For a cis gender 50 something female the letter which arrived yesterday from the Government of Western Australia would probably not have been significant but for me it was huge. Being addressed to Ms Stephanie Rachael Vaughan was a good start although i did wonder before opening the letter if i had made some sort of misdemeanour on the driving front. Quite to the contrary it was an invitation to attend Busselton Health Campus for a complimentary breast screen. Now i have had numerous ultrasounds of my breasts over the last 6 or 7 years to try and ascertain the reason for my very painful breasts. They have always been very difficult for me as i was still technically male and presenting as a male albeit a male with very female breasts as I’ve had since the age of 12. I have however never had a mammogram. Numerous people have told me they are particularly uncomfortable but are an essential part of the early detection of breast cancer so a necessary evil as they say.
Being included in such a campaign has made me realise that to the government i am simply another female of a certain age group which is being targeted as a very vulnerable group of ladies when it comes to breast cancer. It’s like an acceptance of my gender without the questions and the government are obviously happy to now include me. I will of course attend when we have returned from New Zealand towards the end of February, I’m sure there will be some interesting questions asked but as usual i will answer them accordingly.
i did have another topic to talk about tonight but as it is now midnight and i have driven to Perth and back since 6 pm I’m going to leave it for another day. It will make for a very interesting blog so watch this space !!!