Just seen someone saying they support bans on trans healthcare for under 18s because “let kids be kids”.

By the time I hit puberty, I had KNOWN for a decade.

I also knew that telling anyone would be profoundly dangerous.

So I hid who I was and, am almost grateful that the neurodivergence gave the other kids something else to latch on to. They were so busy calling me a “mong” that they didn’t notice I was trans.

Because that might have got me murdered.

Or pushed me into a position where I felt I had no options other than the same end result.

So I hid it.

And I hid it really well.

And one of the things that happens when a 5 year old child is terrified of their parents, or their families, or the school bullies finding out who they really are is that they end up traumatised.

A 5 year old child. Traumatised and ashamed.

Ashamed because adults openly talked about them.

Or people like them.

And what they said was horrific. What they said made it very clear that they would regard their own kids as subhuman monsters if they ever found out.

So we hid. And an important part of ourselves died in childhood. A light that should have shone, went out.

I’ve tried my best to rekindle it.

I’ve managed somewhat but it will never be right. Not really. I’ve made peace with that.

“Let kids be kids”. Trans kids like me never got to be.

Because of people who say things like that.

Short clip from the recent Energy Unwrapped Podcast with my guest Jez Climas from City Plumbing.

Are Heat Pumps Noisy?

Full episode available as video on YouTube or audio version where ever you get your podcast. Search Energy Unwrapped.

https://www.youtube.com/@MickWall?sub_confirmation=1

One for the #maker and maybe #3dprinting community: where can I get sheet metal laser cut, and optionally bent, drilled/tapped, and/or coated in Germany or Europe? Or is it still cheaper to do it from China?

I don't need a lot and I can make the 3D models without problems. I just need a reasonably priced and easy enough to work with supplier.

#retoot appreciated

I walked into this nice house yesterday, marched the family living there out at gunpoint, murdered all the neighbours, and took the whole block for myself.

Calm down, calm down, my name’s Israel.

Ah, right, no worries, you don’t have to apologise. I can see why you were confused and thought you might have had to get angry at me before you realised who I was. It was a silly mistake, think nothing of it. We both know you’d never criticise anything I do… you’re not antisemitic.

And these are just Brown people we’re talking about.

Yeah, Brown. I know, right? There you go, there’s the smile. No, no, really, it’s ok, I have enough guns and bombs… well, ok, if you insist… I could probably use a few more. Thanks. You’re the best.

And yeah, no hard feelings. It was funny seeing you getting upset there for a moment though.

School book banning escalates in the UK as Greater Manchester secondary school censors scores of books

https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/03/school-book-banning-escalates-in-the-uk-as-greater-manchester-secondary-school-censors-scores-of-books/

*sigh*

No matter how good the blogpost or article itself might *actually* be, if I spot, or suspect, that it has a slop header image, I probably won't read it.

Sure, perhaps I am missing out, but that is a boundary for me.

I appreciate that not everyone has the time, skill, or spoons to create or search for a CC-licensed image. My approach is just not to use a header image, which is a simple and free approach.