If you follow anyone living in Ireland on Twitter you may have seen the hashtag #TeamPanti and wondered what it was all about. Well, here comes the explanation, courtesy of the most fabulous Panti Bliss herself.

As Panti says right up front, the problems of a gay white man being oppressed by straight white people in a relatively prosperous Western country are fairly minor in comparison to many other things. Nevertheless I think she does a great job of explaining how corrosive to live in a country where “respectable” people are forever commenting on how you should live your life. That applies to many more situations than hers.

I note in passing that Ireland has the worst record in the EU when it comes to transgender rights, according to this Amnesty International report issued last week.