Mermaids response to JK Rowling

That Bayswater piece is ... well... illuminating isn't the word. Definitely read it if you've got questions about what kind of kids want to transition, about how we came to use puberty blockers, re GIDS and Mermaids.

www.bayswatersupport.org.uk/j-k-rowling

Well. That turned into a charming demonstration of "how to be a dick", didn't it?

(Please note I use this term equally for men and women, and am not in any sense commenting on whether our new friend does or does not have a dick.)

Detransitioners exist and are quite a growing group. They may still have gender dysphoria but are finding other ways to deal with it.

And don't forget the never-transitioned! Not everyone with gender dysphoria comes to the conclusion that they're supposed to be the opposite sex. Actual feminist critical analysis of gender is a pretty useful prophylactic against that particular delusion.

It strikes me that there are a lot of mums here who could probably benefit from getting in touch with Bayswater Support. Maybe needs its own thread?

The opening paragraph

"Being male is preferable to being female and vulnerable.”

Thoughts on J.K. Rowling's essay and its responses

13 June 2020

(contributed by a parent in our group)

We wanted to express our gratitude to J.K. Rowling for shining a light, in her essay, on the gender distress that is causing increasing numbers of young women to propose radical changes to their bodies, even in their teens.[1] The words in our title were spoken by a young trans man called Noah, whom we describe below. But responding to Rowling, Mermaids could "see no evidence that any of the young trans men we support are transitioning because they wish to escape womanhood for an easier male existence... we see it as a breath of fresh air." [2] For us, things don't look that simple, as we try to explain below.

Someone posted this from the Bayswater Support Group just as the thread was being me-railed.

It's an alternative view to Mermaids reponse.

www.bayswatersupport.org.uk/j-k-rowling

I'd quite like this thread, which was specifically about the Mermaids statement, to remain, and to carry on discussing the Mermaids statement, if that's ok?
Why are we always so happy to hand the discussion space over to the person that wants to derail from the OP?

(That's rhetorical, please don't answer, please do continue to point out the dreadful holes and untruths in the Mermaids statement and note any further changes they make to it)

J. K. Rowling lifted the lid on the misogyny that underpins it. It's undeniable, and it's escaped from Twitter.

And for that we all owe her a huge debt. It's hard to figure out what to give the richest woman in the world as a gift, but I'm sure she'd appreciate supportive letters.

(Send them via Bloomsbury so her publishers know which way the public mood is tilting.)

@Michelleoftheresistance that was profound ❤

IIRC, using a legal fund for LGBT people to do so.

Taking a gay transsexual to court for trumped up accusations of transphobia that the judge threw straight out.

My MIL's bestie is a gay man and he's far more scathing about transwomen than anyone on here would get away with being. If you don't believe me check out Datalounge.

The closest transwomen get to passing is probably Blair White. Even then the illusion only works if there are no actual women in the frame for comparison. Also, rhapsodizing about one's beauty is something women tend to be socialized out of at a fairly young age.

On Mermaids - as usual their statement is a bunch of manipulative nonsense.

I KNOW you are making this up.

Indeed. Get the L out, the LGB alliance, even data lounge. Not to mention the tons of L and B women on here.

michelle

I am so far beyond pissed off by all this at this point that I honestly don't know how to explain it to you any better.

I genuinely think things are changing, Michelle.

There is an air of what the fuck about an awful lot of it suddenly.

J. K. Rowling lifted the lid on the misogyny that underpins it. It's undeniable, and it's escaped from Twitter.

Gay people would not and do not want trans people being spoken about like how they are being on here I know that much.

I KNOW you are making this up.

@AvaMonroe

You also misunderstood the meaning recovery within the context of my post. Recovery is often a "state" or "stage" of being, it is neither final nor finite.

A profound mental illness cannot be expected to go away completely with no trace of the harm it's caused, as many who've experienced addiction will tell you.
Those who have experience of mental illness whether personal or professional know that it's harmful to expect the sufferer to remain unchanged by their struggle.
I empthaise with anyone that finds something so wrong within themself that they'd resort to mutilating their otherwise healthy body.
However that empthay does not extend to support for you to demand access to our spaces, sports, scholarships, refuges, services etc.

You'd have more respect on here if you acknowledged your male privilege and did not expect us to bend to your will or the feelings in your head. Similarly, if you had not bastardised the meaning of woman or erased our experiences (which are entirely unique to our sex and you neither have, nor will, experience the same)

‘You can’t speak for the LGBT community’ because you don’t know what it’a like.

Plenty of people on this thread know exactly what it’s like.

Ava apparently knows exactly what it is to be woman though because she is.

@SpartacusAutisticus We are definitely in possession of absolute cunts.

For a charity that claims to represent trans people, a self-identified 'cis' woman [sic] taking a transwomen to court for transphobia is a really bad look and if I were trans, I'd have concerns about such an organisation seemingly trying to speak on my behalf.

IIRC, using a legal fund for LGBT people to do so.

Michelle

EVERYTHING that Michelleoftheresistance said.

This

That was your cock comment btw.

EVERYTHING that Michelleoftheresistance said.

I'm a lesbian, so gay. Many here are gay.

You're only looking for the posts to have another strop about so I won't waste more time here.

I care about the needs of female people not being hurled aside in the attempt to make male people happier, and about female people not being forced to pretend that biological sex does not exist to make male people happier, and so collude in their own oppression. I particularly care about females with less privilege who stand to lose access to health care, to being able to stay in hospital when they need to, to being able to escape to a refuge with their children when in fear of their life (do talk to the MNetter here who's been living on the streets because there is no refuge left where males aren't present and she's too trapped in PTSD to be able to tolerate it - her terror tears and pleas meant nothing), to not being returned to being excluded from going out much because they can't access toilets....

All because males want to use female spaces and don't care about females, and can't tolerate allowing even some facilities to remain available to them. How do you frame that as not spectacularly selfish, exclusionary and plain male supremacist in its thinking that male people matter but female people and their needs and identity and feelings are just them being stupid and mean and they shouldn't be allowed to talk about it?

Have you any idea how pissed off female people are about this? All you're getting here is teasing and rudeness in response to your appalling behaviour since you entered this thread: any idea how many female people here have seen dozens of death threats? Rape threats? Been doxxed? One of us here has been beaten up by a TW for being in a public place in possession of a female centred opinion.

Do take a look at the thread too about how the UN now talks about the stigma (and deaths) suffered because of periods without being allowed mentioning that this is due to female biology and male beliefs that they own and control females and their spaces and their sexuality. Because it's too upsetting to males. How do we defend females from biology based oppression and appalling treatment from males when males will no longer even allow us to use the words??

There was a thread about FGM as well and how some TW are suppressing protecting little girls because to mention female biology and male control of female biology is too upsetting to people born male, but it was deleted since we aren't allowed to talk about that.

I am so far beyond pissed off by all this at this point that I honestly don't know how to explain it to you any better.

@PurpleCrowbarWhereIsLangCleg