No I'm not a feminist.

I've come to realise that I'm not a Feminist. I think that people should be treated with respect no matter what their sex or gender but that doesn't mean that everybody should be treated the same; "respect" and "the same" are often inter changed as though you have to be treated the same to be respected.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and people should be respected accordingly. There are things I know about and there are lots of things I don't know about, there are things that I'm good at and things that I'm rubbish at.

My transition is a huge journey of self acceptance which is added to by the physical and mental effects of taking hormones. I have lost muscle mass which means I am physically weaker, I'm far more accident prone and my spatial awareness is reduced. My interests have changed so that I no longer follow world events and instead focus on more artistic things. I am also so much more emotionally connected to people around me and the world.

This has meant that I have had to reassess my strengths and weaknesses, and my role in life and relationships. When I interact with people now I find myself occupying a different position or role. I engage on a more emotional level and look for emotional ques from people around me, I focus on making people happy and gaining their acceptance. With men I tend to be quieter, less assertive and am happy to let them take control, I also enjoy their protection and status. I will gladly let a man open the door for me or buy me dinner because he is showing me that he values me, he respects me. I can return the favour buy listening to him or doing something nice for him.

So you see we may not all be treated the same but we can all be treated with respect.