing for the better. How our country is changing. How people are changing. No longer is the discourse –“oh! Sorry, thinking about pronouns is too difficult for me.” Instead it’s “oooh! Pronoun badges! Can I take some back for my team? I want to use them to open conversations and make sure we are more inclusive.”

Did you realise it’s less than two months until Halloween? We may have run out of bank holidays for the foreseeable future but there’s definitely a few key dates on the horizon. As I near my two year anniversary as Chrysalis’ CEO I am so pleased to be welcoming more fantastic people onto the team. We have some great volunteers joining us across the area with a welcome to Robyn up in Basingstoke, Rosie taking on the role of Portsmouth Coordinator and the great team that is Bournemouth with Saskia, Cara, Helen, Julie and Amanda settling into their group.

Back to life, back to reality! There is always that sense after the August bank holiday that it’s time to settle down and be sensible again. Summer is great but now back to work. Even the traffic this morning seemed to be returning to the normal state of affairs on the M27. Some of those cones are becoming close personal friends.

Speaking of friends, it was great to see so many of you out at Southampton Pride this weekend. Back where it all started for Chrysalis’ transition, that first time we were out and proud and Dianne led the parade.

How to start a blog after two weeks of holiday? Do I tell you about music festivals and weddings and time spent playing mobile phone games, of traffic jams and burnt out trucks and the taste of German lager? Should I talk about avoiding the news, all news, for nearly two weeks? How about my reaction to the appalling assault on Owen Jones, to the ongoing political situation which means that on top of everything else the long-awaited reform of the Gender Recognition Act is most definitely kicked into the long grass?

A fantastic meeting with volunteer Joanne Lockwood on Friday lunchtime clarified some thinking about what Chrysalis gains from everyone who is part of our community and what Chrysalis gives to each and every person who we touch. This started off as an exercise to find the right words to describe people who come to the Chrysalis groups but soon spidered into a fantastic diagram about what people give and what people gain from being part of Chrysalis. I would love to hear what your gains and gives are, why not message us and tell us?

I’m loving all the photos of friends and colleagues and people I have yet to meet celebrating Trans Pride in Brighton, the photos of everyone celebrating in Ryde on the Isle of Wight, seeing all the positive and affirming stories. Being accepted and included isn’t something that everyone one can take for granted and when you haven’t felt included the empowerment you get from being in a safe space yet visible and with those of similar mindset is incredible.

Where have I been? I’m so late in posting I hear you say. Terribly bad show and all that don’t you know? Well I hope that you accept my apologies and consider being invited to the raising of the Hampshire Flag on our very first Hampshire Day a reasonable excuse.

Wasn’t it great to see trans people 100% included in this years Pride in London event, and to see all the wonderful photos from Black Pride? An incredible day in the capital with people from around the world celebrating, being free to be themselves. I saw a comment below the line somewhere complaining about ‘Pride Month’ – saying that one day they would want a whole year! Now wouldn’t that be amazing? Are we getting closer to being able to be out and proud the whole year round?