LGBTAitp 27: Of Shoes, and Ships, and Sealing Wax

[KenderWizard]

In news; after much hanging out around a bonfire and some drinking with my cousins the night before last, we determined that we're *probably* going to join a LARPing community somewhat soon. If/when we do, my character will be a noble-turned assassin that wears a mask and doesn't speak - so I don't get called out for calling myself Madame Pistonfall. I'll be presenting as female in public, outside of my parents' radar.

That's awesome! I hope you have fun!

I'm going to fill myself out on one or more of these awesome charts. But not right this minute, I have loads of other stuff to do! >,<

[Saposhiente]

Well, trans/cis really only refers to whether or not the orange triangle matches your DNA, right? It seems to make sense to me NOT to add something to separate the two...

Chart (thus far) filled out as myself

Actually, with regards to male vs masculine etc,

I for example am biologically and identify wholly as male, but have some distinctively feminine characteristics.
Also, perhaps we can use larger circles to denote uncertainty? Where all you know is that your true placement on the spectrum is somewhere within the circle? For example I am gay but bicurious, with a definite preference for men either way, so I'd make a circle between "Likes men" and "Bisexual", touching neither point and partially cut off by the bottom edge of the triangle.

If we're picking nits, they shouldn't really be triangles but the intersection of three circles. That way you can travel along an edge without getting closer to the opposite point.

Well not necessarily. An alternative way of looking at it is that how close you are to some thing represented by a corner is actually how close you are to the line going through that corner perpendicular to the line going down the corner's middle. The graphs already represent this well for top vs bottom. On for example Asexual vs Sexual, your nearness to asexualness isn't how close you are to the asexual corner, but rather how dark of a shade of blue you are in. For the other corners, you have to imagine the different shades, but the principle is the same.

[Taliesin]

The LGBTAP NaNoWriMo Challenge!

Hey folks!

I had a rather cool idea on the train home this morning. As some of you may know, November is National Novel Writing Month and I had a really spiffy idea for us all. The normal format of NaNoWriMo is a 50,000 word story written over the course of the month but I'd like to tweak the idea slightly for us.

The challenge, should you choose to accept it is write a story based on this premise:

Science has finally achieved a lifelong dream of many folks in this thread and created the Aphrodite Machine. This wondrous device basically turns someone into the opposite gender in the space of about 30 minutes. The figure that steps out of the machine is still recognisable as the person that went in but a flawlessly transitioned version. So for example, a man with red hair and grey eyes steps in and a woman with red hair and grey eyes steps out. One small catch is that using the machine will render you infertile, so unfortunately people that use the device will never be able to have children.

So your story could be from the perspective of the person creating the device, it could be someone using it for the first time or a friend that has a relative/friend using it - pretty much anything you like, provided you stick to the core concept. If you've ever read the short story collection "Machine of Death", this is the LGBTA version of it.

Naturally, we're not looking for a 50,000 word behemoth from each of you - this ideally would be a collection of short stories - maybe 10k words or so.


Any takers?

You know, this reminds me of a Neil Gaiman short story, "Changes" (for some reason I tend to pronounce it as Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes" in my head though) where a scientist finds a cure for cancer that has the side effect of changing the users sex. Generally the use of it for non-medicinal purposes is banned, which means that in black market it outsells heroin and cocaine. Has also side-effects such as it being forcibly being used on boys to increase their worth as prostitutes or being used in China to change the gender of newborn girls to boys. Despite this, still a generally rather positive story, I think.

[Thajocoth]

Also, perhaps we can use larger circles to denote uncertainty? Where all you know is that your true placement on the spectrum is somewhere within the circle? For example I am gay but bicurious, with a definite preference for men either way, so I'd make a circle between "Likes men" and "Bisexual", touching neither point and partially cut off by the bottom edge of the triangle.

I've thought this as well but decided to work on finalizing the look of the charts before adding that little detail. The dot is an average. You're going to shift around a little in it's area anyway. It makes sense.

