Living on the internet can sometimes make you feel bad for celebrating your own success. It can feel uncomfortable to shine a light on things you’re proud of. However, I think that it is a healthy thing to explore pleasure in terms of pride towards yourself.
So here we are, I am marking eight years of my website, of working online, of being my own boss. What started as a reaction to Brexit - an exertion of my own control on the world around me - has become what I do, how I am able in small ways to change the world.
Eight years is a long time - roughly how long the European space agency’s JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) will take to fly to Jupiter 444 million miles away - and so it deserves to be marked. I wanted this year, to focus on the achievements I am proud of in the last year. So please indulge me as I celebrate my success.
In November my second book came out, Your Gender Book. A project that required more focus, and determination to produce a book exactly as I intended. The book is the epitome of my work; safe, inclusive, informative, and most of all caring. I hope it stands as a testament to how much I want all of us, to feel included, treasured, and safe.
Working with the TEDX family has also been a continued pleasure, one which I will resume later this year. The privilege of a TED talk is not to be underestimated, and to achieve that in 2023 still stands as a huge achievement for me. One step up, is getting to work with future speakers, and helping them spread their message.
This year I have stepped up my commitment to Diversity Role Models, volunteering for them as much as I can. Being in spaces with young people, teachers, and caregivers is such a huge dose of representation. It is a brilliant responsibility, that I really relish. There was such a huge gap in my life growing up, that I can fill for future generations, and I am thrilled that Diversity Role Models helps me do just that.
I also had the pleasure of returning to the Queer Student Awards. The awards that celebrate excellence beyond the rainbow. Heading to Birmingham to present the awards was so inspiring, as the winners and high commended always blow me away with their tireless dedication to the community.
Above all, I am proud of my continued work to increase the comfort and rights of trans people whenever I can. It is not always the easiest job, and I am not doing this work alone. Trans people past and future are in my every thought when I use the internet. That I have been doing this work in many forms for the past eight years is something I am immensely proud of.
Here's to another eight years!
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