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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Women have the right to state that trans women are actually trans-identifying men

147 replies

Terfulike · 03/05/2018 15:15

This is our right: to state simple biological truths.
We will not be told to lie.
We will not be silenced.
Biological lies must stop.
Biological lies have no place in UK legislation.

OP posts:
numberseven · 04/05/2018 10:57

*It starts with 'transwomen'

Then moves on to 'trans women'

Then becomes 'women with trans experience'*

Someone on Reddit mentioned 'women and cis women'. So that's the next step.

WrongOnTheInternet · 04/05/2018 10:33

Couldn't agree more op. It was ok when there were just a few trying to live their own lives and not bother anyone. It's something else when it's being used by men everywhere to justify pushing women around and out, stop us from talking about our own biological needs, and even justify sexual abuse and rape. Next thing will be that rape doesn't exist again, because that's all women are there for. Women everywhere need to remember the old sayings about men - give them an inch and they take a bloody mile, and they're all bloody spoilt children basically.

LaSqrrl · 04/05/2018 10:20

Most of the women that get that surgery were lesbians. So they would be in the transsexual camp. However, with the rise of transgenderism, bisexual and heterosexual women are taking on the 'transman' thing. Some bind, some mastectomy. Their efforts to guilt homosexual men into having sex with them has largely fallen on deaf ears.

LaSqrrl · 04/05/2018 10:17

No, not a term they are likely to use. My slang. For whatever they call the penile construction surgery. I could not be bothered looking it up.

But out of all I said, that was all you picked up on? Not the heterosexual dudes causing all the problems for women?

Teacuphiccup · 04/05/2018 10:11

lasqrrrl

add a dick to me wow that’s a really horrible term, you’ve put t in quotes is that a term ftm’s use themselves?

LaSqrrl · 04/05/2018 10:06

This reply has been deleted

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FermatsTheorem · 04/05/2018 10:03

Someone on another thread mentioned the European Convention on Human Rights, Section 9. Here's the wikipedia entry:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_9_of_the_European_Convention_on_Human_Rights

"

Article 9 – Freedom of thought, conscience and religion

1. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance.

2. Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs shall be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of public safety, for the protection of public order, health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others."

I believe women are defined by biology. TRAs believe women are defined by some amorphous internal feeling. I can't see that either believe can trump the other under the European Convention.

However, if you read it you will notice it is sloppily drafted - what's the scope of "public" for instance? Just order, or health and morals too?

Hence why TRAs also redefine violence - "you stating your beliefs are driving innocent people to suicide..." - which presumably would (if it were true, which it isn't) come under the heading of both public order and health. Hence why TRAs redefine bigotry - if saying "person A has XY chromosomes and this makes them, biologically speaking, male" is bigotry then it could (if this redefinition were in any way reasonable, which it isn't) come under hte heading of morals.

It also reinforces Barracker's point about resisting the push towards wrong-pronouns being something one does not do in polite society. If it becomes an established social norm it's a short step to it's becoming "immoral" to go against it.

Which is why (and note, I am going to pick a transsexual person who has said publicly that they are male and don't have an issue with being called he, so this isn't a personal attack on a named individual, it's an example of a political stance being taken) it is important to keep saying things like "Miranda Yardley is male and he had a masculinised upbringing, in that he was surrounded by people who treated him a certain way in virtue of his being male in a sexist society which applies different standards of behaviour to men and women." If we give up the ability to say this, we lose free speech.

(Miranda - I know you're around here sometimes, and I hope you don't mind me using you as an example).

Tinkletinklelittlebat · 04/05/2018 09:59

Very true blue , good addition.

bluescreen · 04/05/2018 09:56

Tinkle Another lost word:
Literal

Tinkletinklelittlebat · 04/05/2018 09:49

Ok, the whole point of language is that it permits shared meaning. If shared meaning is lost, then no one understands anyone or can clearly express information.

Key words that have lost shared meaning in this debate: (ie the dictionary definition would no longer apply to the way a poster is using it)

Hate.
Bigot.
Woman.
Transphobia.
Violence.

I'm sure there are others, but it would help this debate a great deal if for the moment those labels were just put on one side and to ask instead for a poster to use more specific language with shared meaning to explain their point of view.

Terfulike · 04/05/2018 09:30

Orchid, so basically mtf/ftm transexuals have had surgery while TIMs / TIFs haven't, and no additional nomenclature is required?

OP posts:
OrchidInTheSun · 04/05/2018 09:16

Yes, TheUterati - that is absolutely it. It's a gradual push to redefine, redefine, redefine with the aim of eventual erasure of women. And we all know who said that.

LaSqrrl · 04/05/2018 09:14

Oh, Uterati - you are so right!
Then becomes 'women with trans experience'

Indeed, that is where it will go next.

BTW, we are 'told' (ordered) by TRAs to spell 'transwoman' as two words. I am an old woman now... I just keep forgetting that order!

By making it one word, it is a separate entity, and not 'a type of woman'.

LaSqrrl · 04/05/2018 09:11

Apart from the examples given above, a man identifying as a woman and demanding to counsel raped women, tied up a rape refuge in Canada for TWELVE years with litigation. Costing them tens of thousands of dollars and crippling them in the process.