Well not necessarily. An alternative way of looking at it is that how close you are to some thing represented by a corner is actually how close you are to the line going through that corner perpendicular to the line going down the corner's middle. The graphs already represent this well for top vs bottom. On for example Asexual vs Sexual, your nearness to asexualness isn't how close you are to the asexual corner, but rather how dark of a shade of blue you are in. For the other corners, you have to imagine the different shades, but the principle is the same.

I considered gradienting towards each corner of each triangle... Then I looked at the MS Paint interface and thought: "Nope!"

[SiuiS]

First, forgive me for being pedantic. I find a value in these distinctions large enough to shake the boat, so it's not just for the sake of dissent.

And just because a system works for the majority doesn't make it okay. (Heterosexual marriage works for the majority after all.)

This is a terrible example, because you are creating one of those binaries you dislike. Heterosexual marriage does work for everyone. A lack of equal homosexual marriage does not work for everyone, but that is a wind of a different season. You cannot really equate the two. trying to do so ends with people solving problems not by building their own solutions but by tearing down the comforts and works of others. This sense of "what is good for them is bad for me" is almost inherently false, and leads to such things as uppity allies and queer folk going to war with them. It leads to feminism that is "knock down men and take their place as rulers". It is the font of everything bad about activism, and we need to be above such false dichotomies if we actually want to make the world Better.

Otherwise it is do as I day, not as I do. That never works.

Hm. Alright, I suppose I can see that. But without specifying that, you're just saying "sex should not exist", which is... kinda nonsensical considering the whole sexual reproduction and biology thing. Because sex does exist - things like hormone abnormalities, birth defects and transexuality don't negate that, any more than some kids being born with 11 fingers negates the "humans have 10 fingers" thing; it just means the whole process is a lot more complex and fallible than the simple statement "humans are male and female" implies.

The trouble there is it easily leads to declaring a male female binary Correct and tea sexuality becomes an aberration. Part of the move to view homosexual, transsexual etc. people as people involves pointing out that genetics do not define you, and are barely ancillary to whether a person is any one thing. Equality is about the heart and soul, and needs to deal with such matters. Generics and physics would tell a different story. People are NOT equal. There are people who ARE better. And that gets pulled in and people think that physically superior attributes make one superior in an abstract way as well as mechanical.

Sex is a human invention, not an inherent thing. It's a human label. Just like colours actually. Red isn't a thing that exists outside the human mind; the spectrum range does, just like the various physical features exist for people, but red itself is a human concept.

This is sophistry, luv. There is no difference between red, and light in the range of 630-750 nanometers. Just like there is no difference between red, rojo And rot. It's akin to saying language doesn't exist, there just happens to be a series of symbols we hear and see which communicate information. The difference is utterly negligible except as a thought exercise. Red is not a color, it is a code for light within that scale. Just because a dog's brain interprets it as green or someone with color blindness sees it as green or blue does not make it any less red, because it is not any less within the 630-750 range.

Edit; at the very least enforcing that binary is ridiculously harmful. Even around here people who for example don't desire SRS are denied treatment or put at the end of the waiting list; because if you don't want to be perfectly cis-looking obviously you're not really trans.

I agree. I just feel you are throwin the baby out with the bath water, and would rather burn the system to the ground and erect a new one (likely just as flawed, but skewed differently) than correct the one we have.

I am sorry about how hard things are for you though. It's ridiculous. I haven't even looked into things here, as I have been trying to move to Ireland ever since the Prop 8 debacle.

While the idea of every single person being considered on their own merits and criteria is an admirable goal, *the fact that there are 7 billion people on Earth makes this physically impossible.

I disagree. From the mindset of people being labeled, yes. But if each person is responsible for their own upkeep, the effort required is about as intensive as it is now. People are just conditioned to not do things when a system is in place to force things on them.

Generalisations are occasionally a bad thing if they miss out an important section but generalisation is essential if we are to make any sense of the world and its especially true with children. How can you explain the concept of reproduction to a child while avoiding terms like male and female?

This just requires an understanding of terms, really. Male equals born with male body, hormones, chromosomes. Masculine is a man. Female equals born with female body, hormones, chromosomes. Feminine is a woman. It's a flawless system brought low only by being two binaries, because people thing in systems of exceptions. If you make it clear these are not the only categories, and you do not need special dispensation to move outside these four attributes, you're fine.

