Ello, Ello ,Ello, it's Friday. [I'm] CJ. This is your new CJ Day. So we're very... um thanks CJ?
It's Friday. Yaaay, it isn't actually Friday today. It's Thursday
It's Thursday the 8th June. This is election day in the UK and um
I'm freaking out. You don't really need to ask (Points to Shirt)
Who I'm voting for which weirdly when it comes um to being outed (sigh) a...
Boy! Do I have a story for you! Of the ways of coming out to people the least...?
Leasty one, the least good one, the most very bad one,
The the best worst way that I can think of to come out um to people is doing it via the Daily Mail.
It is the worst, worst of all newspapers. [it] is the worst of the worst of all newspapers
[it] is un-apologetically right wing bigoted, smug, preachy
Hate-filled newspaper that is just the worst.
Back story for those of you who are new you or haven't followed it or...
Forgotten. I was commissioned to write a book last year. It's a book about Gender Diversity to go into schools I
Was introduced to the publishers from the charity that I worked for
It's a tiny little book done by an independent publishers
I'll put the link down there if you fancy a read knock yourselves out
I had sent and edit off to my publishers and then I had gone out with some friends
the next ... (recalling memory)
Day I
Was working on my phone [call] and they don't believe in things like journalism or fact-checking so they published this story
And they [published] story about me?! They got my name right and they got the name of the book right?
And that is it!
Which I never expected to happen just because I didn't see any of the book as being a particularly um
Big "deal". Essentially a book that can be summed up like be nice to people and talk about things without freaking out.
Which is ironic really because all people did
Was be mean (scoff) and freaked. After [the] back of that the guardian then
Ran a piece on me certainly like the beginning quarter of this year it was like a really weird
Period of time. You forget how many people you know and that's the only way [that] I can like
Sum it up. It turned out that everybody that I had met
had read this
Article and therefore had seen me and had seen me as being like an out publicly transperson
This was like being in a rollercoaster going down a hill really fast
without any of those
They're not [seatbelts]. You know
I mean Without the rail. I didn't have I was freewheeling through all [of] this
The response to that was really interesting actually because it went one of two ways
I had people that I haven't seen in years
[and] who might hadn't spoken to and I hadn't had any contact [with] you got in touch with me offering support offering you know
Encouragement and then I had a really curious response from some people in my life. Which was just like a complete shutting down negating of
Any of what had gone on a sort of like denial that is?
Happening for as long as I live this will be one of those things. You know like when work when people [Google] you
when something comes up
this is going to be one of those things. That at least I was somewhat aware of
that is something that's going to have me [outed] for the rest of my life and...
When we talk [outing] I know for a lot of people that the threat of being outed [is] like a really terrifying one
For me. It's been really freeing. I'd go into encounters with people knowing what the bottom line is.
There is an understanding of who I am already. That is really great because it
just feels super liberating it means they don't have to go into every situation explaining something and
Certainly um while I blend in Society more
I certainly don't do all of the time it really depends where I am who I am what I'm wearing, so...
Such a crapshoot. I never really I never really know what the things are I'm so open about it that it's saved
I think it may have saved me. I think in the times when my brain has found it really hard
[I] found it really liberating to be like this is just my label
And I understand if you don't feel that comfort, and I understand this is a fear. Now... and I also like a hundred percent
[I] am saying this in the context of living in the UK and I'm saying this within the context of being
understanding my legal rights
Having legal rights having, employment rights
Having all of those kinds of things. I know that [I'm] protected by things they might government by things in the world
and that's really important to me and
Just as important as it is to like keep fighting [for] them
Because they can always go away um
but I'd really taken advantage of that and that's really worked and [I] think that's
Been better for me. [I] think [that's] been good for me
that being said
don't come out by the Daily Mail (scoffs)
and if you do...
Don't read the comments. But in general being outed was actually perversely something that's been great for me
so um yeah, I guess a
Mainstream Right-Wing Media is not necessarily how everybody wants [to] come out? [I] certainly wouldn't sell it as a life experience
but um it's my life experience and.. ah...
C'est Le Vie, so this is that so I will speak to you next week
I'm now going to go curl up with my dog and my anxiety and
Try to avoid too much news about what's going on in the world at least for the next 12 hours
So I will see you next week
Bye