Who am I?
There’s a question and I guess the answer – as for many people – is that I’m a mishmash of aspects. Given you’re reading this blog and seen the title, you’ll know I’m transgender in some way (genderfluid if you want a label). But, like all people, there’s more to a person that one label 🙂
I was born in the UK in the early 70s and grew up during the 80s. I’m married to an amazing lady, who on the blog, I’ll refer to as The Every Lovely Mrs J. We have two children – Wee Man and Child 2.0. Our youngest, Child 2.0 is transgender and has socially transitioned in their teens (in writing this in 2024). We live not far from Nottingham which is part of the East Midlands.
Other than writing here – if blogging can be said to be that – I help run a social & support group, Nottingham Chameleons. I’m into geeky things, so science fiction & fantasy, modded gaming (does this make me a gamer? 🤔), and I’ll try my hand at writing now & then. I used to be a biker back in the day and I was into metal… well, always with a secret love of kitsch / camp as well.
On the writing/blogging front, I use the name Lynn. Yes, I am a bloke in my main life, but writing about things as ‘Richard’ feels a bit odd for me.
I’m waiting on a diagnosis for ADHD, so I guess we’ll see how that plays out. I survived depression during the mid 2000s, so I’m interested in mental health and keeping well.
Why am I blogging?
I started a blog back in 2005 so I could get some ideas out of my head, explore things a little, and maybe, hear from others who are walking a similar path. In 2019 I moved to this site, bringing over all the weekly posts.
Yeah, you read that right: since 2005. It’s been a case of a weekly post – give or take – pretty much every Friday night for the last umpteen years. I don’t say this as an ‘ooo, aren’t I all that!’ – and feel free to say that in a funny voice in your head 🤪 – but it’s absolutely just one post after the next. So, if I can, so can you 🩷
Why YATGB?
Back when I was thinking of a title, I’d been experimenting with Linux (I work in IT). I noticed a few tools in that system like YACC or YAST – yet another C compiler and yet another system tool, respectively – and their names appealed to my sense of humour.
So, yeah: Yet Another T-Girl Blog appeared. A few years back, my blog -ahem- transitioned into Yet Another Transgender Blog and over to a new host.
Do you write for anyone specifically?
Truthfully, I write what interests and what amuses me. That and to explore topics about being trans. Oh, and occasional dabbles into tongue-in-cheek stories. I still can’t bring myself to say comedy.
Those ‘others’ are the transgender community. People who’s birth gender doesn’t quite align with the one they were assigned at birth. Off we go on our proverbial journey through identity, trying to find something that fits.
Some of us transition, yes, but if we take the term ‘trans’ to be an umbrella term that includes a lot of identities, there’s lots of ways to be. I joke that I’m a part timer, but I think the truth of it is that I’m always me. It’s only my ability, or more accurately – the situation, that makes me split how I look.
Family
I’ve tried to be honest about balancing my needs with that of my dear partner (the Lovely Mrs J), our two awesome children (they don’t know), and life in general (I’m not out at work). I think there’s a myth that trans people plough through things and it’s all about them. You might say the same for folk who have a sincere love for running, football, soaps, painting, gaming, etc. People are complicated, and I think we need to be careful of our biases when trying to understand others. Being trans is an aspect, it’s not all a person is.
I’ve written about trying to understand myself as someone somewhere on the Trans spectrum. I’ve written about depression and the love and support that got me through. That was waaay back in the late 2000s and reading those posts feel a world away. Mental health seems to be a growing issue for people in general and part of me sharing how I got on, was to normalise things. Listening to others share their story about pushing back against the darker thoughts, that gave me hope. Just as with the Trans stuff, like meeting people, going outside, if I can do it, so can you dear reader.
But, mostly I’ve written about life somewhere in the middle: not quite a ‘proper bloke’ in my mind; certainly physically a man; the mental disquiet that can bring; then behaviours, thoughts, and interests that wouldn’t seem unusual for a woman. You might see a This Week’s Outfit post when I’ve managed to visit our local transgender social and support group, Nottingham Chameleons (they’re a lovely bunch of people).
Being raised male and having to learn (or fumble) my way through female style has been quite the learning curve. In fact, presenting as a man 99% of the time and seeing into the unusually closed off world of a woman’s experience – or maybe a trans woman’s? – is eye-opening.
Does any of the above make me an authority or an expert? No, I’m just someone trying to make the best of things and if folk are interested, I’ll listen to their questions and share what I know. That’s certainly been the approach I’ve taken in the outreach or trans awareness sessions I’ve done. If you are interested in such a session, do get in touch. Using software to run such talks helps maximize attendance, reduce costs, and improve flexibility around time. 👍 If you’re interested in collaborating on something, I’m open to offers.
Thanks for reading and there’s a contact form off the menu, if you want to get in touch.
Take care,
Lynn