Well, I've just come out as GC on Facebook...

I saw a good question on Twitter.

Ask people: 'Do you believe women should continue to have all the rights they currently have in law?'

If they say yes - say thank you, we agree.

If they say no - be suitably horrified.

Most of the time, from what I have seen, they will squirm, prevaricate, deflect, try to avoid answering the question, claim that you are trying to 'reframe' the argument or 'drive a wedge' or some such bollocks.

I think we can all agree it's neither a hard question nor a trick question. But it's enlightening to see who treats it as such.

Wow, that’s such a powerful video. She puts everything I think into the words I can’t find. It just so often feels ridiculous to be arguing that women are women that I often feel completely blindsided by having to argue that they are.

@OpenTheCurtainsPleaseDear Thanks for the clarification!

@BaronessFloralBunting - Thank you for your reply.
I would have thought if they were mentally ill, this would be picked up in a lengthy psychological analysis?
Sadly teenagers are at a difficult point in their lives already, I remember it all too well myself, however I imagine when you are doubting your sex too everything is overwhelming.
My DSis is gay, and I can’t imagine ever telling her she should still accept a man who identifies as a woman, or else she would be classed as transphobic.

It seems like a topic of many different elements, and probably not one I can form an opinion on in a day.

@Alwayslearningthings it was for OP. I’ve not seen your messages so no idea if it’s relevant but it’s important to know where gender comes from and what it actually means.

Emma Watson has very carefully managed the cognitive dissonance of accepting being a representative for female humans and issues specific to being born with female biology while still saying and behaving in ways that genuflects to the political lobby.

It would not stand up to conversation any more than Radtwit's comments would.

Which babies get buried alive at birth, or abandoned, or disproportionately aborted? How does anyone know which babies to do this to and why do they do it?

Which small children get married off and sustain terrible injuries or die in childbirth with a body not ready to do it? How does anyone know which children to do this to, and why do they do it?

Which children get their genitals mutilated and stitched up to prevent their sexual pleasure and control their behaviour? How does anyone know which children to do this to, and why do they do it?

Who freezes in period huts? How does anyone know who has to do this and who doesn't, and why do they have to do it?

Who's ability to work and avoid rape is reliant on access to single sex toilets? How does anyone know who needs these? Why do they have to have them?

Now try and get answers to any of that without some very grim, racist colonialism about the superiority of the western world. And even in the western world, who is entitled to privacy, dignity, a lived experience, freedom from cultural and derogatory appropriation, their own language and choice of self expression, valued choices and protected identity - and who doesn't? How do we tell those people apart? Why is the one group subordinate to the other?

Being born with female biology is relentlessly attached to disadvantage. You can only lie about it, threaten people for talking about it and shame them for acknowledging that they see it. You cannot hide it.

I’m not sure if the Victorian message was for me @open?

AlwaysLearning, I hope you won't get blasted. We've all been learning as we go here, and Posie is a controversial figure because she absolutely shoots from the hip and is not diplomatic. She knows mothers of girls who have been sucked in to the trans movement, who have been powerless to help as their daughters are endlessly affirmed as male, their other issues not addressed, and ended up estranged as encouraging parental alienation is very much a thing in Transactivism. I am mutual friends with some, and as a fellow mother, whose daughter also travelled a way down that road before resisting, I understand the passion with which Posie speaks.

Mutilation is not comfortable language, but I'm not sure why anyone would think a medically unnecessary double mastectomy on a teenager who was struggling with mental health and body image should be sanitized by comfortable terms. When you find out what they do to the girls who think that a pretend penis would make them feel better it's even more disturbing.

We all have our focus points in this - mine are the transing of girls, the conversion therapy of coercing lesbians to accept men dressed up as progressive inclusion, and men in women's hospital or rape provision.
But there is plenty more. It can be overwhelming,and no one is expected to be in lockstep conformity. We are not a religious cult, you don't have to sign pledges or belief statements. I guarantee that if you keep reading, keep an open mind, you will shift position a few times on some of the topics. I hope it is always towards what is best for women and girls collectively, because that's very much our focus here.

The rules of misogyny

1st rule of misogyny: Women are responsible for what men do.
2nd rule of misogyny: Women saying no to men is a hate crime.
3rd rule of misogyny: Women speaking for themselves are exclusionary and selfish.
4th rule of misogyny: Women's opinions are violence against men thus male violence against women is justified.
5th rule of misogyny: WATM! Women and Feminism must be useful to men or they are worthless.
6th rule of misogyny: Women who go around being female AT men by menstruating and breast feeding babies deserve punishment.
7th rule of misogyny: Women should always be grateful to men for everything.
8th rule of misogyny: Men are whatever men say they are and women are whatever men say they are.
9th rule of misogyny: Men always know the "real reasons" for everything women do and say.
10th rule of misogyny: The worst thing about male violence is that it males men look bad.
11th rule of misogyny: Basic pattern recognition skills are cruel and evil when they hurt men's feelings.

12th rule of misogyny: whatever women suffer from, men suffer from more.
13th rule of misogyny: Women are not oppressed! Rape and catcalling and objectification are all compliments, not oppression.

14th rule of misogyny: Women have all the rights they need: The right to remain silent.

