I was on a TV gameshow today! While I am used to being interviewed in the media, being on a gameshow was definitely outside of my comfort zone, but there was a reason why I was there…
With so much negativity, hate and misinformation about trans people in the media these days, I wanted to redress the balance and bring trans inclusion to a huge audience that I would otherwise be unable to reach. The gameshow is a new show for ITV1 called “Riddiculous” as it is all about solving riddles and general knowledge. It’s hosted by Ranvir Singh and the “riddlemaster” is Henry Lewis. I thought that just by being visible, as an openly transgender woman with a sense of humour and who is happy in her own skin, it would send a strong message to viewers of daytime TV who would never listen to one of my talks or attend one of my training sessions. I felt that I had to go to them as they are unlikely to come to me.
My teammate was my friend Avril Clark and while she is cisgender (non-trans), her wife is transgender and they are both heavily involved in trans-inclusion work as they co-run Trans Radio UK (a radio station for trans people, by trans people), TRUK Listens (a helpline for trans people) and TRUK United (the first all-trans female football team in the World). Avril also runs Distinction, which is a support group for partners of trans people.
Here’s a short chat with Ranvir that we had about our trans inclusion work and about my transition…
While we were thoroughly thrashed at the gameshow by our opponents (who were far quicker on their buzzers than we were), we succeeded in our aim of getting some positive trans visibility on national TV. Avril and I also had a huge amount of fun during the filming. Now that’s what I call a result!
You can view the whole episode here or by finding Series 1, episode 7 on your smart TV.
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