Self Defence for Transgender Women - Introduction
It's been some months since I last posted anything here, such are the other commitments I have, but a recent encounter motivated me to publish a few things I drafted a while back on the subject of self-defence for transgender women.
Yesterday afternoon, I decided to cut through the back of an old council estate, taking a route I'd taken hundreds of times before without any issues. Generally the area's pretty safe.
But yesterday - and God only knows why - one or two women I passed began shouting all sorts of decidedly nasty transphobic insults my way. I could only make out a few words, because I carried on walking, but I had the impression they were riled up by whatever trash The Sun or The Daily Mail decided to publish about trans women that morning.
It's the first time I'd experienced anywhere near that level of hatred for being transgender, but I'm aware countless other trans women have been on the receiving end of much worse. It was bound to happen to me sooner or later.
On this occasion, though, I had the uncomfortable feeling the insults were a prelude to something far more ugly, as if they were an incitement for others within earshot. I needed to get out of the estate quickly, and take a less predictable route home that would enable me to double-back and make sure I wasn't being followed.
So, that was that (for now). The experience was a bit un-nerving, but it's served as a reminder that I need to be less complacent about my safety, more vigilant and better prepared for the worst. My next few posts are going to be around that subject area, and they might just save someone else's life.