And for anyone who brings up that they are "a feminine guy", or something, ask yourself; do you present as feminine intentionally as gender representation? Or are you just attributing 'feminine' as a title to certain traits your society has told you are more female-oriented?

Oh right, it was usually crossing the water (being burned by it tends to be used as a handwave, though that makes other problems (for one, how do the more attractive/charismatic versions manage to look like they can bathe regularly? )). ^_^'

A bowl full of water is not running water. Done.

In news; after much hanging out around a bonfire and some drinking with my cousins the night before last, we determined that we're *probably* going to join a LARPing community somewhat soon. If/when we do, my character will be a noble-turned assassin that wears a mask and doesn't speak - so I don't get called out for calling myself Madame Pistonfall. I'll be presenting as female in public, outside of my parents' radar.


~Bianca

Cool! What LARP? I've been thinking about making an N7 fury cosplay get-up for conventions, myself.

Ambiguous response generator: Yes.

But really. Yeah, the whole thing needs to be reexamined.

I mean, I biologically am male. I have at various times and for various reasons, wished for/worked toward being/presented myself as a different gender.

Except for my parts, I was for a while, a girl. (Silly Y chromosome)

But that leaves a big gaping flaw in the two genders thing.

Where am I? Man? Woman? Enigma?

I really do like that last one. Good call on that socrotov.

Male or feminine, depending on which context you needed the information for. In retrospect, you wouldn't need to tell a doctor that you are now mostly female bodies, because they always ask if you are on any medication. Female hormones are the default Yes to that question.

[Lix Lorn]

You know, this reminds me of a Neil Gaiman short story, "Changes" (for some reason I tend to pronounce it as Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes" in my head though) where a scientist finds a cure for cancer that has the side effect of changing the users sex. Generally the use of it for non-medicinal purposes is banned, which means that in black market it outsells heroin and cocaine. Has also side-effects such as it being forcibly being used on boys to increase their worth as prostitutes or being used in China to change the gender of newborn girls to boys. Despite this, still a generally rather positive story, I think.

I remember that story. That was a LONG time ago... did I read that shortly before I swapped bodies with a fictional female twin before we saved the world?
(To work as a team, we had to understand each other as well as ourselves. This was an odd dream and I wish so much I could have something in canon with it.)

[Serpentine]

Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure we don't actually disagree on anything.

The trouble there is it easily leads to declaring a male female binary Correct and tea sexuality becomes an aberration.

This is an issue with people, not with science. You don't deny the existance of iron because people like to turn it into swords and murder one another with them. Denying the facts because people misuse them is going to do nothing but obfuscate and distort the issue. We should instead be seeking to clarify them and help people to understand the nuances, and fight against attempts to place harmful and artificial morality on neutral reality.

[SiuiS]

Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure we don't actually disagree on anything.This is an issue with people, not with science. You don't deny the existance of iron because people like to turn it into swords and murder one another with them. Denying the facts because people misuse them is going to do nothing but obfuscate and distort the issue. We should instead be seeking to clarify them and help people to understand the nuances, and fight against attempts to place harmful and artificial morality on neutral reality.

I do not think we disagree either, really.

Your example is not analogous though. There is a difference between understanding an amoral thing and allowing something to be used for immoral actions. I can't recall the specifics unfortunately since I can't really see the whole thing right now, but there's a clear understanding of it

Many times, the neutrality of science is used as an excuse to encourage bigoted and unethical thought and actions under the aegis of "you can't argue, it's science". We've made progress moving away from the base assumption that because sex exists it is correct, and deviation from it is incorrect. This is ye same attitude which discounts humanity and declares stuff like Transsexuality as unnatural and the fix is to tell people to shut up and stick to their sex.

[Serpentine]

Conversely, the solution to that problem is not to go "well people misuse this biological concept, therefore it is a bad concept and does not really exist". It is a nonsensical and unhelpful leap of logic.

[SaintRidley]

Wanted to stop in and say I just watched The Gay Bed and Breakfast of Terror. Really not sure how to characterize the film. At times very silly and campy, at others just plain weird.