That would be 'Kimberly Nixon' taking on Vancouver Rape Relief. Nixon was formerly an airline pilot (not something many actual women achieve), and basically would not take 'no' for taking the year off between being counseled and becoming a counselor. That was all there was. He would not abide by VRR's rules, which apply to EVERYONE. Got his knickers in a twist, and just kept going with lawsuit after lawsuit, putting the organisation into hardship. VRR eventually won.

But, even though VRR still continue to take on TIMs as clients, the TRAs continue to protest the organisation as 'transphobic', even to the point of disrupting a fundraising activity in a park.

Which is the reasonable side here? I can only see one. Nixon was not concerned about the women who needed refuge/counseling (so frankly a poor choice as a counselor anyway). TRAs continue to hound the org, because they don't like losing. This is all very 'man' stuff. Nixon was a transsexual, not a transgender, before you go all out defending the TS as harmless fluffy bunnies. That is a continuum (TS>TG), not an absolute dividing line. Male entitlement is NOT removed by surgery.

www.rapereliefshelter.bc.ca/learn/resources/chronology-events-kimberly-nixon-vs-vancouver-rape-relief-society

Baroquehavoc · 04/05/2018 08:54

And all that happened was that boundaries were pushed and pushed until women said 'no, STOP!'

I think this is a point that's worth repeating. Women are not stopping TIM living and presenting as they wish. This is TIM pushing women's boundaries, trying to stop women talking about their experiences and trying to reduce hard won and important sex segregated spaces.

I might in certain situations use the term TW, to be polite, for example. But never in relation to feminism.

TheUterati · 04/05/2018 08:51

We need to be aware of the implications of language use:

It starts with 'transwomen'

Then moves on to 'trans women'

Then becomes 'women with trans experience'

Using this language, even in the context of disagreement and even with the caveat (either in your head or actually stated) that they are men, reifies trans. Qualifying the word 'woman' in any way, is stating that they are a 'type of woman'. Even if we don;t believe that. Even if we argue in the same breath that they are not. We have already said it. Language is powerful. The right to name is the right to control. And by using their terminology, even for the sake of politeness, is giving them the power to name and the power to control.

I've said it before, and I'll keep on saying it, time to just call them men. Not 'trans identified'. Not with any other qualifier. Men.

TERFragetteCity · 04/05/2018 08:50

My interpretation from people not fully engaged with this debate is the term 'trans women' is often misinterpreted as 'woman who is transing to a man' or 'man who has fully transitioned and has no penis'.

Which is why so many people fall into the trap of repeating it without fully understanding the implications of it.

TERFragetteCity · 04/05/2018 08:47

Ceinwein - don't you think this is odd?

'trans women' can say they have a 'lady penis' and if you don't like it you can suck their dicks.

But women are not allowed to point out that these people saying 'suck my dick' are not women, they are men and this would be 'trans phobic'.

who wins here?

Ellenripleysalienbaby · 04/05/2018 08:46

No it's fine Eresh I totally get you!

Ereshkigal · 04/05/2018 08:42

Also, they won't stop there. They want to stop us being able to discuss women as a sex. That's the end goal.

Ereshkigal · 04/05/2018 08:40

That sounded a bit harsh. It's your choice. But it's not possible for me to go back and call them "women" now, it feels like I'm gaslighting myself. On the plus side, I rarely get "trans women are women" chanted at me by transactivists and allies because it kind of takes the wind out of their sails when you don't indulge it at all.

JiminyBillyBob · 04/05/2018 08:40

Oh ffs how can it be transphobic to say transwomen are men??

It’s TRUE!!

I am aghast.

Ereshkigal · 04/05/2018 08:36

However I use it with the caveat that I absolutely believe that transwomen are men.

But other people don't know what "transwoman" actually means. There is confusion about whether you're talking about a male or female person. It's cementing the idea that these people are women, which they absolutely are not. I understand why you're doing it, but I think it's part of the problem.

Ellenripleysalienbaby · 04/05/2018 08:32

Mypronouns The thing is the first 3 in your list of beliefs are just your subjective beliefs. The belief 'transwomen are men' isn't a belief, its unrefutable objective, scientific fact and therefore is actually the most legitimate of the 4 you listed.

And yet for some reason, it's the most controversial 'belief'.

I don't tend to use TIM, I use transwomen. I do feel it's 'nicer' (urgh). However I use it with the caveat that I absolutely believe that transwomen are men.

The thing is women did used to be 'nice' about this. Shared loos with transwomen, allowed transwomen to live their lives amongst women, called transwomen 'she'. Because most transwomen were/are nice people who don't wish to encroach on anyone. And all that happened was that boundaries were pushed and pushed until women said 'no, STOP!'. Women have had to start putting boundaries in place, have had to start making biology clear and irrefutable, in order to ensure that their own rights are protected. Sometimes they haven't been 'nice' about it, but sometimes self preservation isn't 'nice'.

Newsofas · 04/05/2018 08:26

@ceinwein - have you read what is being proposed by the government and what has already been introduced by the girl guides and the YHA. Re the YHA From now on people (ie anyone) can decide which gender they are and which dorm they want to sleep in at a YHA. I’m not sure I would want my 16 year old staying at a YHA now. Now replace YHA with refuge. Now explain why you think this is ok.