Goodbye

• Posted by Pauline Smith February 28, 2016 2,039 views
  click to rate

  It is time for me to leave Transtastic in my roles as site administrator and site moderator.

   

  After 5 years working together with Beckie and several different moderators from April Harvey to Amanda and Liz - and fighting in the early days constant spam attacks from Afghanistan and China, once April and I stayed on line for 36 hours fighting the stans and the yans. Luckily we installed anti spam software which meant we didn't have to do that ever again. And over those 5 years big changes have taken place in attitudes towards trans people in British society; 5 years ago we still used words like tranny, cross dresser, transvestite and Tgirl, now we are all trans.

   

  The views of vanillas have changed and the venues we can attend have changed too. Even 3 years ago Manchester Concord was getting 30-40 girls every Wednesday, now its single figures. I am not unique in being able to go out and about as a transwoman and do everyday shopping and go to normal coffee shops or restaurants locally or in Manchester. I don't have to go to the Gay Village for a drink, though I still do because I like the atmosphere.  There have been enough blogs on here over the years about how easy it has been to come out at work or in your local community that I know Manchester is not unique. Yes there is still discrimination and a lot to do and to fight for, but the trans community is about where the gay community was 15-20 years ago in terms of acceptance. 

   

  In any volunteer role - especially being a moderator - you learn on the job and learn not to immediately delete a member, even if they are offensive and abusive. Looking back over 5 years from when this site rose out of the ashes of the old Tranny International moderating has been by and large a relatively easy task. The most time consuming part has been warning cock wavers for using a cock as a profile pic or not posting adult pix in adult albums. Usually warnings were enough - only those who don't get that this site has a safe feed and and adult feed ended up being banned. In 5 years maybe 5 members max. More people have been banned for abusive behaviour towards other members.

   

  All of you should know by now that Katie Glover has taken over from Beckie Fox as the Transtastic site owner. She has had a baptism of fire as the new software she is installing had compatibility problems with the old software; the patience of many members and their support for Katie has been outstanding. I hope that you will continue to support her and the new moderating team in the future and ensure that this friendly Transtastic site remains as a first internet stop for many transgender people seeking new friends.

   

  I am officially hanging up my moderating boots on February 29th, though I will stay in the background for a while to help Katie and her new team bed into being moderators. Having spent 5 years helping to build this site I could not not just walk away with only a tot ziens, au revoir or auf Wiedersehen. Once I have stopped moderating I will stay as a member, though clearly I will not be as active as in the past. 

   

  In early March I will be 68 and I want to do other things as Pauline; I may get involved with the LGBT group in Manchester. And I will be at Sparkle this year - my hotel was booked last year; where I will meet my closest friends that I have made through Transtastic and Tranny International - Beckie, Jo, Julie, Liz and Marianne.

   

  Goodbye to all of you here; I wish you success on all of your individual journeys - wherever your pathways lead to remember to smile and enjoy being trans.

   

   

  hugs and kisses

   

   

  Pauline xxxx

   

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPm79YGIiyc