[Kindablue]

I swear I've heard this joke before
Have we discussed the tenor of science fiction prior?

I don't know, but I might have brought up that story before. It's called The Last of the Deliverers, and it's a really funny satire of Cold War politics, set in an idyllic little Eden after the fall of civilization and starring a pair of bickering old men who can only agree on one thing: paradise is awful. Nothing about gays though. So to fix that, Vylar Kaftan has a story called Christmas Wedding which totally is about gays.

[SiuiS]

Conversely, the solution to that problem is not to go "well people misuse this biological concept, therefore it is a bad concept and does not really exist". It is a nonsensical and unhelpful leap of logic.

Agreed. The problem there is not that someone is using this logic, it's that someone I care about came by this logic in a way that makes sense, and I would like to get this person to rethink their position without straight up insulting them or hurting their feelings. That is the crux. Getting on the same page without being mean about it.

Wanted to stop in and say I just watched The Gay Bed and Breakfast of Terror. Really not sure how to characterize the film. At times very silly and campy, at others just plain weird.

I've seen that on Netflix. Suggest, or suggest I avoid?

I don't know, but I might have brought up that story before. It's called The Last of the Deliverers, and it's a really funny satire of Cold War politics, set in an idyllic little Eden after the fall of civilization and starring a pair of bickering old men who can only agree on one thing: paradise is awful. Nothing about gays though. So to fix that, Vylar Kaftan has a story called Christmas Wedding which totally is about gays.

Ah, yes. Then I have heard of that before.

I shall have to read this Christmas wedding I suppose.

[Coidzor]

Many times, the neutrality of science is used as an excuse to encourage bigoted and unethical thought and actions under the aegis of "you can't argue, it's science". We've made progress moving away from the base assumption that because sex exists it is correct, and deviation from it is incorrect. This is ye same attitude which discounts humanity and declares stuff like Transsexuality as unnatural and the fix is to tell people to shut up and stick to their sex.

Hell, that's not even science, that's just bigots who are willing to go slightly further afield than is usual in order to "justify" it to themselves.

That's like saying because we know cancer is one's own cells that we should count it as suicide. That is to say, utterly ridiculous and wrongheaded.

[TRIGGER WARNING: Historical Nastiness to Trans Individuals.]

Spoiler

Show

I can more see science being misused to justify oppressive in utero modifications or mandatory transitioning as harmful but honestly arrived at conclusions than that because sex exists transsexuals must be forced to learn to love being the configuration they were born into when that hasn't worked despite efforts that ranged from the honest to the complete torture-assisted breakdown of a person so that a different person could be built back up in the human shell.

Wanted to stop in and say I just watched The Gay Bed and Breakfast of Terror. Really not sure how to characterize the film. At times very silly and campy, at others just plain weird.

That sounds... B Movie-riffic.

[SiuiS]

Hell, that's not even science, that's just bigots who are willing to go slightly further afield than is usual in order to "justify" it to themselves.

That's like saying because we know cancer is one's own cells that we should count it as suicide. That is to say, utterly ridiculous and wrongheaded.

[TRIGGER WARNING: Historical Nastiness to Trans Individuals.]

Spoiler

Show

I can more see science being misused to justify oppressive in utero modifications or mandatory transitioning as harmful but honestly arrived at conclusions than that because sex exists transsexuals must be forced to learn to love being the configuration they were born into when that hasn't worked despite efforts that ranged from the honest to the complete torture-assisted breakdown of a person so that a different person could be built back up in the human shell.

That sounds... B Movie-riffic.

See, the problem is you could see this going one way, but the majority of history sees it another. That's the problem. Elevating the lowest common denominator.

[Astrella]

Except it was science for a long time.

I'm sorry for the whole overexageration yesterday; I was frustrated and angry for a lot of reasons and overdid it.

[SaintRidley]

I've seen that on Netflix. Suggest, or suggest I avoid?

I honestly don't know. Still not sure whether I liked it or not. It has its moments, and for me they were worth it, I think.

That sounds... B Movie-riffic.

That's a good way of putting it.

