An Open Letter on Transphobia

Today I was made aware of an amazing video.  It is a response to the Julie Burchil article from several months ago that descended into pure hate speech towards transgender women.  The young woman in this video is not transgender, her views do not come from a place of hurt or anger from Burchil's comments, but rather from a detached and level headed point of view.

I hope that this video is interesting and thought provoking to people, and that you reallise just how much the trans community comes under attack in the modern media, and just how 'accepted' it is by people over other forms of desrimination.  Only with everyone working together can we stop this kind of thing happening again in the future.

Amy.
xx

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Bullying in the Trans Community

About a week ago someone posted a very rude and sexual comment on the  Face Book page for Trans Girl Writer.  This was not the first such message that I’ve received, but it was the first openly public one.  I was quite understandably upset and angry with this comment and went on something of a rant on Face Book about receiving these kinds of messages and being the focus of some peoples fetishes.

I posted this rant on a couple of Face Book pages that are designed for transgender people, for them to share their thoughts and feelings and talk to other people in the same situation as them.  For the most part people were of the same opinion as me and I received a lot of positive feedback about what I had written.

However, on one particular group, which I will not name, I began to receive negative comments.  Rather than these comments being targeted at what I had written though, they were targeted towards me.  The comments became directed towards how it was my fault for attracting these kinds of comments and messages towards myself.

After a while these comments began to change towards people turning around and accusing me of making the whole thing up, and even lying about being transgender in the first place.  Their basis for such conclusions are based in the fact that I don’t have any pictures of myself on my Face Book page.

I’m early on in my transition, I’ve never lied about what stage I’m in, so I don’t like the way I look.  I don’t like to look in the mirror and see a man looking back at me, so there is no way on earth that I’d post pictures of a body that I would hate on my Face Book for the whole world to see.  I’ve read countless accounts of transgender people that don’t like pictures of themselves pre or early transition and have even gone so far as to destroy these pictures of themselves.

For another transgender person to turn around to me and say that unless I post a picture of myself then they’re going to assume that I’m a guy just pretending to be a girl is horrible.  Even when trying to put my point across to them that I am being truthful and indeed transgender they just continued to bombard me with insulting and hurtful comments, even going so far as to advising me to ‘seek professional help’.

It’s bad enough that we become the target of bullying from the rest of the world, simply for being born different from everyone else, but to have people within the community turn on you because you don’t fit into their opinion of what a trans person is or should be doing is terrible.  We should be helping each other and giving our support to fellow transgender people, not attacking them.

The comments made have since disappeared from he conversation thread, either by an admin removing them or the original commenter taking back what they have said, but the damage from these comments has already been made.  It’s ruined my day.  I feel like complete shit and just want to break down into tears.

It wasn’t a trans hater or a bigot who made me feel like that, it was another transgender person.  This elitism of ‘I’m more of a trans person than you’ or ‘if you don’t do it a certain way you’re not really trans’ is disgusting and destructive to the community.  We need to work together here people.  If we can’t even accept and support each other how can we expect the rest of the world to do so?

Amy.
xx

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Peter Capaldi - Doctor 12

Sunday the 4th of August saw the worldwide reveal of the actor that will play the twelfth incarnation of the television legend, the Doctor.  After weeks of speculation on who would take over the ionic role from current Doctor Matt Smith it was announced that Scottish born actor, film director and screen writer Peter Capaldi will step into part.

Possibly best known for his role in ‘The Thick of It’ as foul mouthed Director of Communications for the British government, he has also appeared in a number of other well known television shows, including two separate roles in both Doctor Who and it’s spin-off show Torchwood.

When the announcement was made I was very happy with the choice and found myself looking forward to him taking over the role more than I am the upcoming 50th anniversary special.  Capaldi has always been an actor that I have liked whenever I’ve seen him in anything and I think that he will be able to bring a level of age and authority to the role that has been missing since the 70’s.

I know that a number of people on the internet have been complaining that he’s too old to play the part, but being the same age as William Hartnell when the role was first created for me means that he is in no way too old.  I can’t help but to feel that the people that are first in line to complain that he is too old to play the Doctor are people that are only familiar with the new series of the show, and haven’t had the pleasure of watching Hartnell, Troughton and Pertwee, three of the oldest Doctors, play the part so absolutely brilliantly.

When the series was first announced back in 2005 I was excited by the return of the show, but had no real opinion on Eccleston in the role.  When it was announced that Tennant was taking over the role my heart sank and I found myself thinking ‘oh god not that twat from that awful Casanova show!’  With Matt Smith being an unknown I had no real opinion on him in the role when it was first announced.  Capaldi is the first Doctor since the show returned to television where I am really excited to see him in the role.

I know that many people are going to be polarised by this announcement, as they are every time a new Doctor is announced, but people need to calm down a little and wait to see him in the role before they make any snap decisions.  The people who are making harsh comments on the internet, saying that he’s too old and that they will never watch him as the Doctor are just being plain stupid.

I personally think that Capaldi could be the best Doctor we’ve had since the show returned and that the fans just need to relax and give him a chance to win them over.

Amy.
xx

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Arrow Season 1 Review

I never watched Smallville.  Despite being a big comic book fan I never went out of my way to watch what some call ‘the best superhero show on TV’.  I saw a handful of episodes and hated them and many of my friends continually told me of how the show just continued to loose quality.  As such when Arrow was announced I was extremely sceptical about what to expect.  I went into the first episode with no expectations and thinking I was going to hate it.  I’m pleased to say that I was proved completely wrong.

