Approximate transcription of our Trans Pride NI NVTV interview for deaf people: Transgender Pride NI was setup a little over a year ago, by activist Michael, with the help of Adrianne, with the intention to make Northern Ireland celebrate gender diversity. There was was a Trans Pride NI Award Ceremony, were NVTV was recognised for their continued support of transgender individuals. They will host a rally on the 2nd of June and they are a couple.

Interviewer: Could you tell me about how This Love Story began?

Adrianne: I was told that a transman was coming this evening, I had never heard of anybody being a female to male and I was somewhat intrigued because it was the antithesis of me, if I wanted to be rid of everything that was male and somebody wanted to be male and I wanted to know more about him and he was quite something of the introvert and I had to put quite a lot of work into getting to know him better.

Michael: Adrianne used to go to the transgender support group just after ballet. I didn’t think she would be interested in going out with me and I discovered she was.

Interviewer: Michael could you tell me about the ceremonial awards and about the growth of the organisation that you have set up?

Michael: Yes, I set up Trans Pride Northern Ireland because I thought it was a good idea to be like England. There are quite a lot of Trans Prides at the minute, Trans Pride Scotland, Trans Pride Brighton. Adrianne also bought me to Sparkle and I realised this was good for people to realise that transgender people are not weird, and these Prides help people understand us better, so I thought that it’d be a really good idea to have Trans Pride in Northern Ireland, we don’t have it right now.

Adrianne: I was in another interview 7 weeks ago about trans rights on northern visions and we just wanted to say thank you to Northern visions TV for putting this on about transgender rights because you know quite often we feel a little bit intimidated in Northern Ireland and we were very very pleased with northern visions for giving us this platform, so we thought you were worthy recipients of the Trans Pride NI award. Hopefully the award will become an annual thing.

Interviewer: Can you share with us your own personal experience and journey?

Adrianne: Michael had some unpleasant experiences in his housing. You can be scared that it would sort of overflow into some sort of physical assault and it can be very frightening and it’s not an easy ride. Sometimes a lot of people say it’s a lifestyle choice and when they say that I’m always reminded of the film Trainspotting: choose losing your job, choose being rejected by your friends and family, I mean people who I thought were friends for life turned their backs on me, it’s not a lifestyle choice, it’s not something you do because you think it’s good craic you know, rights that have been given out can also be taken back. I am always conscious of that and this is one of the reasons why I want Trans Pride to make sure it stays in the public consciousness.

Interviewer: Tell me a little bit more about your current Project?

Michael: Transgender and nonbinary people don’t have the same rights as other people at the minute for gender equality and we are trying to stop that problem, so I’m just asking everybody to come down for a while and we also want to celebrate diversity, we are asking everybody to support this Project. It is the first ever Trans Pride to take place on the island of Ireland.

Adrianne: There have been disputes in the LGBT community in Northern Ireland and not everyone is singing off the same hymn sheet, groups are competing for funding and such like and you know people have got their issues with us but if people, just for one day, can put that behind them and come down and be part of history being made and see that we’re just like them you know, we’re just normal, ordinary, everyday people trying to get on with their lives and you know and have some equality. We’re not asking for more rights than anybody else has got, we are not asking for something special, we just want equality and to be just like other people and to be part of this historical event.

Interviewer: Adrianne and Michael, thank you so much for joining me in the studio today and I wish you all the best, thank you.