1. I know that things seem bleak today for trans people in the UK - and that's a statement said too many times in the past couple of years.

But where we are now is still so much better than it was twenty years ago, and we have the power to make twenty years from now better still

2. Life as a trans teen 20 years ago:
- Section 28 still in place, my teachers openly discriminated against me with the force of the law behind them
- Only trans people on TV were freakshow exhibits on Eurotrash/Jerry Springer

3. The ONLY mention of trans from the CAHMS service providing the mental health treatment I needed to live was as a pathologising question on the diagnosis form, just next to the question about whether you enjoyed setting fires.

4. I didn't know a single other trans person in offline life, and barely any online. When I tried to find other trans people, or even trans support, from LGB(T) orgs, I was laughed at and told that I couldn't be trans. @LGBTSwitchboard, 2003/4 wasn't a great time.

5. The GRA - insufficient as it is - didn't exist. The Equality Act didn't exist. Same-sex marriage didn't exist.

Genderqueer/non-binary people couldn't access NHS treatment without lying. Stonewall didn't include trans people. And good luck finding a surgeon.

6. Yes, transphobia is having a real moment in the UK. And yes, that transphobia is skewed towards social media, traditional media, and some - only some - MPs and Lords.

But I promise you, the changes in attitude across the country in 20 years are just staggering.

7. The present is not rosy. But it's still better than it was - and we can keep building on that, year on year, just the way that those working for justice have always built, and rebuilt, and expanded.

P.S. not to get too monty python sketch on you, but I learnt about binding by reading about Sarah Bernhardt playing male roles. Never going back to that.