[Serpentine]

Agreed. The problem there is not that someone is using this logic, it's that someone I care about came by this logic in a way that makes sense, and I would like to get this person to rethink their position without straight up insulting them or hurting their feelings. That is the crux. Getting on the same page without being mean about it.

I hope I wasn't being mean about it. I certainly didn't mean to be, and I'm sorry if I seemed it

Astrella: eh, we all have our triggers. The status and use of sex is understandably one of yours. The use, misuse, attacks on and dismissal of science is one of mine. I think we resolved it well enough.

I actually mostly popped in here to say I just watched an episode of My Transexual Summer. Part of it was a transwoman's job interview which was horribly painful to watch, and a transman wasn't allowed to get chest surgery until he got the bottom surgery. Big big BIG hugs for all the trans people here, because mein gotte the world sucks for you
...I mean, I knew that already, but seeing it like that really drives it home. It just left me wanting to hug you all and give you jobs and punch the world in the face for you.

[Astrella]

I hope I wasn't being mean about it. I certainly didn't mean to be, and I'm sorry if I seemed it

Astrella: eh, we all have our triggers. The status and use of sex is understandably one of yours. The use, misuse, attacks on and dismissal of science is one of mine. I think we resolved it well enough.

I actually mostly popped in here to say I just watched an episode of My Transexual Summer. Part of it was a transwoman's job interview which was horribly painful to watch, and a transman wasn't allowed to get chest surgery until he got the bottom surgery. Big big BIG hugs for all the trans people here, because mein gotte the world sucks for you
...I mean, I knew that already, but seeing it like that really drives it home. It just left me wanting to hug you all and give you jobs and punch the world in the face for you.

Thank you. That means a lot.
(I also grinned at the mental image of you simultaneously trying to hug a crowd of people and punch the earth globe.)

[The Succubus]

Yeah, I'd have to second what Serpy said about life being unimaginably hard for transfolks.

It's worth remembering though that there are some success stories though, our very own Smee being one such example. There's always hope, even if it's not always visible.

[Serpentine]

Yeah, there was a lot of variety in the people on that show - different levels of confidence, comfort, backgrounds and so on.

[KenderWizard]

You know, this reminds me of a Neil Gaiman short story, "Changes" (for some reason I tend to pronounce it as Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes" in my head though) where a scientist finds a cure for cancer that has the side effect of changing the users sex. Generally the use of it for non-medicinal purposes is banned, which means that in black market it outsells heroin and cocaine. Has also side-effects such as it being forcibly being used on boys to increase their worth as prostitutes or being used in China to change the gender of newborn girls to boys. Despite this, still a generally rather positive story, I think.

Wow, that's really interesting and a bit disturbing and I think I should read it.

I am sorry about how hard things are for you though. It's ridiculous. I haven't even looked into things here, as I have been trying to move to Ireland ever since the Prop 8 debacle.

... You know we're a mixed-up little country with a startlingly homogeneous Catholic background, right? We don't have full gay marriage (we have civil partnership), we don't have proper recognition for trans rights, we send people abroad for SRS and abortions and stuff. I mean, as a people, we're fairly tolerant and certainly very friendly, and I think Ireland is a wonderful place to live, but you're not coming to an LGBT+ utopia!

In other news, have people been following the Jimmy Savile thing? I dunno if it's getting any coverage outside of Britain and Ireland, and most of the "Irish" coverage is because a lot of Irish households would get the BBC. Trigger warning for child abuse.

Spoiler

Show

Basically, turns out Jimmy Savile, a big personality, DJ, host, etc in the BBC was having lots of sex with young girls and some young boys. He was involved in all these charities and hospitals and stuff and people thought he was brilliant but it turns out he was using his access through charity work to find children with mental health problems or disabilities and abuse them. So it's finally all come out and the BBC is in loads of trouble because it seems like at least a few people high up in the BBC covered it up when these allegations started coming in.

Anyway, one of the people who's come forward is a man who was abused when he was a child in a secure school for troubled girls. I was just blown away by how brave he was to come forward, cause it's going to be so easy for nasty people to say he got a sex change cause he was "broken" by being a delinquent child and being abused and stuff. Also, the coverage was pretty good. They used female pronouns but only when they were referring to him as a child which is kind of a confusing situation.