There are a lot of television shows that takes time to  find its feet and perfect their tone and storytelling during their first episodes, and to be fair Arrow did have that problem, with the show initially feeling like a mixture of Nolan’s Batman films, Lost and a handful of other television shows.  However, despite taking a few episode to figure out exactly the type of show that they wanted to make these first episodes were still exciting and competently made.

The island story could easily be its own amazing show.

The shows writers took some artistic licence during these early stages of the show that could have very easily driven viewers away, especially those with an attachment to the character from the comics.  Traditionally a character that works on his own and doesn’t have a large cast around him here Oliver Queen was given not just a family unit but also a group of allies to aid him in his crime fighting.  Both of these new elements not only made sense to the character but also went a long way to creating interesting character development and story beats.

Without doubt two of the best character arcs in the first series were Oliver’s bodyguard turned crime fighting partner John Diggle, watching the two of them go from cold and hostile to brothers in arms was hugely rewarding.  Oliver’s mother, Moira Queen was another amazing addition to the show, set up as a potential villain in the early episodes it was amazing to watch as the characters true motivations and involvement in the villains ‘Undertaking’ come to light and her shot at redemption in the final episode.

The Dark Archer proves to be an amazing villain for Oliver.

Another way in which the show stumbled at first was finding the right quality of acting.  Despite having a great cast it definitely seemed to take the cast a while to find their characters voices and motivations.  He may have physically looked the part but Stephen Amell certainly took a while to find the right presence in his action role, though his struggle to find the right tone as an actor does kind of mirror Oliver finding his footing as a vigilante in Starling City.  Despite these clunky starts the quality of acting come the end of the season was on top form, especially switching between the present and Olivers time on the island where you could see that he was quite clearly playing two very different versions of the same character.

Just like the ever expanding story of Oliver taking down The Undertaking in Starling City his time on the island also continued to evolve and expand, taking us in interesting new directions and very quickly became one of the most interesting aspects of the show, especially when Oliver was teamed up with Slade Wilson.  A surprise relationship that worked extremely well and built what could have been a boring island story into something so exciting and complex that it could easily stand on its own two feet.  It also went a long way in showing how that shows writers aren’t afraid to change things up and challenge fans expectations by having Olive become friends with one of DC’s biggest villains.

Arrow isn't afraid to challenge fans expectations of characters.

As the season progresses it starts to leave the ‘villain of the week’ formula behind and build towards the climax of the underlying story in two epic episodes filled to the brim with amazing action pieces, shocking story turns and some of the best character moments in the whole show, ensuring that when the final credits roll you’ll be eagerly awaiting the second season.

A show that started off as a very entertaining and competent superhero drama that over the course of the season built up into something more engaging and intricate filled with great character moments and action sequences that aren’t watered down for television.  A great start to what will hopefully be an amazing show that could far surpass Smallville as one of the best superhero shows.

Amy.
xx

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Doctor Who 'Prisoners of Time' Issue 3 Review

Issue 3 of ‘Prisoners of Time’ begins with the third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith being summoned by his former companion and UNIT member Liz Shaw to assist with an extremely unusual situation.  The planet is being wracked with rain storms and the Brigadier is acting irrationally and is ordering troop movements that make no sense what so ever.  When confronted by the Doctor it is revealed that the Brigadier is being controlled by the Remoraxians, a race that has come to earth to ‘aquaform’ the planet.

The Doctor, Liz, Sarah Jane and the Brigadier must travel below the ocean surface to a UNIT Nautical Facility where the alien invasion has established their foothold and find a way of stopping their plans before the rest of the world ends the attack the only way they know how, by launching a nuclear strike on Great Britain.

The artwork captures the style and action of Pertwee's Doctor.

The third issue of ‘Prisoners of Time’ perfectly captures the feel of the Pertwee era of the show, it sets its action on earth and delivers characterisation that is very true to the original versions seen on television.

The characters are all portrayed very well, with the Doctor displaying his usual disdain for authority, having plenty of tricks up his sleeves and not being afraid to get down and dirty with the alien invaders and start throwing a punch or two.  His relationship with the Brigadier is also great to see and the two of them work brilliantly with each other, just going to re-enforce one again that the Brigadier was truly the Doctors greatest friend.

The choice in assistants is also great, with not only the most famous assistant of all time in the form of Sarah Jane Smith, but the return of one of my personal  favourites Liz Shaw.  Pertwees first assistant, Liz Shaw was something of a mould breaker, less the damsel in distress and more an intellectual equal to the Doctor her brief time in the show had some of the best episodes in the shows history and it is wonderful to see her make an appearance in the 50th anniversary comic.

The Doctor and the Brigadier still work brilliantly together.

The books artwork is done very competently, with the characters instantly recognisable and each of the locations looking different and interesting.  The colours can skip from dark and moody to bright and flashy in an instant when the Doctor bursts into action and complements the story telling perfectly, helping you to feel the excitement as the action kicks into gear.

Another great issue of what is shaping up to be a very interesting series, though not quite 100% perfect.  It is a shame that a story that’s celebrating the Pertwee era does not also include UNIT personnel Benton and Yates, or his arch enemy the Master.  Aside from these small quibbles, however, a great read.

8/10

Amy.
xx

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