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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Atlantic has an article about "anti-trans feminism" and of course Mumsnet is mentioned

138 replies

WeeBisom · 08/12/2020 16:29

Link here:www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/12/reddit-ovarit-the-donald/617320/

The journalist compares feminist spaces like Lipstick Alley, Ovarit, and Mumsnet to right wing communities like incels and the Donald. The article is disappointing because they get so many basic things wrong. In the very first paragraph they equate 'radical' feminism with extremism, and talk about a woman becoming 'further radicalised'. They say that gender critical feminists believe 'gender is fixed' when that's not what gender critical feminists believe at all. And the article tells the lie that radical feminists dox, harass and bully trans women when we do nothing of the sort. It's just frustrating to have so many lies and misconceptions spread about online feminist communities.

OP posts:
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Floisme · 08/12/2020 16:30

Yes it's frustrating but what else have they got? Facts? Science? Rational arguments?

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OvaHere · 08/12/2020 16:36

It is frustrating but on the plus side a load more people hearing about these sites will go check them out for themselves and some of those will stick around.

I suppose 'feminism excludes male people' wouldn't have made a clickbaity enough headline.

*Waves to all the visitors from The Atlantic.

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Mollyollydolly · 08/12/2020 16:38

Welcome to all the women who've read it.

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Notthe9oclocknewsathon · 08/12/2020 16:42

I haven’t read the article.
For me personally I question at a basic level the use of gender as a basis for medical intervention because I just can’t see how it’s anything more than medicalising people who don’t fit gender stereotypes. It’s a society problem that the person experiences as the (absolutely real!) pain of not ‘fitting’.

Having said that, adults who feel they need to medically transition because they can’t change society and after getting psychological help feel it is the best chance of their happiness, I 100% support and wouldn’t want to in any way discriminate or allow those people to be discriminated against.

Those people should be protected legally and their needs balanced with other vulnerable groups on a specific basis as makes most sense in each given situation.

I do not support children medically transitioning. I would want young people and families to have the best psychological support before they reach adulthood in the hope they can feel at peace with their bodies.

I suspect in many people’s eyes these views make me an extremist. But it genuinely isn’t coming from a hateful place. I struggle to identify with the links to those other groups who seem a) completely immune to reason b) nationalist and c) generally anti ‘people who aren’t like me’. I don’t identify with any of those positions.

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DreadPirateLuna · 08/12/2020 16:55

So disappointed in The Atlantic, which is normally good at fact checking and has published some excellent articles by Helen Lewis.

I had to re-read the line about how "keeping T**Fs in close proximity to trans women comes with a severe price: continued harrassment, bad-faith attacks, and implied or explicit threats of violence". Ah, I thought, at least the author is acknowledging the threats given to GC women.... No, apparently it's the GCs who have been violent to TW. How can anyone who has researched the issue fail to see that the threats are mostly one way?

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Winesalot · 08/12/2020 17:34

Well, that might explain the new posters today.

Welcome to you all!!!

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BlackWaveComing · 08/12/2020 17:37

Someone didn't do any basic research, did they? Rad feminists, believe gender is fixed? Dear me...

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SebastianTheCrab · 08/12/2020 17:40

"Eventually, her beliefs radicalized further: She became convinced that gender is fixed"

This reads like a parody.

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BlackWaveComing · 08/12/2020 18:02

It's a shame. I generally like The Atlantic. But the work experience kid could do better than this.

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PurpleHoodie · 08/12/2020 18:09

The journalist compares feminist spaces like Lipstick Alley, Ovarit, and Mumsnet to right wing communities like incels and the Donald.

They do?

Funny little journalist.

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HecatesCatsInXmasHats · 08/12/2020 18:14

Well that's a balanced article...

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HecatesCatsInXmasHats · 08/12/2020 18:14

And by that I mean it's not balanced at all.

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PurpleHoodie · 08/12/2020 18:15

I've had a read.

Women carve out their own spaces and we don't like it

It's not on

Wahhhhh

Stomp

Wahhhh

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DreadPirateLuna · 08/12/2020 18:55

She also calls Lipstick Alley a "black women's beauty forum" 😕. Has she even been to the site?

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PrawnofthePatriarchy · 08/12/2020 18:57

It's preposterous. Complete and utter bollocks without a fact check to its name. I had a hard time with the link in the OP. In case anyone else is struggling, here's another: www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/12/reddit-ovarit-the-donald/617320/ - though I'm not sure it's worth the effort.

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merrymouse · 08/12/2020 18:58

They say that gender critical feminists believe 'gender is fixed'

You'd think the clue would be in the name.

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PrawnofthePatriarchy · 08/12/2020 18:58

Has she even been to the site?

For all of five minutes I'd guess.

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PlantMam · 08/12/2020 19:00

Lipstick Alley self describes as,
‘The Internet's largest African American Forum. News, Sports, Celebrity Gossip, Fashion and Hair Care from an African American perspective.’

The Atlantic author of the above article calls it a ‘Black women’s beauty forum‘.

Seems rudely reductive.

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stumbledin · 08/12/2020 19:09

I cant be bothered to find the link, but on the Atlantic facebook page where they have posted a link to the article, most comments are that the article is just trash and not up to jounalistic standards they would expect. And that the writer is from some other paper known for this sort of trash.

Just in case anyone wants to read the comments there.

She doesn't even mention spinster.xyz.

So yet again the question is not that there will be someone to write this sort of biased nonsense, but why apparently serious papers / magazines publish them.

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HecatesCatsInXmasHats · 08/12/2020 19:11

@SebastianTheCrab

"Eventually, her beliefs radicalized further: She became convinced that gender is fixed"

This reads like a parody.

The whole thing does. It's written as if she's describing the radicalisation of mass murderers, rather than groups of women who believe that there are two sexes. Imagine that even being controversial. Plus her insistence on referring to just how many thousands of women there are on these awful sites seems to underline that it's a commonly held view.
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stumbledin · 08/12/2020 19:11

okay have found the facebook thread - the writer is fromVox www.facebook.com/TheAtlantic/posts/10159368694328487

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PurpleHoodie · 08/12/2020 19:13

Has she even been to the site?

Doesn't seem so. The muppet.

I've had a peek.

The Lipstick Ladies have sounded the KLAXON.

They've started a thread readying themselves for a TRA onslaught. They are (ahem) not meek Grin

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BitterAndOnlySlightlyTwisted · 08/12/2020 19:13

Every accusation is an admission.

If that writer thinks I’m an extremist they ain’t seen shit yet

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YouNoob · 08/12/2020 19:23

I’ve never read the Atlantic. Where is it published?

Right wing rad fem extremists prone to violence. That describes mumsnet FWR so well.

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Maduixa · 08/12/2020 19:24

UK people, can you access this article? I’m elsewhere in the EU - I follow the link and can see it for moments - the misogynistic title, the byline by “Kaitlyn Tiffany”’, and half a sentence which is a lie - and then I get forwarded to an error message:: we’re working on it! We're having trouble displaying the page you're looking for. We apologize, and expect to resolve the problem soon.

If anyone’s inspired to C&P the text here, or save to archive.is and post a ljnk, I’d appreciate it. Thanks!

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