Owing to the recent extreme quietness of news on the transition front, which tends to test the morale, I dug out an old vampire novel Wolves of Dacia (nothing to do with cars) that I wrote around 2008, hoping to keep myself busy for awhile with editing and maybe see if I could make something of it. That has somehow now turned into a near-total rewrite of the thing. On the plus side, I am feeling very motivated and excited about this new project, but on the negative side this means everything else is going to slide for probably months on end (me being the obsessive type), so I beg all of your pardons in advance for being a very unreliable blogger and reader for the foreseeable.
Having said that, this week turned up a couple of bits of trans news. Natasha Hinde of Huffington Post contacted me to canvass an opinion for an article she was writing, “Uterus Transplant Surgery Could Help Trans Women To Become Pregnant.” I gave what I thought at the time was a careful and balanced answer (partially quoted in the article), which I subsequently feared might have been a boring and non-committal one, and which I now discover to have been an offensively controversial one to judge from the drubbing it has received in radfem / gender-critical quarters. Politically, I do seem unable to please any of the people any of the time… I suspect it is long past time I took my husband’s oft-repeated advice and forced myself to stop even visiting trans-political type sites. Since my diplomatic skills are conspicuous by their absence, I don’t expect to achieve much on that battlefield other than flirting with depression, unless regular practice in morbid thinking makes me a better Gothic novelist in the future and thus saves on further rewrites.
Also, today I have just returned from my first day-long course on the Royal Mail women’s development program “Springboard” (on which, I think it might be as well to state, I was specifically invited by female RM executives in full knowledge of my trans status). I cannot say much on that as participants are sworn to confidentiality, but as tends to be the case in real life, the day passed completely positively and courteously, I was made to feel welcome, encouraged to participate, and not once judged or cross-questioned.
Sometimes, I do wonder what if any good the Internet actually is.
Persephone's Playpen 
Don’t worry about the Redfems, Eleanor, they’ll complain about anything because they have nothing better to do with their time.
Concentrate on the positives, like Springboard, and you’ll be fine. 🙂
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I feel unable not to worry, in the event that the sharp end of gender-critical opinion (which is more or less withering contempt) actually represents what the majority of born women feel about transwomen, but just won’t say it because of socialised politeness, as the gender-criticals often claim. That would be an uncomfortable world to live in… but there goes my morbidity again. All I can actually do is be honest with people and let them know they can be as candid with me… and also trust people who say supportive things to me as much as I trust those who say hurtful things. On which note, thank you for the timely encouragement. 🙂 xxx
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Well from what I’ve seen and heard, Eleanor, the majority are either supportive or at least not hostile. Don’t let a noisy few morons get to you.
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Have I quoted the thing before about Russell saying ‘the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt”. You are doing just fine, m’dear, stop worrying about the naysayers (and I know you’ll continue to fret from time to time, but still . . .) xxx
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I rather fear I will. Fretting is addictive when one gets started. 😉 Huge thanks, though. xxx I am always happy to question my situation, and I thought that was what I was doing in that article (in a non-judgemental way) but it was clearly not quite the mea culpa some thought it ought to be.
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I try and stay out of the negativity eminating from either the anti-trans rad fem types or the religious right. I have made my position clear and I will not waste my valuable reading time on slogging through hate filled screeds about people I care about.
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I think you are wise. I was only commenting on blog in question because the blog owner, to her immense credit, wanted to encourage diversity among her posters and said I could present trans issues in a moderate enough way that people there might not mind hearing it. Such proved not to be the case, and it’s a bloody relief to know I can walk away from there with a clear conscience (as I know now I was doing nothing positive).
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J want to clarify that I was not commenting on your contributing to the blog in question. It’s clear that what you envisioned znd what transpired were two different things which you didn’t forsee going in. I was just commenting of my evolving strategy of staying away from negativity.
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That’s OK. It is my own feeling that I was pretty naive commenting there, and I genuinely think your example is one I would do well to take to heart. 🙂 xx
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I read the article from your link, My thoughts on the topic and your contribution…
If a woman wants or does not want a uterus it should be their call. Period. If you were not born with one and want one and can get one…again, your call. I was born with one and at this point in life it just causes me misery once a month so I would gladly give it up. 😉
As for your contribution, I thought it was beautifully said (no surprise there) honest and extremely realistic. I’m not sure what is offensive, but maybe that’s a good thing?
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I suspect it was the mere fact that I admitted to be tempted by the concept, even though I do feel the concept to be both untenable and unwise (and stated as much). I am rapidly coming to the opinion that some people are just allergic to nuance… but thank you for such a kind and thoughtful answer. 🙂
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I don’t think you said anything controversial… It doesn’t sound like it’s medically possible or at least would be very dangerous if it was – but that doesn’t mean you can’t think about it.
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That nails my thoughts on the matter. I am actually relieved it is totally improbable that it will be realised in my lifetime, as I do fear I would be tempted by it, dangerous though it most certainly is.
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I understand – although I’d be horrified if you were at risk.
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I’m touched… 🙂 I doubt this particular risk will ever be an issue, though, and that medical / surgical process I am already going through is pretty routine these days, if not particularly fun.
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