Sonic Youth Gossip - The Story of Jasper Murphy

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My name is Jasper Murphy and I have a vagina.* I'm involved in East London* Community Activism but today I'm here to speak as a trans person about transgender issues.* The term transgender is a broad term that refers to to a massive spectrum of people who in some way veer away from the gender written on their birth certificate.* So, I cannot, in any way whatsoever, be representative of transgendered people.* I can only talk about the world as I see it, from where I'm standing, as a transexual.
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I'm a lucky tranny.* First of all because I'm alive.* And secondly because I have a family who loves me.* That shouldn't be lucky, but at the moment, it is.* My own experience is quite unique so I thought Id give you a quick history:* At 3 years old my first sentence was I'm a boy, at 7 years old when I was still convinced that this was true, my parents took me to a psychologist.* The psychologist said I probably have Gender Dysphoria.* My parents talked to my school and allowed me to cut my hair and wear a boy's uniform.* When I was 8** I was referred on to a specialist in London (on the NHS) who I saw until I was 18.* When I was 12 I legally changed my name which my granny paid for.* So I've been living as male since I was about 7 or 8.* I went through a full female puberty and eventually got testosterone when I was 21.* I had surgery when I was 22.* I'm 24 now so I've looked like this for about 2 years.
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Its not my intention to simple ask for a complacent acceptance of trans people- for people to just stop insulting us and beating us up...* I want to talk about transphobia as an issue that affects all of us- and that we can all play a part in fighting.* We must, as a society, be better at gender.