Now come on… who hasn’t done a little bit of dressing up for a laugh, then thought “actually… I look pretty damn fine - I think I’ll ultimately have surgery, for I have now realised I’m transgender!” No? Of course no one would think like that and it’d be a horrible thing to assume someone would - it would be TOTALLY dismissive of someone who’d identified how best to address the lifelong struggle with wanting to affirm themselves. Wouldn’t it? Caution when reading the following article - don’t eat while you do so because it’s nauseating! Taken from “The Sun”, British Newspaper - Sunday July 5th 2015: I wannabe a girl after stag drag EXCLUSIVE: Ex-squaddie in sex change op EXCLUSIVE by ANDREW PARKER A FORMER squaddie is having a sex change after dressing as a woman for a mate’s stag do. Danielle Gormley, 31, was a musclebound soldier called Darren who joined the Army at 17 and served in Iraq. She is now awaiting a date for the full operation. Danielle realised she was transgender after going on the stag night as a cheerleader in pink tights and mini skirt. She now works as a costume designer. Danielle said: “Outwardly, I had always been a typical bloke, hitting the gym hard, getting tattoos and joining the Army. “But when I dressed as a cheerleader, it finally made me realise I had always felt like I was a woman deep down.” “Even with stubble and my muscles I always felt surprisingly feminine.” Now she is undergoing the transition process. As a child, she would secretly play with My Little Pony toys and wear her mum’s clothes but later tried to repress it. Danielle left the Royal Medical Corps in 2004 and became a bus driver. As Darren he dated girls but all that changed at the stag do in 2013 She recalls: “We picked costumes out of a hat. It was obviously fate.” Danielle, of Worcester, told her then girlfriend, who helped with make-up. Later, she went to her local pub as a woman. She added: “Some people abandoned me but most were great.” Well how wonderful (note sarcasm) and of course there are the usual ‘before and after’ photographs - which is to be expected to show the depiction of a person appearing to be initially male and then female… but wait - there’s also the 'drag’ picture just to reinforce this revelatory moment… plus one of Danielle applying makeup - with “Applying lippie with a deft hand” printed underneath - WOW! How empowering. Of course I’m being sarcastic and why not? The whole article is insulting… using irrelevent and irreverent terms to bolster the story for the reader such as 'musclebound’ - but hey, hang on a minute - the author (bless his compassionate heart) has used some appropriate terms like 'Transgender’ and 'Transition’… just a shame he let himself down by also having the outmoded and incorrect term 'sex change’ in there (if you want to know what’s wrong with that expression - ask anyone who is transitioning or has transitioned) Right… damage done. Move along. Nothing more to see. Well… NO - let’s NOT move on! Let’s have some clarity here - this is a young lady’s life we’re talking about, not a quick amusing tale… this is something that has deeply upset her and unsurprisingly so. So here’s the real story. Danielle Gormley is a professional stage and close up magician known as 'Uncanny Dani’ and… Well there’s been enough damage done from someone else doing an article - let’s make sure Danielle gets to have her say. “Well this may come as a surprise to some, but my Christian name is not actually 'Uncanny’. Nor is my surname Dani (and I’m not entirely convinced that 'nor’ is even a word). My name (these days) is actually Danielle, or as I call myself in the magic world, Dani Le and I’m a transgender girl living in Worcester, UK. During my meagre lifespan I’ve been through so much shit that the vast majority of people would think I was talking out my ass. How much could one person possibly have to tell the world about their life that is so dramatic? Well, I am a professional stage and close up magician, I’ve been in the army, I’ve served my country in Iraq during a motherf*cking war, I’ve transitioned, I’ve been a professional kinky webcam model, I’ve had cosmetic surgery, I’ve been wrongly arrested!!! My aim is for people to find inspiration in my experiences. I want to be a role model for anybody that can find hope in my writing. I want to be a source of entertainment for those of you that find my adventures amusing. I’ve been to hell and back but i’ve also seen heaven, I’ve experienced love and hate, I’ve met heart warming camaraderie and soul crushing betrayal. I’ve lost a lot of people in my life, but met a lot of new people. For every negative is a positive. Cloud with silver linings and all that… I have a very peculiar sense of humour, but you’ll feel at home here. Yes I am transgender, but I think anybody can find inspiration in what i have to say…” So there we are - her own words and if you want to read more - http://www.uncannydani.com/ There you’ll find her thoughts and feelings plus some excellent Transgender resources. You can also follow her on twitter - @MagicD48 My turn to 'chip in’ again - what’s my reason for co-writing this? I HATE to see the potential damage and distress the media can do re: Transgender People - ever since seeing Caroline Cossey 'outed’ years ago (stories along the lines of “Former James Bond model used to be a man”) - in these more enlightened times, there is SO much affirmation for the Transgender Community… you only need to search for news items on your search engine under 'Transgender’ to see… so articles like the one quoted at the start should be confined to the dark ages - we’ve moved on, thank you. Finally from me - a request - PLEASE share this with as many people as you can - it won’t remove the original newspaper article but it will certainly help support and educate so THANK YOU in advance. And the last words should and WILL go to Danielle - the newspaper article didn’t afford her that, but this article will! “People still say Trans Folks have no right to be called brave then belittle us and compare us to the bravery of soldiers - they say we are just men in dresses. It’s impossible to look past that unless you’re shown, which is my aim here. The truth is, we are your soldiers, we are your police, your firefighters, your celebrities, your athletes. We carry this burden through our entire lives and keep a brave face every day so that you don’t ask us questions we’re too afraid to answer. Some of us carry it in secret until we die, too scared because of the mindset of society that is so reluctant to accept us. These brave people are always smiling but never do get to live the life they were born for and all the while you’re none the wiser. Gender Dysphoria is real, it’s not an imaginary illness - how could a child dream this up. then carry it through life? I didn’t make this decision on a drunken stag do whim, it was a life struggle. I will be heard. Danielle Gormley and Ian Faith 7th July, 2015
vaporwave
kianamaiart
tangentwithtanner
pixelskylines
stormborns
janainaart
areudirty
