Mae N’ Gregg

also it helps me walk or whatever

[ID: a digitally drawn two-panel comic. / Image 1: Text reads: “How I expected using a cane would feel:” Panel depicts a miserable person in tattered clothes, hunched over a cane and shaking as she walks. / Image 2: Text reads: “How it actually feels:” Panel depicts the same person, now standing tall and wearing flowing wizard robes and a long white beard. Her cane is at her side, glowing with magic, and she looks confident and powerful. /End ID]

Wizards are not naturally immortal, in fact creating their own form of immortality is their graduate thesis.

Being transgender is more than just "not identifying with your AGAB."

^This definition is very limiting, and has little room for intersex perspectives. In fact, it also doesn't align with many perisex non-binary/genderqueer experiences (Example: Perisex multigender people who fully identify with their assigned gender, while simultaneously aligning with other genders.)

And sure, some intersex people have a consistent assigned gender, depending on their variation, and how it affects their body. But many intersex people have a COMPLICATED experience with how they were assigned and viewed growing up.

Intersex people can be given a coercively assigned gender at birth (CAGAB), which may not align with their future puberty, or how they are viewed socially. [Example: A person born with ambiguous genitalia, who is given unneeded non-consensual surgery to make the genitalia more "binary", and assigns a gender based on that non-consensual procedure.]

Intersex people can be given an assigned gender at birth, but a reassigned gender after birth (RGAB.) [Example: An AMAB intersex person, born with a penis/penis-like genitalia, however later they are discovered to have more "feminine" physically traits, and are reassigned female and raised female because because its "easier" or "more fitting"]

Intersex people can be given a socially imposed gender (SIG) [Example: A person who is "female" in every way, but during puberty is discovered to have hyperandrogenism, and develops a more masculine-associated body because of it - oftentimes, that person will be mistaken as a male by society, or treated as AMAB by those around them.] Some people even experience multiple SIGs at the same time, depending on the scenario [Example: being expected to behave as 'male' by some people, and 'female' by others, depending on how they are dressed or what events they attend.]

Are you going to tell someone who was given a CAGAB the opinion of the doctor who mutilated them is more important than theirs? That a person who was CAMAB, but originally had a vulva, that they cannot identify as transmasculine?

Are you going to tell someone who was AFAB, but RMAB that they can't identify as a trans-woman because of their "original assignment", which is no longer relevant to how they were raised?

Or, on the flip side - are you going to tell someone who was AMAB, but treated as 'female' from their SIG, that they can't identify as transfem, because even though they are AMAB, they weren't "treated as AMAB"?

And what about intersex trans people who were AXAB (assigned X at birth?) What about people who were UAB (unassigned at birth?) Are you going to deny or affirm their transness based on your view of them?

Transgender and cisgender aren't mutually exclusive terms.

Personally, we think transgender should be defined as "people who identify against [eurocentric] historically-imposed expectations of gender."

people have got to learn the difference between I didnt like it and It was bad

Screaming crying because I hate every piracy guide I come across on here.

Pokémon fans are literally the funniest people in the universe.

you! tumblr user!

We had one of Steff's comedian friends staying with us on the weekend, lovely lad called Sam from Singapore. He had never been to Wales before, and he requested that we take him to a Welsh restaurant so he could try Welsh food

That's surprisingly difficult, actually. Like a lot of Welsh culture, our culinary traditions have not exactly been applauded over the years, so you don't really see them. But a lucky Google search revealed a brand new one has just opened in SA1 called the Welsh House, so great! Away we went.

Fuck me, they went all in.

It wasn't just the menu (though fuck me, what a menu - one of their 'for the table to share' options was little mini leek and cheddar Welsh cakes with salted butter and they were paralysingly good). It wasn't just that every alcohol was Welsh, even including the wine (surprisingly good btw, called 'Naturiol'.)

The table centerpieces were daffodils. All signs for the toilets were Welsh only. The walls had photos of Wales, modern and historical; the windows had the fleur de lis; the specials board (pork belly in Welsh cider and damson sauce with honey and wild garlic glazed carrots) had dragons on. I realise this is probably normal for country-themed restaurants, but I've never been to one for Wales before.

But the best bit, see, was the music

I clocked, when we walked in, that they were playing If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next by the Manic Street Preachers (you always clock the Manics). Ah, I thought. A Welsh song! In a Welsh restaurant! Ho ho ho.

As they seated us, it became What's New Pussycat. Ah! I thought. Another Welsh song! Fu fu fu.

Then they played Monster by the Automatic and I was like my god are they only playing Welsh music?? That's so cool! What an eclectic mix that's going to be. We should suggest to them they should look into Welsh language music too, really mix it up.

And then they played Anrheoli by Yws Gwynedd and lads, Steff and I lost our shit. We lost our fucking shit. Sam's sitting there, utterly bewildered. The staff are nervously edging away from us. We don't care. It's the first time I have ever heard a Welsh language song played outside of a Welsh language setting. We're so excited.

"They're playing Welsh music!!!" says Steff. "Holy shit!!!"

"Imagine if they played Sebona Fi!" I say, humorously.

"Nah," says Steff. "You can't in a restaurant. There'd be a riot, it's faerie music."

"...what?" says Sam

We explain the cultural phenomenon that is Sebona Fi. The song changes: Primadonna Girl, by Marina and the Diamonds.

"She's Welsh??" says Sam.

"She's from Abergavenny!" we beam.

"I don't know what that means," nods Sam, who is from Singapore.

Next: The Bartender and the Thief, by the Stereophonics. We're in high spirits. The extraordinarily Welsh wine arrives, as does the rarebit on sourdough starter. Sam, a gay man, delightedly orders the faggots and peas.

They play Ben Rhys by Gwilym Bowen Rhys, and we lose our shit again. Sam is now used to this, because comedians are adaptable. "They even have daffodils!" I say, misty eyed. "Is that relevant?" Sam asks, fascinated.

They play Hiraeth, by PLU. Hard to explain that one. Very hard to explain the effect it has when it's played in a restaurant, but Sam looks around the suddenly muted room and whispers "Are we in church?"

"It's about Hiraeth," whispers Steff. "So kind of."

Next: the Masses Against the Classes, by the Manics. Utter tonal whiplash. This playlist is not remotely restaurant appropriate. It's perfect.

"You'd think they'd pick like... a genre," Sam says dreamily. "We just went from church to the barricades."

The faggots arrive. "I forgot it would be a western sized portion," Sam says morosely, of what to me is a normal sized plate of food. He tries one, and brightens.

They play Sebona Fi.

The place erupts.