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So one beautiful thing about being openly female is all the ways i get to express myself. The really amazing thing is shifting from fear of "omg what if they find out" to "omg they are okay with this... omg its gonna be okay." I know that this is not everyone's experience and it breaks my heart. I know I am super privilaged to live and work in western mass USA where lgbtq respect is one of the best in the country. I just am so grateful that this is not just where I came to but also where i grew up. That a lot of these people have been friends for a while some for a long time. I am privilaged that my family accepts me and that some family is also affirming and supportive. I am so glad to be able to be who I am. My heart is flooded with emotions at this time and I just want to tell anyone / everyone going through the process of coming out. What ever letter of alphabet soup you fall into, that I love you and I respect you and I honor you for being you. If you are not feeling comfortable or safe coming out... I want to tell you that I accept you, that I am here for you. It is a privilage to feel safe coming out to the world. It is an honor to come out to myself. <3 Luna

I like many others, some not even in the UK, face changes of responsibility, although in my case not of demotion. Public sector employment in the UK is being decimated by the Conservative (tory) government, they are giving public service jobs to their private contractor mates, so far my job hasn't been privatised, but the implication of privatisation is that I have less to look after, due to whole sections leaving local government employment, thus making the Council that I work for smaller. I'm just hanging on for my pension, which when it's large enough I'll retire. My partner also has very similar problems being a consultant paediatrician in the NHS, which isn't really National anymore, it's been so fragmented that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand's doing. The media is mostly anti EU and wants the UK to leave, the media is mostly pro tory, not much that is derogatory to right wing views and ideals gets published in the majority of the press or aired on the BBC. I have said before that the public are mostly sheep the press are the wolves who feed on the sheep and the tory politicians are the perverted shepherds who should be looking after the sheep. It's a really cosy relationship, a very subtle sort of corruption really. But there's a new dimension now with corporatism creeping - uh?, no, leaping in with Corporations pulling the strings of the idiot politician puppets, and it seems aided by the media. It's funny but I don't feel very free anymore, we used to pity the communist countries in Eastern Europe a few decades ago, thinking that they didn't have any freedom. To think that we have much freedom of speech, is quite laughable with a media so biased toward the new regime, who will take much notice of whatever I say whether or not it's on social media or printed in the fringe press? Don't think that I'm anti free-enterprise though, I'm all for it, but I'm very much against giving public services on a plate to private contractors. I want to leave the UK and live in Europe somewhere, and not be bothered with the antics of right wing idiots. Depressed, Eve

I could almost think it's something about me, but it's not. In my previous position with the school I provided administrative support to the Law Review (a student publication). Under the original faculty publisher I had a lot of responsibility, and it grew over time. Then a new faculty publisher came in and suddenly I found my position gradually (though not slowly) being diminished. She never bothered to even learn what I did and started giving the students more and more responsibility which had formerly been mine (and responsibility that they really couldn't handle given their schedules). So I felt like I was effectively demoted without changing positions. In September I moved to the Marketing Department and immediately loved my new job, my new responsibilities, and my new boss. At the time I reported directly to the Vice President of Marketing, and she gave me quite a bit of autonomy in my position (maybe too much, who knows). In December the VP left. In the interim her management responsibilities were split between another VP and a manager in our department (I took on some of her non-management responsibilities). So for the transition period I knew that I was working under that manager. I wasn't thrilled by that - I like her, but she's not a very good supervisor (her communication skills are seriously lacking). But I figured I could survive, and they were pretty quick in finding a new VP, so all seemed good. Then in early January the Dean sent an email to the entire school announcing the new VP. At the bottom of that email he also mentioned that the manager I had been temporarily working under had been promoted to Assistant VP, and among her responsibilities was supervising some of the Marketing Dept., INCLUDING ME!!! So, I had been once again effectively demoted (adding a new person/position directly above you in the chain of command is a demotion), and only found out about it through an email that went to the entire school. I decided over the weekend that there really isn't much I can do about the situation except start to develop an exit strategy. I've only been in this position for about 5 months, and it's a new role, so I definitely need to hold out longer and learn more. I'd also like to get through my surgeries while I'm still here rather than having to deal with that with a new employer (especially GRS since it will involve a longer recovery time). While it's nice to have an exit strategy in mind, it doesn't help much in terms of getting through day-to-day. So anyway, I just needed to get that out somewhere :-) xoxo Chrissy

That was the "Reagan Revolution" over here - intentionally drive up deficit spending (on the military mainly) so that they could justify shutting down government services (a "starve the beast" approach).

Yes I too have always liked them. But the tory shepherds over here are purposefully re-arranging the public sector, setting up it up to fail, so that they can say that the public sector has failed, (and the media will really chime in with that message) privatisation is the only way to make things work.................

Although I have to say that I'm not a fan of sayings that make wolves out to be bad :-) (I'm a big wolf lover)

To quote a citizen of your country, not long after he was a subject of my country; "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to have for diner. Liberty is a well armed sheep." Benjamin Franklin. I think his theory is basically still true today, however things are now a little more complicated.

Sadly it seems (from my U.S. view) that right wing idiots seem to be on the rise throughout Europe, even in my beloved France! Don't get me wrong, we're doing what we can to keep pace (Donald Trump and Ted Cruz specifically - Trump isn't really right-wing, but definitely an idiot). My view is that it's a global issue of economic inequality getting bigger and bigger every year, which drives all sorts of bad things among the have-nots (when you have very little you tend to start focusing on the "others" who you suspect are trying to take what you have).

One finger is customary here :-) Fortunately I find the situation upsetting and even aggravating, but not depressing - really nothing has made me depressed since last February when I came out

There needs to be a "don't like this" thingy to click really, as your posting is depressing, and I feel very sorry for you. I think you have the right idea of hanging on until after surgery, when shortly afterwards I'd be inclined to stick two fingers up at the Dean and Co, or is one finger more derogatory in the US?

Dear Luna, What can I say except that I'm very happy for you! I agree about the change in perspective. I think it does need to be something along the lines of "sure, I suppose I think about what they might think but in the scheme of things it doesn't matter. My life and well being is what is what I'm living." And thank goodness your family and friends are supportive. You are indeed very fortunate! But we are also fortunate to have you as a TGG member. Hugs, Emma

I am having chest surgery in four weeks. I am super excited, and a little terrified. Nobody in my family knows. They're not supportive, and I don't want any passive-aggressive comments to bring me down. I'm sad that I feel I can't share this milestone with them.

I want to echo veronicabeta's happiness you shared with us. I also really want to validate the sadness you must feel not being comfortable sharing this milestone with family. My heart goes out to you. I am sending compassion to you and wish you the best with the surgery. <3 Luna