[Selpharia]

In other news, have people been following the Jimmy Savile thing?

There are not enough angry faces in the world

Things like this just make me absolutely livid. I mean its bad enough that people use their positions of power to cause so much damage to others and get away with it for so long (we had a similar case recently in the U.S.) but to deliberately seek out the people who are the most vulnerable, who will be hurt worst and have no way to defend themselves is disgusting. I hate things like this because half of me gets incredibly angry while the other despairs at how truly odious human behavior can be and knowledge that such things will never be completely eradicated.

[Lentrax]

*snip*

There are not enough angry faces in the world

Things like this just make me absolutely livid. I mean its bad enough that people use their positions of power to cause so much damage to others and get away with it for so long (we had a similar case recently in the U.S.) but to deliberately seek out the people who are the most vulnerable, who will be hurt worst and have no way to defend themselves is disgusting. I hate things like this because half of me gets incredibly angry while the other despairs at how truly odious human behavior can be and knowledge that such things will never be completely eradicated.

Oh my dear sweet and fluffy Lord. How can anyone do something like this?
for 40 YEARS?

This is, this is just so, so wrong!

Now I want to go punch the world in the face!

[Asta Kask]

In other news, have people been following the Jimmy Savile thing? I dunno if it's getting any coverage outside of Britain and Ireland, and most of the "Irish" coverage is because a lot of Irish households would get the BBC. Trigger warning for child abuse.

Spoiler

Show

Basically, turns out Jimmy Savile, a big personality, DJ, host, etc in the BBC was having lots of sex with young girls and some young boys. He was involved in all these charities and hospitals and stuff and people thought he was brilliant but it turns out he was using his access through charity work to find children with mental health problems or disabilities and abuse them. So it's finally all come out and the BBC is in loads of trouble because it seems like at least a few people high up in the BBC covered it up when these allegations started coming in.

Anyway, one of the people who's come forward is a man who was abused when he was a child in a secure school for troubled girls. I was just blown away by how brave he was to come forward, cause it's going to be so easy for nasty people to say he got a sex change cause he was "broken" by being a delinquent child and being abused and stuff. Also, the coverage was pretty good. They used female pronouns but only when they were referring to him as a child which is kind of a confusing situation.

It makes me sad because the BBC thought they could cover it up. And more than a little scared because there may be many cases where they were right. After all, saying that it always gets out is a bit of a Toupée fallacy, isn't it?

*sigh*

[Mono Vertigo]

Somehow, I managed to spend a whole day without turning on my computer and only noticed it at the end.

@Siuis: friends.
@the Savile case:

Spoiler

Show

learning about it made me livid (of all the organizations that could have been host to that horror, the BBC was way at the end of the list). And then they added there might be a whole pedophilia ring with more molesters involved. I'm hoping it's just a sensationalist addition and it is just Savile and whoever covered him up... but I could be disappointed very, very soon.

@the NaNoWriMo project: I woke up with a great story idea!... then I realized that not only it was really dark...
...which is actually okay...
...but the key parts absolutely need to be explained or revised. *massages scalp* I'm sure I can avoid making it look like it's dark and edgy just for the hell of it.

[Mina Kobold]

I hope I wasn't being mean about it. I certainly didn't mean to be, and I'm sorry if I seemed it

Astrella: eh, we all have our triggers. The status and use of sex is understandably one of yours. The use, misuse, attacks on and dismissal of science is one of mine. I think we resolved it well enough.

I actually mostly popped in here to say I just watched an episode of My Transexual Summer. Part of it was a transwoman's job interview which was horribly painful to watch, and a transman wasn't allowed to get chest surgery until he got the bottom surgery. Big big BIG hugs for all the trans people here, because mein gotte the world sucks for you
...I mean, I knew that already, but seeing it like that really drives it home. It just left me wanting to hug you all and give you jobs and punch the world in the face for you.

If I may jump in, I would like to hug everyone, give them jobs and punch the world too. That is a really sad reminder of the injustices in the world.

