And now the thrilling continuation of yesterdays Almost Famous - Part 1 and Hollys interview with MercuryNeedle.  Part 3 (the final part) will be coming tomorrow, so look forward to that.

4. What do you think the trans community would be like if it wasn't for youtube?

The trans community without youtube? Thats a difficult one. Ive met a lot of trans people both in person and online and often I find theres little crossover with the various online communities. In person can be really difficult too as many trans people dont want to be noticed as being trans.

Forums and BBSs are great places for transgendered people looking to remain anonymous and those hoping to explore their transition safely. Youtube is very interesting because it cuts a fine line between an internet safe-space and a loss of anonymity. People cant physically harm you on Youtube, but they can know your face and your voice which adds a much more personal interaction from the perspective of the people in the video. It gives you a chance to be heard and to be listened to. You dont get that kind of intimacy with forums, but you reveal a very personal part of your identity. Personally, weighing the advantages and the disadvantages, I find myself enamoured with the idea.

The Youtube trans community is mostly really positive and a great way to find support for those who have none or close to in their area. Its a fairly unstructured community too and it can be quite a joy to keep discovering new people and videos that youve never seen before. You really dont know what one video to the next are going to bring by following related video links, so its really exciting. You can obviously find out specific information too, which is great.

The open, unstructured nature of the Youtube community is a really positive thing and without it I think people within the global trans community would be more bottlenecked into smaller communities with less eclectic ideas on transition, gender politics, etc. The Youtube community really lends itself to new thoughts and I think thats nothing short of progression for the wider communities. And progress is usually powerful, especially in the hands of an uncensored and vocal minority.

Find out more after the break as we delve deeper into topics of international importants (seriously).

Thats a tough one. I used to live in a more central part of England than I do now. When I lived there it felt like the general population had no hope. It was a really violent place for a transgendered woman like me to be living (and transitioning) in. People there are very much swayed by television and red-line tabloids: the gutter press. Its really depressing to see people blindly following the opinions of sensationalist media that strive to fuel narrow-minded and out-dated ideas just for a quick sale. Its insane just how many people believe the rubbish that gets laid down before them.

Of course, a lot of things changed for me when I started living in the south of England. People are much more laid back here and I dont have to fear for my life by just stepping foot outside. People here are much more educated and open-minded, if at least still under pressure by their peers. Its much more civilised, even if people arent comfortable with your gender/sexuality.

Britain is pretty small compared to the USA and even though a lot of television is mostly US programs and movies here, British people tend to lack the aspirations that a lot of people in the US have. Theres less of an economy here, no Hollywood and far less places to go. Things tend to be on a smaller scale, so even though its probably more tight-knit than the states or Canada, you really get the impression that people feel they have no-where to take their ideas. I imagine that a lot of the impressions of trans people over here are severely US influenced, but without the bible-belt fanaticism. For British people, trans people are rarely celebrities because we find it harder to distance ourselves both mentally and physically from other people. Where oppression is concerned, trans people are perceived less as being different to the public and more as being merely worth less than. We also have the public health system which causes a lot of problems with getting treatment, because although treatment isnt paid for by the individual, it comes out of the tax-payers pockets and people can be REALLY against that. It makes change a lot harder and people in the UK tend not to favour change unless things are really bad for the majority. Its been a slow development for trans-peoples rights since the stonewall riots whilst gay rights and public opinion of have moved on greatly. Its led to there quite a reasonably community of trans people, but of course, not every trans person sees the benefit in that; especially due to the issue of stealth.

The UK is far from being perfect for Trans people, but it could be worse: at least its not Morocco!

6. What sort of positive or negative changes have you seen develop in people's attitudes and impressions of trans issues throughout the years?

Thats an interesting question. I began transition before I realised what transition was and what being transgendered even meant. I had no idea that medical intervention was a reality for someone like me and how effective it could be. Back then, all I ever heard of or saw on television seemed to be men in drag who wanted their penises cut off. Looking back, I feel really disappointed in myself, but also really disappointed in public opinion and the media for making me feel that way. If Id known real facts and been informed from a younger age, I could have saved myself a lot of heartache, sadness and won years of my life back. I kind of feel cheated out of my childhood and teenage years by public ignorance. Teenage years are rarely the best for anyone and when you have transgender issues and dont realise it yourself, it becomes a lot worse. Its a miracle that I survived my teenage years: and I mean that with all sincerity.

As Ive grown older Ive noticed a lot of change in awareness of transgenderism, although not all of it has been positive. Not only last month I was outside a rock club and two people right next to me were talking about whether Lady Gaga was transgendered or not. They obviously hadnt cottoned on to the fact that they were standing right next to a very real transgendered person who was getting more and more irate about this. I asked them what did it really matter if she was transgendered or not? They didnt actually know themselves but still felt driven to feel it was an issue because the media made it an issue. It makes me sad to think that people still need to see this as something thats extraordinary, especially in a place where they were enjoying music that a lot of people would not consider as being ordinary-peoples music.

The increase in awareness of trans people has been a double edged sword really. It gets people talking and (with any luck) thinking about it. On the other hand, not all transgendered people are positive role-models and the media does little to make them positive role-models. Transgender celebrities tend to get talked about not because of any talent that they have, but because they are transgendered. If I wanted to tell my transition story to a national newspaper or talk-show, I could become famous overnight. But it wouldnt be the kind of fame that interests me as publicity can work against you and suddenly the public is exposed to another transsexual that they feel inclined to slate and foul-mouth however they please because thats all they know about how treat trans people.

Im looking forward to a brighter future for all trans people: one thats free of oppression and hate. Of course, thats a long way off, but unless we work together to change public opinion, well simply end up being the butt-end of too many bad-taste jokes. All too often cisgendered (non-trans) people are allowed to be our voice whilst the transgendered minority are often too afraid to speak out. But hey, things are changing with time. I mean, look at Obama: the USAs first non-Caucasian president! No-one would have seen that coming ten years ago.

Comments

Razorbeak
02-08-2010

I continue to be amazed that a trans-person, on the other side of the world, will answer a question the same as I would. Her answer to question #6 sounds like I could have said that myself. The part where she talks about not identifying as trans, when she was younger, because of only seeing drag-queens on television is probably very common for us. At least on YouTube, anyone can see that people who are trans are real, down-to-earth, people that are only searching for happiness. It shows that we do not have any secret, evil agenda in what we are doing (transitioning).
I love this interview. I hope to see more like this in the future.

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