I’ve just discovered a new word .. “genderqueer” .. and all because Germaine Greer has upset a lot of people recently by insisting on calling transgender women “post-operative transgender men”.

Now I’m no fan of Ms. Greer, but surely I thought, she does have a point, for removing a man’s naughty bits and surgically ‘enhancing’ other parts of his body does not turn him into a woman.

Please stay with me on this ! …  For, although I’ve had gay friends, it wasn’t long ago that I was getting used to ‘LGBT’, ‘gay pride’ etc. so accepting the idea that some people are ‘genderqueer’ has my old brain struggling a bit.

I always assumed that ‘transgender’ referred to people who are strongly attached to whichever gender is opposite to their biological sex. In other words .. Someone assigned as a ‘boy’ at birth but who identifies as a ‘girl’ is often described later in life as a ‘transgender woman’, while someone assigned as a ‘girl’ at birth but identifies as a ‘boy’ is often described later in life as a “transgender man”. Now I learn (I think) that some people do not see themselves as either sex. Life must be very complicated to say the least.

Anyone who is not happy with ‘queer’, which until fairly recently was considered by some to be an insult, can adopt .. ‘agender’ .. ‘nongendered’ .. ‘genderless’ .. ‘genderfree’ ..or .. ‘neutrois’ … and, if they can’t make up their minds there is always ‘gender fluidity’ !

Why am I reminded of George Orwell’s ‘1984’, his brilliant “Big Brother” novel in which he invented ‘Newspeak’, a language in which words don’t mean what they say ? I gather that I am now ‘cisgender’. I think that I’d rather be known by the old ‘unfashionable’ word …

… normal !

Yes, I know it’s supposed to be serious and according to the latest ‘let’s scare the shit out of them’ press reports I should be in deep trouble because of my pre-dinner ‘G and T’ (or two), as one can of fizzy drink daily “can increase heart attack risk by a third” and, that there is “no safe level of alcohol consumption” and that new official guidance is to curb drinking to reduce the risk of developing dementia.

Ah! .. but wait a minute, I only add lots of ice and Schweppes ‘Slimline’ tonic to my gin, and it seems that the ‘official guidance’ is only aimed at “middle-aged” boozers, not old codger tipplers like me, so Hooray ! I’m in the clear. No I’m not ! .. Bugger it ! ..  I’ve just read that my mouth watering breakfast bacon sandwich …

… could be the death of me ! … 😦