Malta, the island of sunshine, hot weather, sea breezes and flags – lots of them.
My reason for going?
Well, work (Malta bans abortion but allows trans self-id) but more importantly to me personally – to give a speech.
Yes, I was travelling to an exceptional wedding of two extraordinary people. Still, thanks to covid, we never knew until the week or so before departure if years of planning would allow the marriage actually to happen.
My flight was booked back in February, and knowing I would be going on my own, (Jen my wife is neither partial to heat or flying); I decided (for once in my life) to upgrade to BA Club Class. On reflection, I wish I had taken more care in booking the flight; 06:20 from Heathrow meant getting up at 02:00, giving time to do my makeup and then driving up to terminal 5.
No sleep that night.
I arrived at Heathrow at 04:00, parked the car, and reached the terminal within a few minutes, only to be faced with the inevitable check-in queue to drop off my two bags.
Then to security for my first shock – I alarmed their metal detector. “Take off your shoes hun” said the security officer “it is probably the metal decorations” – so off came my shoes and another walk whilst barefoot back through their device. I still alarmed, so I was then subject to a frisk by a female officer – that “F” on my passport denoting my sex as female.
Yes, it was so easy to get a female passport, in essence, I just needed to send off a letter from my doctor saying I suffered from gender dysphoria (GD) together of course with all the normal forms and photos.
In fact, I didn’t even do that. I sent off my hospital discharge letter after having my bottom surgery which confirmed I suffered from GD.
I received my new passport in just eleven working days.
The passport – the ultimate legal document to prove ID.
Name, date of birth, signature, photograph, sex.
Note the passport denotes sex – not gender.
The passport – the document that would give me access to any ‘alleged’ single-sex space – making a mockery of the gender war. Who shows a birth certificate to prove who they are?
No one.
After waiting in the lounge for perhaps 30 minutes, and precisely at 05:40 we were called to board the flight. Two and a half hours later, we arrived in Malta to a dry and dusty landscape. A car was booked to take me to the hotel, and within 15 minutes, we were there – loved it!
The next day a short walk into the capital of Malta – Valletta, where I was chatted up by a local – are women travelling on their own always targets?
Then another guy.
He made several passes of the chair I was sitting in, and with the benefit of a mirror on the wall, I could see he was looking down my top, trying to look at my not so big breasts.
Men.
On Saturday the big day.
I was honoured to be part of the bridal party – single sex-space? – these amazing women were all trans inclusionary and I have to say they were just the nicest of women anyone could meet.
Gender crits do NOT represent all women – nothing like!
No question the wedding was a huge, massive, phenomenal success. We danced to one in the morning and the time flew by but oh my God my poor bruised and battered feet!
Authored by Steph @PlaceSteph
