Perseverance

• Posted by Pauline Smith October 24, 2013 #marriage  #transgendered  #honeymoons  2,201 views
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  I was listening the other night to late night radio; Radio Manchester's late programme runs from 10.00 pm till 1.00 am and always has an eclectic mix of guests and some easy listening music ( well easy for me).  The main topic of conversation was honeymoons - which seemed very innocuous.

  
  After listening to such tales as a lady who had to get married, about 60 years ago, and then after a tea in a cafe  with her new husband, she went home to her mum and him to his mum; and then the epic story of a honeymoon in the caribean when it was hurricane season (the newly married couple were bused inland and then had to share a room with 6 other couples) for 7 days, I wondered if we were just going to get conventional tales......

   

  Well the next callers turned out to have had a registry office wedding - his 2nd and her fifth!!!!! And then they dropped the news that she was now transgendered and her first four marriages she was a married as a man.  They were currently honeymooning in "a flat in Burnley on sea" but seemed very happy, there was some discussion of the woman's journey (she had a side swipe at Charing Cross but said that was not the issue that night) and she talked about how tough it had been to get to where she is now...he is 65 and she is 58. I cant remember their names, but their warmth and humour came through.

   

  I guess what impressed me most was that the BBC lady (Alison Butterworth) cast no moral judgements, made no nasty comments and treated them just like the other callers....as people who were sharing their wedding and honeymoon experiences. So in that sense it was "not a big deal" rather it was handled like an everyday event with everyone being treated equally.

   

  It shows how far we have come...and I cannot believe that Lancashire is unique in behaving in this way.

   

   

  Pauline xxxx