BRUCE INTERVIEWS GEORGE

Hi everyone, in this edition my article is dedicated to a good friend of mine who approached me over three years ago for some advice and a very inspirational guy, called George Blake.

- George & Brucey

He has very commendably documented his journey through transition on social media and is also very active within the community doing work with the support group Wolverhampton LGBT+ which is a registered charity supporting the LGBT+ community within Wolverhampton and the Black Country. The group includes many events such as walking, yoga, social meet-ups (in person, and online), so please do check them out if you live in the area. I spoke with George, after he recently returned from Poland where he had had top surgery, about his journey in more detail, and here is what he had to say:

BRUCE: So, a lot has changed for you since we got in touch way back in 2019 and I recommended you make that list! Can you tell me a bit in your own words about how your journey to transition started and the steps you took?

GEORGE: I suppose I knew from a very young age that I was different, and looking back, things kind of make sense to the point... when playing mummies and daddies as a kid, I always wanted to be the dad. I know some people will think nothing of it, but now it just makes sense, and was a sign of what my younger self was telling me, but I ignored it because I didn't even know what trans was at the time. Growing up I was always a tomboy. I was one of the lads climbing trees, playing football, and just felt more comfortable being one of the boys. Things changed when I hit puberty. I got bullied because of how short I was and because I had long curly hair and because they knew I was mixed race. With all that going on I put how I felt inside to the back of my mind, as I was already having a hard enough time as it was. I knew I liked girls and it felt like it was socially more acceptable to come out as a lesbian, so that's exactly what I did at 17.