It has not been a good week for people dying.

Despite having been around UK fandom for 25 years or so, I never got to know Rob Holdstock very well. I have, however, read many of his books, and I continue to maintain that Mythago Wood is one of the finest fantasy books ever written. On the few occasions our paths crossed he always struck me as a very amiable man. Today’s Guardian has a tribute to him. Obituaries will doubtless follow. E coli is a nasty little bug. My uncle had a serious infection earlier this year, but fortunately he survived. Rob was not so lucky. Best wishes to all of my friends who knew him much better than I did.

In contrast I never met Mike Penner at all, but his transition to Christine Daniels, and subsequent reversion back to Mike, while working as a sports writer at the LA Times made headlines the world over. Life in the media spotlight is never easy, especially when you are there for a reason that causes you to be a target for hatred and ridicule. If, as the LA police currently suspect, Penner’s death turns out to be a suicide, it will be by no means the first occasion on which person unhappy with their gender has taken their own life. A recent EU study found that around 30% of adult trans people surveyed had attempted suicide at least once.

Penner’s motivations are now beyond our ken, but if you would like to get some idea of the pressures on trans people I recommend this article by a relatively successful trans woman: concert pianist Sara Davis Buechner.

On a slightly happier note, Pink News reports that the Irish Green Party is to introduce trans rights legislation to the Dail shortly. It is about time. Ireland is rather behind most of Western Europe in this area. Finna Fail is apparently opposing the move on the grounds that, “some people may try to change their gender in order to seek more financial entitlements, such as welfare payments.” So, read what Ms. Buechner has to say about the life of people post-transition, and then tell me how many people you think will opt for a sex change in the hope of getting a few Euros a week more in welfare payments.