Wow, that's really interesting and a bit disturbing and I think I should read it.

This part of the Kenderhive agrees. ^_^

... You know we're a mixed-up little country with a startlingly homogeneous Catholic background, right? We don't have full gay marriage (we have civil partnership), we don't have proper recognition for trans rights, we send people abroad for SRS and abortions and stuff. I mean, as a people, we're fairly tolerant and certainly very friendly, and I think Ireland is a wonderful place to live, but you're not coming to an LGBT+ utopia!

It is also a wonderful place to visit, you have such pretty buildings and mountains. And everybody said "Thank you"! @w@

Hopefully those things will get better soon. They seem to have here, and we are quite similar in size and background. Hope it will look up just around the corner.

In other news, have people been following the Jimmy Savile thing? I dunno if it's getting any coverage outside of Britain and Ireland, and most of the "Irish" coverage is because a lot of Irish households would get the BBC. Trigger warning for child abuse.

Spoiler

Show

Basically, turns out Jimmy Savile, a big personality, DJ, host, etc in the BBC was having lots of sex with young girls and some young boys. He was involved in all these charities and hospitals and stuff and people thought he was brilliant but it turns out he was using his access through charity work to find children with mental health problems or disabilities and abuse them. So it's finally all come out and the BBC is in loads of trouble because it seems like at least a few people high up in the BBC covered it up when these allegations started coming in.

Anyway, one of the people who's come forward is a man who was abused when he was a child in a secure school for troubled girls. I was just blown away by how brave he was to come forward, cause it's going to be so easy for nasty people to say he got a sex change cause he was "broken" by being a delinquent child and being abused and stuff. Also, the coverage was pretty good. They used female pronouns but only when they were referring to him as a child which is kind of a confusing situation.

I had not heard of that. I think I will just curl up over here and whimper.

That is so so horrible ._.

It makes me sad because the BBC thought they could cover it up. And more than a little scared because there may be many cases where they were right. After all, saying that it always gets out is a bit of a Toupée fallacy, isn't it?

*sigh*

I really hope the amount of cases showing up means that it is getting less and less possible to hide them. The fact that some organisations have succeeded in hiding them before is bad enough, but the thought that they could continue to do so even now is even worse.

I do think it might be more of the fallacy relating to seeing things on the news and assuming they are common that is the case here, though. Just like how plane crashes seem likely despite being very rare. But I fear I may jsut be deluding myself. ;_;

[Arachu]

*Hugs everyone* :<

Thanks, but it isn't likely. I get to go home and take care of the kids till my wife gets home.

*tired hugs for everyone*

*Hugs!*

A bowl full of water is not running water. Done.

Cool! What LARP? I've been thinking about making an N7 fury cosplay get-up for conventions, myself.

I'm not sure, actually... But I'm thinking of having a lot of Victorian influence in the costume. X3

I'm sorry for the whole overexageration yesterday; I was frustrated and angry for a lot of reasons and overdid it.

*Hugs*


~Bianca

[Mono Vertigo]

Oh yeah, Bianca, by the way, thanks for the hug! *hugs back*

BF's case will be going through the legal gears within a month. There's quite good documentation to back it up, and the lawyer submitting it is experienced in the matter of sex changes, so I think it should go fairly seamlessly. If it doesn't, I'm thinking about starting a small revolution using our LGBT+ buddies and setting fire to several things for good measure, mainly immaterial concepts and incense sticks. The incense sticks are so we can relax a bit and avoid getting overboard with the "setting things on fire" schtick. We're having enough legal paperwork already without intentionally adding to it.

[Asta Kask]

I know nothing of this procedure, so pardon me, but what's the problem? Do they think acknowledging who he is will bring down the republic?

[Mono Vertigo]

I know nothing of this procedure, so pardon me, but what's the problem? Do they think acknowledging who he is will bring down the republic?

Huh, no, that was more like a joke that could be summed up by "if get problems with the one last step of his transition, we'll riot, but not in a way that'll bring us more problems, hurr durr".
... maybe I should go back to just puns instead of elaborate un-funny humor.