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Original poster

Has the definition of phobia changed?

65 replies

ImpYCelyn · 04/11/2016 11:08

Okay, I'm being a little sarcastic, but I cannot believe how easily people throw around the term phobia at the moment.

On FB I'm part of a cloth sanitary pad chat group (I realise how weird that sounds). Someone posted a link to 15 cartoons about periods "that only women will understand". The first comment is "this is transphobic". There is then a back and forth with one person accusing everyone else of transphobia. Someone has attempted to point out that it's not transphobic, however it could be argued that it has failed to take into account trans people, so admitting there's an issue, and has been told "you don't get to decide what's phobic, you're not part of the oppressed minority".

I'm pretty certain phobia has a specific meaning. And not including trans people isn't automatically transphobic. "15 things only straight women will understand" wouldn't be homophobic. It's just about straight women. It might display a lack of knowledge, but that's not the same as homophobia.

I have friends who won't identify as bisexual anymore (specifically, on the kink scene), because apparently the word bisexual is transphobic as it excludes trans people. Pansexual is what you have to be. Again, just because the word bisexual doesn't explicitly say "I'll sleep with trans people" that surely doesn't make it phobic? And since when is having sexual preference indicative of a phobia? Straight people are not homophobic because they don't want to have sex with people of the same sex. That's just their sexual preference.

I've put this in feminism chat because although asking about the meaning of a word isn't directly feminist, I am really annoyed that this has now reached the point where a support group for women asking all kinds of questions about periods, incontinence (often post childbirth) and advice for helping their teenage daughters, has suddenly become somewhere where you can be transphobic for saying that women have periods. although when I read the post I just laughed. Because, of course.

OP posts:
venusinscorpio · 04/11/2016 11:53

If I ran the group (and I do run quite a large social media group) l I would just make a statement to the effect of "we recognise that trans men may also have periods and need sanitary protection and they are very welcome here, however the vast majority of people who have periods are women, and as such it does constitute a women's issue considering the billions of women who experience periods in their lifetimes." Something like that, you get the idea. Then I wouldn't engage with any more shit.

Original poster
ImpYCelyn · 04/11/2016 11:46

I think at this point "trans-exclusionary", whilst more accurate, is still used to shut people up, like in TERF. The implication being that trans-exclusionary is transphobic.

OP posts:
Original poster
ImpYCelyn · 04/11/2016 11:42

Ophelia I'm just a member, but I suspect kicking out a trans person would be something the moderators didn't feel they could do. I suspect there'd be a big backlash and I don't think the group needs that kind of hassle Sad

Venus definitely older than 15, recent grad, but up their own arse for sure.

OP posts:
venusinscorpio · 04/11/2016 11:39

That "gender queer" person needs to get their head out of their arse and grow up. Are they 15? I bet they joined with the sole intention of disrupting the group.

Original poster
ImpYCelyn · 04/11/2016 11:36

X-post chocolate, yes this person would fit that group. Although as they don't identify as a man, just refuse to be identified as a woman, I would say goady-fuckery is spot on.

OP posts:
Original poster
ImpYCelyn · 04/11/2016 11:34

Ophelia thank you, I did wonder if it was at me Grin

Vestal yes, sorry. Technically, from a linguistic perspective, it's already being used inaccurately in homophobia, and not like in arachnophobia. But I suppose I meant given that everyone understands homophobia to mean "being a bigot/deliberately offensive/generally nasty" towards gay people, it's now being changed again to mean "anything that doesn't specifically include and isn't positive towards trans people".

TheLily this person identifies as gender queer (not even a transman), has periods, but is not a woman. And so is offended that "only women have periods" as they are not a woman. They do not identify as a man, male or a transman though. Also very offended by the statement that XX people have periods. Apparently not only XX people have periods. I must admit, I'm not sure in this one, I've not looked into menstruation in enough detail to know about intersex. But regardless, I would have thought a pad chat forum would the the place you could acknowledge that periods, postpartum bleeding and incontinence post childbirth is a women's issue.

OP posts:
ChocolateForAll · 04/11/2016 11:34

Is "trans-exclusionary" a word? This seems more fitting. I do find it annoying when phobic is misappropriated. We're not talking about irrational fear, or even fear at all.

FWIW, before I duck for cover, trans men can have periods. I'd imagine that periods would be something you'd want to put a stop to if you're identifying as male, but IMO this is what the poster in your CSP group was on about, in a goady fuckery way. it's a biological fact that trans women can't have periods but the same isn't true for trans men.

Still doesn't make anyone phobic, though.

0phelia · 04/11/2016 11:31

Can you get this person deleted from your fb group?

Thelilywhite · 04/11/2016 11:24

Of course its not transphobic to discuss periods. Transwomen do not have periods, its a biological impossibility. Another example of female voices being silenced. The true meaning of phobic is being misappropriated by these activists to intimidate. It makes me furious too impy

venusinscorpio · 04/11/2016 11:24

It's "activism" for sad little fuckers. Best to ignore. "Transphobia" is so overused as a term that it's basically meaningless. There is nothing that women can do to please the transactivists, they hate us for being women.

0phelia · 04/11/2016 11:23

The word "phobia" has been appropriated that's for sure.

VestalVirgin · 04/11/2016 11:22

Well, strictly speaking, most "homophobic" people do not really suffer from phobia, they're just jerks.

But yes, the transwacktivists have changed the meaning again.

Whereas "homophobic" meant "hating homosexuals for no good reason", which is very different from "irrational fear of sameness", which would be the logical meaning, "transphobic" means "disagreeing with transgenderists"

At least "homophobia" was a bit more logical in that some people (men) who hate homosexuals try to cite "gay panic" as justification for their attacks.

Most people who disagree with transgenderists do not fear them, and those who do, do not irrationally fear them - there is good reason for women to fear males, in general, and that includes trans"women".

If they take a term that means "irrational fear" and use it to mean something entirely else, that is their fault, and theirs alone. No, they don't get to define "phobia", because they are not psychologists.

Though I assume they use the word because if they claimed that stating biological facts is "hateful", people would understand what that they are saying and realize it is nonsense.

0phelia · 04/11/2016 11:20

Not at you!

(sorry. I feel for you having to put up with a troll like that)

0phelia · 04/11/2016 11:18

WTAF

whoputthecatout · 04/11/2016 11:15

I feel a massive shrug coming on. It's just a way to try and close down/shame anyone who questions the current zeitgeist.

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