Helsinki Pride 2015

This year I could take part only to part of the Pride week because my Spouse had her “official” birthday celebration at the Parade day. However I had an opportunity to help the arrangements of the panel about “the ideal transgender legislation”. on Tuesday. The issue was there have been so much progress in some countries except Finland. On the other hand it seemed obvious that deleting the unnecessary division by gender in legislation would be the best thing to promote the rights of the transgender people.  

                                       The Panelists Luca, Riikka and Aija with the speaker Hanna (left)

After it I still went to Seta office where the DreamWearClub evening took place.

On Wednesday I accompanied the song happening for the transgender people at Seta office. After it I went to Kaisaniemi restaurant for Pride Logdans where I danced a bit and chatted much more. Despite the fact that the weather was rather chilly the air in the dance hall was too hot and heavy. That didn’t seem to disturb the good mood of the dancers.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/helsinkipride/18951965100/in/album-72157654616978018/

Friday was the next and the last day I took part. We have made a agreement to meet with Hannamaria at the Seta activist picnic at the Kaisaniemi Park. After visiting another (trans-) picnic without any own packed lunch we went for a small supper at the restaurant in the city near the cinema we were to go next. There was the premiere of the document film of three transgender people and their experience of their gender identity.

After the film we still went to “The Ladies Party” at the Kaivohuone restaurant. It is a huge event with lots of women and of course with lots of my friends. The only disadvantage was the heavy bumping disco music. 

Despite I went near the stage to be swallowed by the rhythm nothing just happened. So I just walked around and chatted with people. Because I was not forced to wake up early for the Parade I could it till the midnight.

Visiting two Sofias, Crete June 2015

June 2015 was really chilly in Finland, so it was a good choice to head for Agios Nicolaos in Crete for a week. The main purpose was to celebrate my spouse’s 60th birthday but the timing matched also in climatic point of view.

We had a quite small hotel run by lady named Sofia. She also had an employee named Sofia who appeared to have Greek father and mother from Rovaniemi and therefore she spoke Finnish fluently with Northern accent.

We liked to see much more than just beaches so we made some organized bus trips. We visited the Spinalonga Island, the main place for the TV series “To Nisi”, based on the best-selling English novel The Island by Victoria Hislop. It tells about the leper patients living on the isolated island and how they decided to start living instead of just being dying patients. The buildings on the island are almost ruined so the film was made in the Upper Village of Elounda – which we also visited.

                                         Pics from Spinalonga

View from upper Elounda village

                                      The night pics after the Spinalonga trip

The next day we travelled to Lassithi Plateau in the center of the island. It is 800 meters above the sea level and our bus had to climb even higher to reach the plateau between the mountains. It is s so high even olive trees seen everywhere else in Crete cannot grow there. So the main articles are potatoes, apples and wine. Our main target there was the huge stalagmite cave which is said to be the hiding place of baby Zeus. At least the bees and goats that are said to feed Zeus were there.

                                             On our way to the Lassithi Plateau     

                                          The Lassithi Plateau

Our last organized trip was to Herakleion and Knossos, the best places to learn about the Minoan culture.  There was a certain division: The actual objects were at the Archeological Museum and the actual places situated in Knossos, now with copies of the original buildings, amphorae and frescos.

                              Artefacts at the Heraklion Archeological Museum

                                                Knossos

For the rest of our time we organized our own schedule, including going to beach, doing some shopping and still one trip to the nearby village Chritsa. 

Actually I bought only a set of jewelry of olive tree. I also needed the simple dress which would be easy to take off and put on at the beach but my spouse wanted to buy a bit better one….

                                    Celebrating the birthday of my spouse in my new dress

I found it quite easy to live there as Anukatariina. The wig was a problem on the other hand when it was really hot and when I went to swim. In both cases I used a silken scarf. 

                                             Getting my bikini tan lines


There was a certain difference when we were welcomed to taverns as a man and a woman and as two ladies. In some cases flirt we got at first faded a bit after the situation became clear to the waiter. 

                                When it's hot you must drink enough, this time a really chilly beer.

We were rather discrete while going out or coming in at the hotel. However in the last evening the older Sofia shouted loudly when we were passing the hotel restaurant and wanted to hug me very tight.

                                       Our nighties pleated by the cleaning lady

                                      The last supper....I gained 3 kilos !!!

My spouse bought a new sun hat and wanted to have the older one, too. So I had to wear the new one on our trip back home. When our bus back to Herakleion airport came to fetch us I saw the tourist guide looking at us, then the passenger list and then the both twice again – When she opened the bus door she had finally figured out what was going on…

This trip was the first one I’ve used my new id card with my female picture. The officials didn’t pay any attention on it - I didn’t see any reaction.    

   

                                                      Back to Helsinki!

Je Suis Lenni

A 4-year boy named Lenni likes sometimes to dress in pink dress. He also plays football and do other “boy’s things." Unfortunately he have got evil comments from the parents of other kids.  One day his mother had enough and wrote a blog about the issue. The result was a FB-group for the day for everyone to get dressed in pink. The day was 8th of June. More than 13 000 people took part.     

Pirkanmaa Pride 2015

Pirkanmaa is the district around the industry city Tampere. Tampere is called “Manse”,  the Finnish Manchester.

We told in advance that we are going there. So we got company, Thea and Gitta would be there, too. We also were asked to present the greetings from DreamWearClub at the request of the organizing association, Pirkanmaan Seta.

So we drove to Tampere in two hours. Or actually it took longer because we met Thea and Gitta on our way to have a lunch before the Pride Parade. I left the others to the starting place of the parade and found the parking place near the end of the parade. It was only 20 minutes trip to walk to the starting point and I found my friends at a mall next to the square where we were about to take off.  We also met the new acquaintances, a wonderful couple from Kokkola.

                                             Thea and Gitta at the Tullikamari Square

There were a football fan club sitting at a bar terrace next to square and they responded to our shouts with their own, naturally supporting just they team.

At that very moment when the parade started it started raining. There was also quite strong wind so carrying the banderol was a rather physical task. Because of the rain there wasn’t much audience along the route. Some of them were rather pissed and didn’t respond our slogans very politely - but there were only a few such persons.

                                      Crossing the windy Hämeensilta bridge

The parade ended to the celebration place in the center of Tampere. The rain has made everything wet and it was rather cold, too. 

After an hour it was my turn to present my greetings. 

             

After that my spouse informed me that her shoes were too wet and to avoid catching cold we left the place. After changing dry socks and shoes we had something to eat and drink and went to the rainbow mass. After that we saw some tiny theater pieces and finally ended to Pride club where we met again our new friends from Kokkola. Because the city was full of other happenings and the hotels were full we decided to go home instead of having a long night in Tampere.