Dystopian nightmare?

Synpathies. Once you see it, you see everything and it can be totally overwhelming. I find channelling efforts on social media into spreading the word in a hopefully not off putting way helps me. But I still struggle.

Hi OP
One thing that makes me feel better, when it gets a bit overwhelming (I've rejoined twitter and I'm posting in my own name and original account which is confusing for my old followers but I'm chucking in GC stuff with my more normal style!) is to look at the comments on any recent GC article in the Times. Hundreds of sensible people, I find it reassuring.
Also I've got to at least ten women in real life that weren't aware of this before I told them. I wonder how many ripples those ten have made, in turn!

@PhilomenaRumple

No. He's a big Harry Potter fan and had seen some of the media coverage. Was watching Piers Morgan talking about it the other day.

I haven't been on Twitter long, and have only been actively using it for a week or so. The whole twaw is something I've found frightening. But what I will say, is what men will always underestimate about women is the compassion and empathy and the willingness to stand together and support each other. I had 1 follower last week and now have about 50. I know that's not a lot but it gives me faith that women are feeling brave enough to say what they wouldn't have dared to say even a few months ago, and feeling like im a tiny cog in a growing machine is amazing.

My 12 year old son fully understands the issues. We use the "if you dressed up in a lion costume it doesn't mean you could go inside the enclosure" and lots of talk about women's sport and how unfair it is to have men competing and winning the prizes. Keep it simple - he understands. He accepts that it's right to be kind to other people and their beliefs but not at the cost of women's identity.

I just want to say that we have made a difference. When I first got involved there was nothing in the press challenging self id or the twaw mantra. I couldn’t imagine it happening. I’m in Scotland and our go put is really signed up to this, but we have made them go public, and the press covers the issue.
I was involved in the Anti Apartheid movement in the 80s and never imagined Nelson Mandela would be released form prison, much less we’d see him elected in South Africa. Never thought I’d see that in my lifetime. Or the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland. None of that happened overnight, and it took a lot of heavy lifting from sincere people to make it happen. Things we never thought we had a chance of winning, we did. Not by chanting mantras, not by spewing vitriol on social media (which didn’t exist) but by working democratically, from the grassroots, marshalling our evidence and our arguments. Not sexy, not headline grabbing, but effective.

Philomena, once all this is over I would hugely recommend going to a meeting if you can - or even to next year’s FiLiA conference in Portsmouth! The sheer boost you get from being in a room full of like-minded women is amazing, and there’s always a pub trip afterwards.

It’s quite a ride. I’m a secret campaigner, meeting attendee, women’s group member. I haven’t been this politically active for about 25 years. I’m mostly frustrated this week but I’m not giving up and welcome you with open arms.

I felt so isolated when I discovered this all a few years ago. I remember sitting in my flat with the lights off and thinking, if this is what the world believes I need to go and live in a cave. I never believed in it, never had a peak trans moment. I felt really alone. But I spoke to my (Male)partner who got it. Took time, because he understood second wave feminism and couldn’t get his head round that people were saying gender identity was a real thing and sex didn’t matter. Broached with my closest friend and was sooo relieved when she was on side. It’s hard. But I also made contact with another woman who I’d known years before and who agreed. We organised a meeting of others.
I’ve met loads of other women, online and in real life and have attended meetings. And sometimes you need to take time out and that’s fine. I’m a bird watcher. I need to take time out and go and do my thing. The goose analogy is excellent.
We all do what what we can when we can depending on our resources at the time. This stuff is hard and does have an effect on us emotionally and for our mental health. Losing friends is bloody hard. You will get through this and find others, but take your time. We win this by digging in for the long haul and taking care of ourselves and others when they need it. We all need time out.
We’ve all felt the fear. But you are not alone. Change is gonna come, not overnight, but you’ve made contact here and you will find others in real life. I keep my activism separate from my work, I have a couple of good friends I can check in with regularly to do my ranting and have a laugh.

Can anyone give me some perspective on how they feel about this long-term and what will ultimately happen? I’m frightened

Here's something cheering and positive for you, OP. I found out about this issue through MN, and since then I've been reading widely. I am also deeply concerned, and I hit peak trans about a year ago. I've talked to a lot of people about this issue in real life, and I have never - never once - met anyone who doesn't agree with me. I simply don't know any woke, TWAW people. I feel completely comfortable voicing my GC views to anyone who will listen. There are vast swathes of our society - my guess is, the majority - who are still sensible, and who wouldn't buy into this dangerous ideology for a moment. I believe that when the message gets fully out, good sense will prevail. The important thing is to keep talking, and keep on getting the message out, because there are still so very, very many people who know nothing about this issue.

This was me too not so long ago, OP. It is truly terrifying and I had to be careful what I read in the evening, or else I would go to bed and be unable to sleep for thinking about it all.

I now have a GC twitter account and dip in and out of it to lend support to different causes/ report abuse and generally keep myself informed.

Sometimes it is overwhelming though - it's like little (or big!) fires springing up all around you, and just as you start to hose one down another one starts up somewhere else.

I have been feeling down today after I heard claims that groups like Mermaids are autogenerating '000s of responses to bombard Boris and Liz Truss with about the GRA. I worry that our grass roots collection of feminist groups simply won't have the ££ and the power to fight it all.

My professional background (before kids) was related to politics, campaigning and communications and sometimes I feel like I just want to turn up at the Baroness' door and say "tell me what I can do to contribute towards this ... and I will do it (for free)"