The Trans Agenda

Look, I don’t want these pages to become nothing but trans stuff. Honestly it is the least interesting thing about me!

But at the moment the world seems a very scary place if you’re trans. Even if you are incredibly fortunate to have supportive friends and family, wonderful partners, stable housing and income, the general weariness still starts to seep in around the edges.

The Trans Agenda just comprises a bunch of really exhausted people just wanting to go about their lives in peace without worrying about whether they’ll get their next hormone prescription or if they can piss when they leave the house.

And it is so incredibly tiring. Every day brings some new shittery. Our brains are just not equipped to be on a hyper-alert state for every new threat all the time.

I know that some feel like the fight is lost but I don’t share that view and nor do others. History will look back on this time and will treat those who didn’t stand up for a tiny marginalised community unkindly.

I don’t have the answers but I wanted to share how I keep going.

Avoid the news and doomscrolling cycle as much as possible:
I don’t watch rolling news, read newspapers, or have any news apps installed (let alone have any breaking news alerts setup). I set my phone up to limit my time on social media and websites (especially Reddit).

Celebrate the wins, no matter how small:
I ask friends, family and my partner to filter out the bad. If they hear of something good then they let me know.

Engage with a local community:
Your local town likely has a LGBT+ support and social group. Just feeling that there others like you nearby helps so much. Even if that isn’t possible then joining smaller Discord servers also helps reduce the sense of detachment (but be wary of over exposing yourself to drama).

Keep a joy diary:
I know it sounds very Californian but every day before bed write one thing that brought you joy that day. This can be anything from a nice cup of coffee, sitting in the sunshine, to a moment of euphoric trans joy. Really draw your focus to those feelings during the day too.

Do as much activism as you have the energy for:
For me it feels good to do something. I write (actual physical letters, they are harder to ignore) to MPs and The Prime Minister. I want to make sure that the voices they hear from aren’t just the gender critical ones.\ If you feel like a little civil disobedience then stickering can also be fun - design your own!

Go to trans prides:
Screaming my lungs out at Brighton and London trans prides this year was so cathartic. Being surrounded by 100,000 trans people and allies was one of the most uplifting moments of my life.

Support each other:
Check in on your friends. Cook dinner for them. Offer them a weekend’s escape. Say they look cute. Take hot pictures together.

Knowing that I will never, ever, give them the satisfaction of disappearing.