I’ve just read the trans activists bible.

Hmm what a shame, admittedly I haven’t really looked too hard into her campaigns and feeling on TWAW so could have had a google myself (pure laziness and lack of sleep, apologies!)
I think hoping for something from her, and pressuring are two different things. With DR hopping on the bandwagon, I was wondering if his views were shared by his peers, not that they’d say anything that would get themselves into trouble I imagine.

In one way I also feel sorry for all the HP actors. There's no way they knew as nine/ten year old what they would be signing up to for life, and it just MUST mess you up being that famous, that young and then forever.

But they are adults now and responsible for their own behaviour. It wouldn't kill them to realise how privileged they all were and to try and see things from other points of view.

Would he sleep with a trans woman?

Twitter spats are a poor proxy for the real argument that should be happening- the detailed one in Parliament!

I feel sorry for Emma Watson tbh.

Considering that Paris Lees almost made her cry during that interview they did I really don't think anyone should be expecting anything from Watson, or indeed putting any pressure on her.

Tell him you thought he was more progressive than that. Sexist stereotypes are not so rigid they actually change your biology. Boys and men can wear dresses, girls and women can work in construction, get over it. You’re disappointed he is so Victorian in his ideas.

(Gender is a Victorian concept to describe sexist stereotypes. Being British we didn’t like saying sex to used gender instead, but gender is actually a load of Victorian sexist bollocks).

Emma Watson would be ripped to shreds if she said anything GC.

I’d be much more interested in what Emma Watson, somebody else who knows JKR and has been a part of her world all these years, thinks. After all she is strongly for feminism, so surely she should be for women being protected.

She’s a hypocrite, pretending to care about women, by calling herself a feminist, but then treating women as transphobic for not believing TWAW.

I also nailed my colours to the mast with this video on FB yesterday. Got positive responses from those I knew were GC, but also a male friend who I know has a current wife, 1 ex wife, at least 1 daughter and grandkids. He told me that as he neither knew, nor cared about the "debate", neither should I. I should let it go, and as long as they were nice, be nice back. I was gob smacked. I did ask what the boundaries / definition of "nice" was, and why, as a man, he thought that giving away women's rights was his job, to which he responded "ok". And what was worse than the frustration and indignation of his indifference was my genuine fear of reactions. I don't know who I'm disappointed at most; me or him.

So I came across this after searching for somewhere online to gain information on both sides of the argument.
I’ve been on Mumsnet for quite a while, but have name changed just in case.

I feel very strongly that being a woman is more than what my body does, and raising two daughters I want them to have their own safe spaces.
I watched the video from the OP and it was very moving, and I was 100% with her, up until the part where she began to talk about teenage girls being ‘mutilated’ in the states.

I’ve watched quite a few documentaries on the trans journey, for girls and some boys, and it seems like a long and arduous process for them. One where they have a lot of psychological evaluation first, then are given hormones to stop them developing, and finally they are given appropriate surgery.
I doubt their parents are pushing them to get their genitals changed and breasts removed.
I feel mutilation, being such a strong and negative word, will not do her that many favours.

I’m not sure what I’m here for, I think education more than anything as I feel I cannot openly discuss this with friends/colleagues for fear of being ostracised.
Even my own husband was shocked when I said in a conversation that unless a man who transitions into a woman has the whole process completed (removal of male genitalia) then they absolutely shouldn’t be admitted to women’s prisons. He claimed I was being transphobic, I stated that wasn’t the case I do not feel anything negative about the trans community, but why should one prisoner have the fear of God put into them by having to share a cell with a ‘self-identified woman’ who could easily overpower and rape them?
I feel more towards once they have had all aspects of reassignment completed, then they should be allowed (judged on an individual basis) into women safe spaces such a toilets/girl guides/changing rooms/prisons etc.

Please feel free to tell me why that line of thinking is right or wrong, where do people stand on that matter? I’m dying to have this conversation with someone who isn’t going to blast me for having a certain view.

Oh, and DR jumping in on something that doesn’t affect him in any way is deeply frustrating. It looks like he just wants more people to like him.
I’d be much more interested in what Emma Watson, somebody else who knows JKR and has been a part of her world all these years, thinks. After all she is strongly for feminism, so surely she should be for women being protected.

Ugh, the roller derby thing. First of all the fact that it is such a high contact sport makes it a Mouncey situation and inherently unsafe. Secondly, signing up to play in a women's sports league should not come with the expectation of random frottage.

sashh That was a brilliant piece and I thank you, because you put into words what so many women are concerned about.

BTW, did the work brigade rectify their mistake regarding using gender instead of sex?

I think one of the difficulties around all of this subject is that unless you have direct experience and are up to speed the learning curve is just enormous. I consider myself well read and embrace shades of grey and a persons right to choose. I am however horrified by the aggression and hate perpetrated by activists which seems far removed from the dignified struggle of most trans people to overcome prejudice and practical challenges. For those not aware of all the hate and the shutting down any opinion or voice that is not in total support of the activists, saying you are GC is often interpreted as anti-trans. Oppression in any form is abhorrent and I don’t understand moderate people who condone the haters and seem fearful of all of this. Is it possible to be over woke?