(Char) Emily Writes

I can already hear the bigots screaming at me for this one, oh boy. But seriously - hear me out. I've never considered myself to be anything other than a cis-woman. And this isn't me bravely coming out, this is just what I truly believe. Genders don't exist. And I'm not denying anything scientific: sexes exist. But even science will tell you that gender is a social construct. So when you spout some nonsense about how there's 'only two genders' because SCIENCE. Guess what? Actual scientists say you're wrong. This whole idea of gender is just another invention to control society and force people to act a certain way. If you're a man, you must dress and act 'macho' and you can't show any emotions, etc. And if you're a woman, then it's skirts and dresses and you must be delicate and feminine. Again, I'm not denying that sexes exist. However, this idea that you must act a certain way so you can fit into a box seems real...

Beautiful architecture, quaint tearooms and £20 glasses of gin… welcome to Cheltenham. My first thought when I arrived in Cheltenham was: I really should have practised my posh accent. Having a western accent made me stick out like a sore thumb. However, I was also excited. It was my first ever literature festival, my university had paid for the tickets and transport, and I was ready to enrich myself in culture and a new part of the UK. But it’s clear to see that this world isn’t for the working class… or for anyone under 50. Not for the first time in my life, I was a fish out of water. It felt strange, it was alienating to be young and, well, poor. This attitude was felt in the air. In the strong stenches of designer perfume that burned your nose hairs, in the judgemental glare of the surrounding crowds and with the way a bunch of grey-haired women pulled their faces back at the mere suggestion of shopping in Topshop during a Mary Quant talk. Jeez, and I consider Topshop...

Having sex for the first time is always nerve-wrecking. As a young girl, I remember having high hopes for my first time, thinking it would be all fireworks. I also had my fears, of course. Visions of excruciating pain and pools of blood flashed in my mind. And what if he thinks I'm fat? Or have I shaved enough? The prospects of losing my virginity wasn't the most exciting time of my life. Throw vaginismus into the mix and you're in for one hell of a ride. No pun intended. Genitals and Starbucks Despite having it since I became sexually active at 17, I didn't know exactly what Vaginismus was until I started university at the age of 19. Nor had I heard of anyone else who had it. I thought I was alone with this silent torment that no one else understood.     It was the Autumn of 2016, the first time I ever saw the leaves fall in Bristol and felt the fresh excitement and nervousness of living away from my mum. I was sat in Starbucks with my close friend, Al...