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I know I'm lucky to live in Manchester. This city has a big LGBT+ contingent and a lively LGBT+ scene and a city council that supports its LGBT+ people. We even have our first out gay Lord Mayor now. He was at Sparkle last weekend. Sparkle styles itself as the "National Transgender Celebration" here in the UK. http://www.sparkle.org.uk/ It's also a trans* charity. I don't know whether Sparkle weekend really is the biggest trans* get-together in the UK, or whether trans* people really do descend on Manchester from all over the country, but I was there last weekend, with my husband. And there were an awful lot of other people there. Definitely several thousand people. The only disappointing part was that it had rained throughout the Friday night and for a good few hours Saturday morning, before Sparkle was due to kick off on the Saturday. When we got there, the rain had stopped, but the gardens where the main Sparkle event was scheduled to take place were awash with mud due to all the rain. It was a mudbath. The organisers had sprinkled some sawdust around the place to try to lessen the mud, but it didn't really work. And so everyone got messy. I felt sorry for all the ladies in their high heels but there wasn't a lot they could do about it. But it was great to see so many trans* people in one place. We wandered around the gardens, checking out the various stands, and then we decided to head back to Canal Street for a drink. We ducked into View for a quick one, but it was pretty quiet in there so we only had the one drink and then headed for our favourite bar, Bandit. It's actually called Bandit, Mugger & Thief, which is a tad too long for a bar name, in my opinion, but it's a great place. It used to be named Taurus, which I think is an eminently more sensible name for a bar, but whatever. Taurus/Bandit is a great place to hang out on Canal Street. The people who work there are friendly and the bar is comfortable and usually pretty busy but not too full that you can't get a seat. We discovered a beer called Barista stout. I'd never had it before, although I will be having it again. I like stout and porter - dark beers are my favourite and I usually drink Guinness. But this Barista stout... the first mouthful tastes like vanilla ice cream and then it starts to taste like coffee and chocolate - like a mocha milkshake. Oh my goodness, it is gorgeous! So we had more than one. While we were sitting there enjoying our drinks and chatting about stuff, my husband said, "That woman behind you has been standing on her own for ages. Do you think she's waiting for someone?" I turned to look and realised I had seen her earlier, standing there, and she had been alone for a while. So I hopped off my chair and moved to say hello and invite her to sit with us, while she waited for whoever she was waiting for, because it was fairly obvious that was what she was doing. And that was how I met my newest acquaintance - or friend - Emma. Emma joined us at our table and we all chatted about whatever came into our heads. Inevitably, I suppose, some of the conversation focused on transitioning and our different journeys. By the time her friend arrived - it could have been an hour or two later; I have no idea how much time had passed - we had exchanged phone numbers and agreed to keep in touch. I'm hoping that we do keep in touch. I hope I don't have to wait a whole year - for next year's Sparkle celebrations - to meet up with her.

Hi there all I know that I am attempting to be online at the very least once a week. This Sunday I have the sensation that I need to talk about the past week. Yes, I know I ventured into it. But the avenues that I haven't entered were a few more than the pooptis I was talking about earlier. But as a recourse I think I need to vocalize and read what I know and what I can do. First thing first. I was told by my overall commander that I must drag him to court, and this time not just demand that he leave the police, but go after his pension. Of which I'm not comfortable to do. But she called him in and informed him what the law states including what legal services stated. She became the protective mother and informing him that she would work him out of the police before he can end his next 2 years before going on pension. Court cases are a drag... A real drag. Legally the police needs to implement what the constitution states. And only looking at one of the South African Constitutional Acts - Act 18. Where it already states that no discrimination is allowed. No matter if it is sexuality, gender or a combination of the 2. No employer or supervisor has the right to discriminate against you because of this. You have your freedom of expression, identification and this makes for independently individual persons. Yes I also know, that it doesn't just take for acts in the Constitution or other law books for something to be implemented, but it is a start and it tells you the grounds you have to stand on. This week, I'll make an appointment with the EHW (psychological or interpersonal assistance group in the police), and legal services. Just to see if they would want to take up where I in this instance don't want to. And in return if they do the fight, I'll just do the talks and see if I get pulled in for the assistance that other LGBTIQA, yes and others. Well, I like that the description for persons have grown, but I'm beginning to become confused here in the sequence. Okay, I also know that in the sequence once you associate with a group that one automatically moves to the front for you, but when you type it out, you always start with the sexual orientation. Yes, I fall under the gender descriptive. I think I just need to internalize this to see if I have fight left for this man or if I don't. I definitely have fight left. I just fear that this will destroy a career of almost 30 years and put me in the limelight of fighting superiors. I don't have a problem being in that spotlight, but if it is for fighter of equality. Then yes, that is all I want, everyone to be equal. But how will this effect my career. Will it fast track, normal pace (this is already a slow track for today's terms), or get slow tracked because I have targeted seniors that are discriminatory. Yes, I am looking at the recourse's that others will have against me because I am attacking their friend for equality. Not only does me fighting back place my career in a snare that could catapult me on anything from a fast track to non existent career enhancement track. But it could also effect my friends and person's of interest (family) or lover. Now can I do this to people I care about or does 2 years of an idiot sound like a walk in the park. I just don't want to end up in hospital for mentally breaking down. I know, nobody is strong enough to cope with life's dealing, and everyone needs that energy boost to continue. So now I'm thinking. Will this be what they can handle. Because if they are going to be in sight of the attacks, I most definitely will start fighting with other rules a lady doesn't look at. I'll still keep within the framework of the law, but I will be hitting below the belt till it bleeds and I am certain I made his favorite friend infertile, and hopefully also effected the capabilities of hoisting a pole because I was the storm that smashed it into pieces. So my thinking cap is on and I know I can't let him do this to me. So, clean fight, till he fights dirty and then I go legal dirty like rolling in the mud, not hiding razors in the mud. So as I'm saying goodbye, it feels to me that I am going to take on this fight with a degree of hesitation. I'm not the bitch they making me out to be, I'm not the bitch. But I can become the bitch in the fight when required. This thinking is exhausting me mentally as I need to think of the approach and which line of defense I am taking, then which alternatives are in play to counter any attacks he might throw my way. Hugs, Kisses, and cheers Michele Ps. Any view point other then mine would be appreciated. Pss. I also know, if I don't fight back, then someone with no ability to fight back might be caught in the firing line and I will in the end have to come to that persons rescue, so why not just jump in already and stop it before it can continue. Michele out. Psss. Checking my tablet out, that was keeping online. This laptop scenario isn't what I had in mind.