This Planet Says

The Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) at The Queen's Garden Party in tan tights. Buckingham Palace on May 29, 2012.

Verity is my middle name

It is, you know.

Verity is derived from the word veritas, the Latin for “truth”. I chose it some years ago when I needed to distinguish myself from other Sue Richmonds. I felt that the truth of who I am should be reflected by my name. Corny, I know, but reasonable.

It’s not always easy to know what is true. For instance, I was brought up to believe that certain things were true; it turned out that they weren’t, or that they were opinions that the promoters were keen not to have challenged. Then you grow up, and many people get on with living according to what they feel is actually true. Some people, however, persist in believing what they first heard and, of course, some people promote lies, often on purpose, sometimes unwittingly.

What you read and see on this blog is true. It’s main aim is to record what I get up to chiefly so as to encourage other trans people to get out and enjoy the positive side of being transgendered. I have nothing really to hide any more about who I am and what I do and where I go and who I see. Why would I? Having been forced to live according to other people’s lies before, that way of life doesn’t appeal to me now. Honesty is usually the best policy, don’t you think? Discretion can certainly be a virtue when facing harm, but untruth is rarely helpful and usually damaging.

Thanks for reading.

Sue Verity Richmond x