I am a woman because I say so

OK whilst reading some stuff, I came across something to do with hypothalamic uncinate nucleus.

It's said hypothallumus is small part of the brain in the centre, it is different shape and has more cells in men then woman. Also transwomen have a similar size and shape to women. Although up until four years old there is no difference between male and female hypothallumus.

I've heard that there is lots of 'evidence' for the lady brain, and I'm under the impression it's bollocks.

I tried to find the research on this hypothalamic uncinate nucleus thing. It appears to be from Oxford uni (or approved by them?)

So can anyone, with a better understanding of research and science knowledge have a quick squiz?

m.brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/131/12/3132.full

Maybe I should start a new thread?

Empress I was there last night too. It was fantastic.

Diana, this is a YouTube link to a video of Rebecca doing the talk somewhere else. Well worth watching if it's as good as last night was!

If you want to cheer yourself up, Google "Peak Trans". We are not alone in calling out the TA craziness. Lots of incisive comments on this site.

It is striking that - despite their concerns about the encroachment on women's rights - almost all posters are respectful and sympathetic to people with genuine gender dysphoria. They show far more respect to Trans people than they get in return.

Is this feminism come full circle?

Men and non-men.

first

Well according to some, men can give birth and breastfeed so even breeders wont mean woman

Most people do not consider women less than human. There is a discussion to be had on this, but that sort of statement is where I leave it.

I'm only aware of my gender when others treat me in certain ways because of it - when I'm brought face to face with the fact that most people consider women as less than human.

She also compared the concept of gender ID to Wittgenstein's concept of a beetle in a box: I hadn't come across this before but it was the idea of a world where everyone has a small box, nobody can see inside anyone else's box, and everyone calls the thing in their own box a beetle. Which pretty much robs "beetle" of all definition.

Thanks for sharing this, Empress, that's a great way to express it, I'd have liked to have been there for that.

I can't understand what is meant by 'an internal sense of your own gender' at all, except as a way of expressing which gender stereotype you think your personality is closest to. When they claim that your 'gender presentation' doesn't even have to match this, I find all these definitions unhelpful. Once you enter territory where a person who has male biology and wears stereotypically male clothing is nonetheless a 'woman', then how do you define 'woman' as anything other than someone who says they are a woman? It renders all these terms meaningless except as a reference to gender stereotypes, which is no less regressive than using them to describe someone's relation to their biological sex. It's a lot less helpful and predictable to everyone who doesn't have the benefit of mind-reading, though.

It's not a matter of passing, though, is it?

I've found myself becoming pretty radical (surprise surprise, Dittany always knew I'd get there one day) about this, just like I did about abortion. There's no half measures here. Surgery doesn't mean sex change. Accept all comers or none.

How prescient Margaret Atwood was - the future is breeders and non-breeders. Because there will have to be a new definition for those with the (perceived) ability to gestate. Unless we all get very vocal about it.

Going back slightly to last night, I also thought the Grayson Perry interview in the Guardian was great. He always comes across as so thoughtful and erudite.

Am torn between saying how eloquent you are, Silver and the risk of a slap down for being too hun

Ah, Shiny just read the blog you linked to, makes the point I was trying to make much more eloquently

Reminded now of the bearded lady who won Eurovision a few years back. She sang "rise like a phoenix". Never quite worked out what was going on there. (Fab song btw! ).

That was Conchita Wurst, who, IIRC is not transgender, more like drag. Conchita was a man called Tom in normal life. The name Conchita Wurst is made up of slang terms from different languages which mean Cunt Cock.

I went to a brilliant talk on gender identity last night by Rebecca Reilly-Cooper.

One of the points she made was that a clear definition of woman is absolutely not in the interests of people who spout this crap.

She also compared the concept of gender ID to Wittgenstein's concept of a beetle in a box: I hadn't come across this before but it was the idea of a world where everyone has a small box, nobody can see inside anyone else's box, and everyone calls the thing in their own box a beetle. Which pretty much robs "beetle" of all definition.

It would be interesting to know if male gender norms evolved and changed to accept 'female-style' dress and 'effeminate' behaviour as a valid norm, whether the group who are fetishistic cross-dressers would still get off dressing this way.

I strongly suspect they would not, the point of the fetish is to be like the woman, the object of their sex interest. There is really no incentive for them to change male norms because they want to feel 'naughty'.

There, I suspect, is the crux of the problem, women need to accept as always that men's sexual needs subjugate the rights of women.

I have absolutely no idea how you can define womanhood as a "feeling" that's separate from female biology.

Not without resorting to the sort of rigid gender stereotyping that you would hope a progressive society could rise above.

Saying that womanhood is a feeling is one of the most misogynst things I've heard.

This blog puts it well, I think (in her comments on Jaden Smith):

"There are generally two types of MtF transgender. There are gender-non-conforming men, who are often gay, and there are fetishistic cross-dressers. If we stopped punishing men for being feminine, the gender-non-conforming men would benefit. But as long as we keep punishing men for being feminine, the fetishists can get off pretending to be part of an oppressed class of people."

"womanhood is all about a feeling and has nothing to do with their genitals"

Surely a huge part of being a woman is ovulating and having periods, and the ebb and flow of hormones. Puberty and being a teenage girl and how that shapes the woman you'll be one day. Using hormonal contraceptives too, I have the implant in, and have noticed a lot of very unsexy side affects over the years. I've been steadily pumping Progestin, or Synthetic Progestogen into my body for 10 years now. Minus the 40 weeks I was pregnant when the pill failed (why I'm on my second implant). Pregnancy and birth have a huge affect on your body and mind. As do female orgasm's/masturbation/sexual orientation. Male lesbian? What a crock of shit. Do most MTT's not have an average amount of testosterone? So really until they take the hormone replacement drugs, they have no idea how it actually "feels" to be a woman? They all make the decision to "become" a woman, while they are men? Women have been accused of having penis envy for years, I think this is the first time men have had vagina envy? Where did the lady boys in Thailand tradition come from, and where did it start? Don't most of them keep and are quite happy with, their penises?

"I've got an ever increasing moustache, a wonky tit, cellulite and a bikini line that has seen better days." I found a hair on my boob last year. I just shave it now, when I'm doing my legs and goody trail (below belly button but above lady garden).

Reminded now of the bearded lady who won Eurovision a few years back. She sang "rise like a phoenix". Never quite worked out what was going on there. (Fab song btw! ).

That old Eddie Izzard interview is quite sad. I always thought the male lesbian thing was very tongue in cheek, a way to say that although he liked wearing the clothes he did, he was still attracted to women. But that section about gay men liking their own bodies and 'male lesbians' wanting to dress up as a woman to 'create a look that they're attracted to' sounds like it's veering towards autogynephilia, and to state that he's only attracted to women who are themselves only attracted to women is a recipe for misery, surely? That, or the foundations of all the 'cotton ceiling' bullshit. It's fetishising women's sexuality. Yuck.

I used to like him very much and I hope he's happy, but that interview makes him sound very messed up. I hope he's sorted himself out since then.

He doesn't need to say anything though.

Or he could say what Grayson Perry and Andrew O'Neill say- they are heterosexual transvestites.

As for it just being a flippant remark, he seems quite serious in this interview. It's an old interview when called himself a transvestite who fancies lesbians. Now he is calling himself transgender.

He has also taken Ian McEwan to task.

Eddie Izzard Interview 6
izzardnet.tripod.com/int06.html

m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/eddie-izzard-ian-mcewan-transgender-comments_uk_57035dbbe4b069ef5c00a9ed?edition=uk