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If It Doesn’t Taste Good Stop Eating It

royaldelarue | Dec 5, 2022

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Last month, I promoted my blog using a WordPress advertising campaign. In one day, I had 846 visitors from around the world, and over 273,000 impressions in the 7 days it ran, hitting popular platforms such as Tumblr.

One visitor sent me a message expressing how shocked and disgusted they were at the content of my site and demanded I take my blog down. Because the subject and content of my blog can be graphic at times, I have a clear disclaimer on the landing page (chapter 1) that warns the reader about sexually explicit and potentially offensive content. Such subjects and language freak some people out, so I thought it only reasonable to include a warning.

I wondered why this person kept reading if they found it so offensive and disgusting. If you bite into food that tastes bad, why would you keep eating it? Fortunately, most of the visitors to my website either come and go without comment or have left positive messages about the educational value of the story — as explicit and unflattering as it may be. For sure, it’s my story, based on my experiences and opinions, but that is the nature of a blog in the first place. And, in this country, we still have the freedom of expression despite federal and state legislators trying desperately to silence and rid our society of this community.

All this happened around the same time as the Club Q nightclub shooting in Colorado that left 5 dead and 25 injured. Only the week before, the Human Rights Campaign released its annual report documenting at least 32 transgender people were killed in 2022. Trans women are disproportionately represented by 81% of recorded deaths, and people of color are also at 81%, with 59% being black. The Human Rights Campaign noted that the number of deaths is likely undercounted because transgender people are often misidentified in police reports.

There was a record wave of anti-trans legislation at the state level in 2022, which is likely fueling a culture of bias and hate combined with racism and sexism that is increasing the risk of fatal violence. Additionally, no fewer than 13 countries criminalize citizens for being transgender.

This past week, we saw the detention of a U.S. Soccer journalist, Grant Wahl, at the World Cup for simply wearing a rainbow shirt. Security staff later claimed they insisted he remove the shirt in an attempt to protect him from angry fans who would harm him for showing his solidarity for LGBTQ people. Surprisingly, Qatar is considered one of the most progressive of Arab countries — even allowing their female citizens to drive, of all things — so who knows the real reason behind his detention.

Although my experience being married to a crossdresser is not always a sympathetic account and I can come across as critical or insensitive of his pastime, I staunchly believe that adults have the right to choose the lifestyle that suits them so long as it isn’t hurtful to others and to do so without threat of violence or government interference.

My published narrative elicited a strong response from an individual who is likely uneducated and fearful of such subjects, but I will not be deterred or offended by his/her comments. As I state in my website disclaimer, I offer no apologies. If you take a bite and it doesn’t taste good, stop eating it.

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